Communication

Studies -Internal
Assessment
What is the I.A. About?
\
 An important component of the
Communication Studies syllabus is the
Internal Assessment which is worth twenty
percent (20%) of the overall marks.
 The I.A. takes the form of a ten minute oral
presentation AND a written portfolio with a
1500 word limit.
 The Internal Assessment is intended to
provide students with the opportunity to
develop their creative writing and
speaking abilities and to allow them to
practically apply the theoretical
knowledge they have gained about
language and their various functions and
the communication process.
The components of the I.A.

 The portfolio will have four (4) sections:-

 A general introduction to the ENTIRE
portfolio
 A preface to the reflective piece
 A piece of reflective writing from ONE literary
genre i.e. Drama, prose or poetry
 An analytical piece that looks at specific
elements of your created reflective piece.
 How to start the I.A.
Step 1
Choose a theme. Remember that a
theme is a main or central idea that is
explored in a piece of
communication.
 Step 2
 Think of intellectual reasons for wanting
to focus on that particular theme. A reason
of simply wanting to do it because you
like it, is not an intellectual reason for
choosing a theme!
 Think of what you want your reflective
piece to focus on
 Think of what genre of literature you
would like to use for your created piece.
Remember that whatever genre you
choose must do justice to ideas relating to
focus!
 Ask yourself if you can come up with
a researchable topic that is linked to
your chosen theme. If you cannot...
then you need to go back to the
drawing board.
Some suggested themes for you
to choose from.

 The Environment
 Health
 The Entertainment Industry in Jamaica (this can
involve aspects of the mass media also)
 Abuse (you can focus on any aspect)
 Education
 Sports
 Crime and Violence (you can focus on any aspect)
 Discrimination
 Relationships (focus on any aspect i.e. Infidelity,
divorce, parent-child relationships, family
relationships)
 Conflict
What does each component involve?

 The General Introduction provides the link

for ALL the three (3) sections of your
portfolio.
 Through your introduction, your readers
must be able to have an understanding of
what your portfolio and your oral
presentation will focus on.
The Introduction
 This section has a word limit of 200 words.
In this section, you will need to:
 state clearly the chosen theme, state why
you opted for that theme and comment on
how the theme will be explored in the
reflective piece
 State your purpose for focusing on the
theme
 You should also summarise how the theme
relates to the subjects you have chosen to
study currently at the CAPE level (Academic
Interests)
 How the theme relates to your career goals
(Career Interests) and
 How the theme highlights your personal
reasons for choosing it (Personal Interests)
 How the theme will be treated in both the
Reflective and Expository pieces and link it
your purpose
 The Preface (200 words)
 The preface that you write MUST focus on the
reflective piece itself. It entails the following:-
 identifying your purpose i.e. Stating the aim
of your created piece
 genre of the created piece, why you used that
genre and a brief insight into what the piece is
about
identificationof your target audience
and why you have chosen them
Forum of usage i.e. Where would you
like your piece to be used and why.
When you are doing this section please
ensure that you provide a specific
forum
 The Reflective Piece (800 words)

 This is a very important section in the portfolio

as this is what will entail the message you
want to send to your audience.
 Remember your purpose at all times when
producing your reflective piece.
 For whatever genre you have chosen to do...
ensure that you make use of the elements of
that particular genre.
 Your reflective piece is also important as
this is what you will be making reference
to when you do the Analytical section.
 You will learn about this in your classes,
but please note that your created piece
but include the following features:-
 Language Registers ... These demonstrate different
level of speech formality based on who we are
talking to and the purpose for the communication.
 Dialectal Variation
 Attitudes to language
 Communicative Behaviours... This is in reference to
a range of non-verbal behaviours that send a
message
 The Analytical Piece (350 words)
 This section requires you to comment
critically on any TWO of the features
highlighted previously. You are required
to discuss, with the aid of applicable
examples, how they were used... why
they were used... and their effectiveness
in relation to your content .
 Theanalytical section also focuses on
how clearly you express your thoughts/
ideas and how smoothly your writing
flows. It looks also at the practicality of
your organization skills.
 The Expository Component

This is going to be based on a topic that is related to

your theme. Remember that whatever topic you
choose... it must be researchable!!!

This section will be explained to you in your

individual classes, however please note the
following:
 This section looks at your ability to give
information, speak with clarity and
conviction, display good organizational
skills, how well you use both the verbal
and non-verbal forms of communication
to command attention.
 However despite the presentation
mannerisms, it focuses on your ability
to speak on your topic while giving
contrasting views from your sources.