What communication is: internal vs external
Communication passes a message from a sender to a receiver, and succeeds only when feedback confirms it was understood. Internal communication is between people INSIDE the business (manager to staff, department to department); external is with people OUTSIDE it (customers, suppliers, government). Good communication raises efficiency, cuts mistakes, improves motivation, gives better customer service, and builds the firm's reputation.
Poor communication and the role of IT
Poor communication causes mistakes and wasted resources (wrong instructions -> wrong product -> re-work), wasted time, low morale, poor customer service and a damaged image. Information technology — email, intranet, video calls, social media, websites — usually makes it faster, cheaper and wider. But IT can cause information overload and be impersonal (tone and body language lost), so more IT is not automatically better.
Barriers and how to reduce them
A barrier is anything that stops a message being sent, received or understood. The main ones: language, jargon, physical/technical (distance, noise, broken kit), emotional (anger, distrust), information overload, too long a chain of command and no feedback. Each has a fix — translate, drop jargon, maintain kit, build trust, prioritise messages, flatten the structure. The commonest fix is the right channel with feedback.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Describe the impact, not just the problem
These score only when a candidate names a specific impact and develops the chain, not when they describe what poor communication looks like. Weak: "the message is unclear" restates the problem with no consequence. Strong: "unclear instructions -> wrong product -> materials wasted -> customer switches." Name ONE impact, the effect, then the consequence.
June 2024 Paper 1 Q2(c): ineffective communication scored when candidates named an impact (e.g. mistakes/wastage) and developed the chain, not when they described the problem.
State/Outline barriers need context
The most repeated cause of lost marks is not applying a point to the specific firm on State/Outline items (AO2). Weak: "one barrier is a language barrier" is generic. Strong: "for a courier in several countries, depot staff cannot read instructions in another language, so parcels are mis-routed." Naming the firm is not context — add an extract detail.
Cross-cutting digest note (repeated every series, e.g. Nov 2024 Paper 2 Q1(d) where ~80% scored zero): State/Outline answers lose the AO2 mark when a correct generic point is not applied with a specific extract detail.
Explain: develop ONE, don't list
On an Explain item only ONE reason or impact is credited, so developing it fully beats listing several. Candidates lose marks writing four impacts in a line each, none developed. Explain needs development, not context: identify one impact, then add two linked points (the effect, then the business consequence). Extra impacts earn nothing. Depth beats breadth.
June 2024 Paper 1 Q2(c): the mark was for developing ONE impact, not for adding unnecessary context or listing several undeveloped impacts.
Internal vs external communication
Candidates mix up internal and external communication. Internal is between people INSIDE the firm — a manager giving staff targets, or department to department. External is with people OUTSIDE — customers, suppliers, government. Read the question: customer service is EXTERNAL; giving staff targets is INTERNAL. The wrong type loses marks.
A barrier is more than broken equipment
A common error is thinking a barrier only means a physical/technical problem — noise, distance or broken equipment. Barriers also include language, jargon, emotional factors, information overload and too long a chain of command. A full answer recognises the range and matches each to a solution, not just "fix the kit."
Communication is not just sending a message
Candidates often treat communication as one-way — just sending a message. It succeeds only when the receiver understands it, confirmed by feedback. A message sent but ignored or misunderstood has failed. Feedback (questions, confirming receipt) is part of the process, not an optional extra — often the missing step when communication breaks down.
More IT is not always better communication
The idea that more IT, or more messages, always improves communication is wrong. More emails can cause information overload — important ones are missed. IT also loses tone and body language, so messages feel impersonal; for sensitive matters face-to-face is often better. Good communication is the RIGHT message to the RIGHT person — not volume.
Supported judgement, not a two-sided list
On a Justify (9) or Evaluate (12), AO4 is where marks are lost. State a clear decision here, say WHY it beats the alternative, and develop a counterbalance. Add an "it depends" factor — size, urgency, cost. A two-sided list with no decision is not evaluation.
Build the impact chain (AO2 + AO3)
On Explain/Analyse items, build a chain, not an assertion. Application (AO2) ties the barrier to the firm (size, sites, customers); analysis (AO3) develops it: barrier -> effect on communication -> outcome. Do not just assert "the message was unclear" — trace it.
Answer the exact question asked
Read the command word and focus first. Decide whether the question is about internal or external communication — then answer THAT, not everything you know. Customer service is external; keeping staff informed is internal. The wrong type loses marks.
Communication is the process of passing a message from a sender to a receiver. It is only successful when the receiver understands the message — confirmed by feedback.
| Type | Between whom | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Internal | People INSIDE the business | Manager to employee (instructions), employee to manager (ideas/problems), department to department |
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