AS/A Level Course Content

Year 12 (AS Level) Course Content

  Teacher 1 Teacher 2
Half Term 1

Media Theory and Concepts

Introduction to the main concepts

  • Media Forms
  • Representation
  • Narrative
  • Genre
  • Audience
  • Institution

Internal Assessment 1

Production Skills

Introduction to production concepts and skills

  • Composition
  • Camera rules
  • Filming
  • Editing images
  • Editing footage
Half Term 2

Above continued

Internal Assessment 2

Above continued

Half Terms 3&4

Practical Productions such as...

  • Newspapers
  • Advertising Campaign
  • Film Promotion
  • Documentary

Internal Assessment 3

Half Term 5

Section A Exam Preparation

  • Application of theory
  • Analysis of a range of unseen media texts.

Section B Exam Preparation

  •  Cross platform media case studies.
Half Term 6

Revision and Exam Practice

  • AS Examination
  • Extracurricular group work task

Year 13 (A Level) Course Content

  Teacher 1 Teacher 2
Half Term 1

Section A Exam Preparation

Consolidation and development of knowledge and understanding of media theory and concepts.

Familiarisation with exam criteria.

 

Section B Exam Preparation:

Representation

Study of Representation through a range of case studies.

Explore the ways in which people and places and groups are represented across a variety of texts and genres e.g.

  • British Asians in film and television
    • East is East
    • Bend it like Beckham
  • 'The North'
    • Wallace and Gromit
    • Phoenix Nights vs. The Office
    • Coronation Street vs. Eastenders
    • Tetley Tea Bags vs. any coffee campaign etc
    • TV Documentary

Representation questions seem to look for a wide range of examples to support responses.

Half Term 2

Critical Investigation (Coursework)

Students produce an individual
2000 word investigation. This total
will not include any supportive material students consider relevant, or image captions, footnotes, references or quotations.

The critical investigation is intended to provide an in-depth background for the linked production that follows.

Section B Exam Preparation:

New/ Digital Media

Study of the impact of new/ digital media through a range of case studies.

  • Impact on society such as notions of freedom, privacy, nation and identity.
  • Business implications including opportunities and dangers
  • Political and legal impact

Alongside class work, students are expected to conduct independent research and later create case studies to be drawn upon in the exam.

Half Terms 3&4

Completion of Critical Investigation and Linked Production

 

Half Term 5

Revision and preparation for final exam. Use of past papers and whole class practice.

Half Term 6 Examinations

General guidelines for reading Media Texts at AS and A Level

Choose a text.

Read the Language of that text e.g. for film:

  • Shots
  • Sound
  • Editing
  • Mise en Scene
  • Camera Movement
  • Colour
  • Light
  • etc.

Read the Genre and explore how the text follows or deviates from the conventions of its Genre and what the effect of this may be on its audience.

Read the text in the context of its Audience, explore how the text targets and positions the audience, and read the text in the light of audience theory.

Explore the Institution of the text (who made the text and why they made it) and explore the implications of this institutional framework.

Explore the Representations that are evident in the text. How are characters and places presented to the audience? Are stereotypes used? Are they questioned, subverted or exploited?

December 2024

MTWTFWE
1
234567
91011121314
161718192021
232425262728
3031    

View the calendar in full

Media News

View more news stories