Monday 06 February 2012
Media Studies GCSE

Please click here for the Scheme of Work

The aim of this course is to enable candidates to develop their critical understanding of the mass media.

Over the two years students study two units.

Unit 1: Investigating the Media
The topic for this is changed each year. Previous topics have included sit-coms, quiz shows and newspapers. The exam brief is released a month before students sit the examination. Students have to answer in role.
The idea is to research the topic and work on storyboards and mock ups of magazines etc. Therefore it is crucial that students have good technical skills and artistic skills.
Students have to show in-depth knowledge of style, audience, representation and new technologies. They also need to be aware of current media debates and audience issues.
The written paper is 1 hour and 30 minutes and is worth 40%. It is assessed externally.

Unit 2: Understanding the Media
The aim of this unit is to develop an understanding of how and why media texts are produced. Students will produce one introductory assignment, one assignment on cross-media platforms [around 1000 words] and one Practical Production. The Practical Production must include both print and audio-visual planning tasks.
The work is carried out under controlled conditions. It is worth 60%.