CAMPION COLLEGE

COMMUNICATION STUDIES

MODULE 1 ESSAY

TEST

Name: Matthew Wilmot, Antoine Brown, Ryan Martell Jr, Chengxin Lin and Nicholas Hamilton
Class: 4A

Subject: Communication Studies

Assignment: Test - Module 1 Essay
Teacher: Ms. Chintersingh

Module 1 – GATHERING AND PROCESSING INFORMATION

1. Read the extract below carefully and then answer the question that follows on the lines that
have been provided.

The climate-change catastrophe should have convinced policymakers by now that they
ignore science at their peril. Another arena in which science has been disregarded is
educational policy, which has resulted in the “chasm of academic achievement” between boys
and girls in Jamaican high schools.
Although the number of boys and girls in Jamaica is roughly equal, in 2005 (the latest
data I can find), 48,992 boys and 81,111 girls sat CSEC subjects, and the girls out-
performed the boys in all arts subjects and all science subjects, except Mathematics. More than
twice the number of females (67 per cent) are enrolled in the UWI than males (33 per cent), and
59 per cent of those enrolled in post-secondary non-tertiary education are women. There is
gender injustice here.
In both primary and private preparatory schools, girls outperform boys in the Grade
Six Achievement Test (GSAT) * - in all subject areas and across all regions. Why is this?
Is it because boys learn differently from girls, and Jamaica’s school system is hopelessly
feminized, putting boys at a disadvantage? Maybe. But it seems to me that the analysis of male
educational underperformance ignores major scientific findings that have been known for some
decades, and which have been reinforced or confirmed by recent research.

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 GIRLS DEVELOP FASTER
Let me quote from by column of April 16, 2010 entitled ‘Gender Justice’: “At the age
of 12-13 years, the girls will run academic circles around the boys and give them feelings
of inferiority; and it is likely that – early on – the boys will develop a negative image of
themselves and aggressive feelings towards women.”
Boys’ academic performance will fall and disciplinary problems will begin to emerge.
Their female classmates will do well at CXC examinations and go on to university; after
high school, many of the boys will join the walk-street, kick-stone posse. We are seeing
the negative effects already. A scientific study published in the medical journal, Cerebral Cortex
on December 19, 2013 reports that females generally mature faster during childhood and
adolescence in certain cognitive and emotional areas than males, because girls tend to optimise
brain connections earlier than boys.
Dr Marcus Kaiser of Newcastle University in the United Kingdom reported: “Previous
studies have shown that the brain does a lot of reorganising during puberty. At that age of
about 10-12 years, you start to see a lot of activity in the brains of girls as this pruning
takes place, but it was between 15-20 for boys.” It is, therefore, natural at age 11 for girls to do
better than boys at the GSAT, and at age 16 at CSEC. Knowingly or unknowingly, our
educational system is designed to favour girls. It is true to say that the marginalisation of the
Jamaica male happens by design.
SAME-SEX SCHOOLS
The Trinidad Express of March 26, 2010 had a story titled, ‘Minister: Shift to same-sex
schools to target males’. The article begins “Education Minister Esther Le Gendre said
yesterday that the underperformance of male students in this country was the main reason
for a push to convert some 20 secondary schools to same-sex schools.”
Even before this, Jamaica was behind Trinidad in educational achievement. We must
convert co-ed high schools to single-sex schools, and build more grammar schools for
boys only to redress the gender issue which is woven into the fabric of Jamaican society.
Adapted from Peter Espeut, “Gender Injustice”.
The Gleaner, Friday, 8 January 2016.
* Same as Common Entrance Examination in some countries

Write an essay, in no more than 500 words, in which you

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 ● state the writer’s main idea (no more than 30 words)

● discuss THREE organizational strategies OR THREE language techniques OR any

combination of both contained in the passage that may serve to achieve the writer’s
purpose the writer uses to achieve this purpose
● evaluate the credibility of the information presented

In the article, adapted from Peter Esput’s “Gender Injustice” published in The Gleaner on

Friday, 8 January 2016, the writer’s main idea is that scientific evidence brings to light the

education system’s greater suitability for girls, an issue which manifests in their outperformance

of boys in academics and school enrollment. Therefore, by using language strategies and

techniques, namely hyperbole, subheadings, and statistics despite a sub-par level of credibility,

the writer is able to convince the reader of the disparity in the education system and the dire need

to remedy the issue.

Firstly, the writer uses hyperbole to grasp the reader’s attention by emphasising the

severity of the issue at hand. For example, Esput creates an image of the “chasm of academic

achievement” due to the “hopelessly feminised” school system. The use of “chasm” serves to

exaggerate the gap between male and female academic performance and the word “feminised” to

stress the education system’s greater suitability for girls. Therefore, it is effective in convincing

the audience of the weight of this issue and warrants the need for a change to educational policy.

Hence, a hyperbole is effective in setting up his argument.

Secondly, Esput’s use of subheadings allows him to organise his arguments to facilitate

ease of understanding. For example, the capitalised sub-headings “GIRLS DEVELOP FASTER”

and “SAME SEX SCHOOLS,” are used to capture interest and focus the reader on specific

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segments of content. As a result, the passage is easier to follow and the reader is able to identify

the writer’s plan of action. Therefore, subheadings are effective in organising the passage so it is

easier to comprehend.

Thirdly, the writer uses statistics to support his claims. The use of the statistic, “48,992

boys and 81,111 girls sat CSEC subjects…” in addition to his statement that “...more than twice

the number of females (67 percent) are enrolled in UWI…” gives quantitative support to the

writer’s arguments, allowing the reader to somewhat visualise the extent to which the issue

spreads. Furthermore, the use of large figures serves to complement Esput’s use of hyperbole, in

stressing the size of the disparity within the education system. Hence, statistics are effective in

adding depth to the writer’s claims.

However, despite the numerous techniques and strategies used, the article itself is not

credible. Firstly, the writer takes an argumentative stance, subjecting the passage to the influence

of his personal bias and opinion. Although he uses statistics, he only uses them to support his

position without considering and presenting counter-arguments. Furthermore, Esput fails to find

recent data (within 5 years) for some of his arguments, utilizing outdated statistics from at least

six years prior to the article’s conception (2010 and 2005). Therefore, this article can be deemed

not credible.

All in all, the writer achieves his purpose to convince the audience of the imbalance

within the education system, through the use of language strategies and techniques like

hyperbole, subheadings and statistics. However, although Esput’s article fails to achieve a high

level of credibility, it still maintains its position as valid argumentative discourse.

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 (504 Words)

Content: 8/10

Organization: 7/7

Expression: 7/8

Total = 22/25