Kramizo
Log inSign up free
Home › CXC CAPE Communication Studies › Practice Paper
CXC CAPE · · Communication Studies

Free CXC CAPE Communication Studies
Practice Paper

8 mixed-difficulty practice questions in the style of real CXC CAPE papers — answers, mark-scheme-style explanations, and the official exam structure all on one page.

Take a Mini Mock →

What the real CXC CAPE Communication Studies paper looks like

Paper 01 (Multiple Choice)
45 multiple-choice questions, 1 mark each. About 1 hour 30 minutes. Tests knowledge across all three Modules of the Unit.
Paper 02 (Essay / Structured)
Extended essay and structured questions, one per Module. Around 2 hours 30 minutes. Tests developed argument, application and use of examples.
Paper 03 (Internal Assessment)
School-Based Assessment for school candidates (Paper 03/1) or an alternative written paper for private candidates (Paper 03/2). Coursework/research component worth a significant share of the Unit grade.
Total written exam time: ~4 hours across Paper 01 and Paper 02, plus the Internal Assessment.
Grading: Unit grades: I (highest) to VII (lowest), with a Grade Point Average and per-Module profile. Grades I–V are the pass range for most purposes.

Mini practice paper: 8 questions

Mixed-difficulty questions from across the Communication Studies syllabus. Tap "Show answer" after each to check yourself.

Q1 · Difficulty 1/3

Which criterion concerns the credentials of an author or publisher?

  1. Relevance
  2. Currency
  3. Authority
  4. Coherence
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — Authority
Award 1 mark. Currency concerns how recent a source is and relevance how closely it matches your purpose. An expert writing outside their field carries no special weight.
Q2 · Difficulty 1/3

What does tone refer to in a text?

  1. The writer's attitude towards the subject or reader
  2. The formality of the vocabulary only
  3. The feeling created in the reader
  4. The number of paragraphs used
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — The writer's attitude towards the subject or reader
Award 1 mark. Mood is what the reader is made to feel. Tone belongs to the writer and mood to the reader.
Q3 · Difficulty 1/3

What is register?

  1. The variety of language selected as appropriate to a situation, audience and purpose
  2. A record of the sources a writer used
  3. The grammatical accuracy of a piece of writing
  4. The attitude a text conveys towards its subject
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — The variety of language selected as appropriate to a situation, audience and purpose
Award 1 mark. The attitude conveyed is tone, which varies independently. Register is about which variety, not about how correct it is.
Q4 · Difficulty 1/3

What are Cornell notes designed for?

  1. Later self-testing, using a cue column and a summary strip
  2. Recording lectures word for word
  3. Comparing sources in a grid
  4. Showing relationships between ideas radially
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — Later self-testing, using a cue column and a summary strip
Award 1 mark. Notes go in the main area, cues and questions in the margin, and the summary at the foot. The format's strength is revision.
Q5 · Difficulty 1/3

Which note-making format is best for comparing several sources against the same criteria?

  1. Continuous prose
  2. Linear notes
  3. Tabular notes
  4. A mind map
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — Tabular notes
Award 1 mark. Sources down one side and criteria across the top make the comparison visible. This also makes a later synthesis much easier to write.
Q6 · Difficulty 1/3

Which of these is a tertiary source?

  1. A recorded speech
  2. An encyclopaedia entry
  3. A journal article analysing survey data
  4. A survey you administer yourself
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — An encyclopaedia entry
Award 1 mark. Tertiary sources compile and index other material. They are useful for orientation but rarely citable as evidence.
Q7 · Difficulty 1/3

Which criterion asks whether a source actually addresses the question you are investigating?

  1. Validity
  2. Authority
  3. Currency
  4. Accuracy
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — Validity
Award 1 mark. A perfectly dependable source that answers a different question is of no use to you. Reliability and validity are assessed separately.
Q8 · Difficulty 1/3

What is scanning?

  1. Reading for pleasure over a long period
  2. Searching a text rapidly for one specific piece of information
  3. Marking a text with notes as you read
  4. Reading every word of a passage carefully
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Searching a text rapidly for one specific piece of information
Award 1 mark. Hold the target in mind and ignore everything else. Scanning fails when it turns into slow reading.
Build a 30-question timed mock →
Free · No signup · Instant marking

CXC CAPE Communication Studies FAQ

What does the CXC CAPE Communication Studies exam look like?
The CXC CAPE Communication Studies exam is structured across 3 components. Paper 01 (Multiple Choice): 45 multiple-choice questions, 1 mark each. About 1 hour 30 minutes. Tests knowledge across all three Modules of the Unit. Paper 02 (Essay / Structured): Extended essay and structured questions, one per Module. Around 2 hours 30 minutes. Tests developed argument, application and use of examples. Paper 03 (Internal Assessment): School-Based Assessment for school candidates (Paper 03/1) or an alternative written paper for private candidates (Paper 03/2). Coursework/research component worth a significant share of the Unit grade. Total written exam time: ~4 hours across Paper 01 and Paper 02, plus the Internal Assessment.
Can I download a free CXC CAPE Communication Studies past paper?
Real CXC CAPE past papers are published directly by CXC CAPE on their official website. Kramizo doesn't redistribute copyrighted past papers, but we do generate free AI-written practice papers in the exact same style — same command words, same difficulty tier, same mark conventions. Use this practice paper as warm-up, then time yourself on official past papers before exam day.
How is CXC CAPE Communication Studies graded?
Unit grades: I (highest) to VII (lowest), with a Grade Point Average and per-Module profile. Grades I–V are the pass range for most purposes. Kramizo's practice questions are tagged with difficulty 1-3 mapping roughly to the lower, middle, and top grade boundaries you'll encounter in the real exam.