Introduction
This is a detailed 'behind the curtain' blog that explains exactly how and why students who graduated in 2021 were assessed the way that they were. These students were, through no fault of their own affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and were unable to sit conventional end of year exams. Instead, students sat a number of very similar 'exam like assessments', which covered almost every part of the standard media studies course (with one exception, see below).
None of this is new information for students graduating in 2021: they have been made aware time and time again of how they are assessed. However, this post allows for full transparency on this issue. It is, if anything a glimpse in to the kind of paperwork teachers need to complete, which might be something to take note of if you are considering a career in education...
Oh, and if you are NOT graduating in 2021, this post will be of VERY little use to you... sorry!
Summary
- Students in media studies have been assessed on seven pieces of work. This comprises of three 'exam style assessments', three pieces of coursework and a 'working at' grade that surmised everything that students did up to the 'exam style assessments', not including coursework (see rationale 1-5)
- A final grade has been reached for each student by looking at all seven pieces of evidence and using the JCQ grade descriptors (see rationale 6-9)
Assessment breakdown and coverage of assessment objectives
Rationale
1. There are three assessed ‘components’ to A-level media studies. One is coursework, and two are exams. All three have been covered by the assessment plan we have implemented as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
2. Component three is NEA. Marks are awarded based on producing a technically competent media production that demonstrates a clear sense of audience and knowledge of appropriate media conventions. We have covered and completed coursework in its entirety. Aside from not being externally moderated, coursework has been completed to the same standard and procedure as a ‘normal’ year and I have confidence the grades we have assigned are accurate and fair. C3 is worth 30% of all overall marks. Therefore coursework has been taken in to less consideration than the below assessments that emulate C1 and C2.
3. Component one is called ‘Media Products, Industries and Audiences’. Many topics are covered for this assessment, though not all topics will come up in the final exam. Therefore C1 assesses breadth over depth of knowledge. It is normally assessed through an exam. It covers Ao1 and 2 in particular, though there are some opportunities to evidence AO3. We have emulated C1 through two ‘unseen assessments’ which closely mirror the questions typically found in component one. C1 is worth 35% of the overall grade.
4. Component two is called ‘Media Forms and Products in Depth’. As the name suggests, students are expected to have a significant and explicit knowledge of the set texts for this assessment. There is a big emphasis on AO3 for this unit, but AO1 and AO2 are also essential to evidence. Students are aware of what topics will come up for this exam, and are expected to prepare accordingly. Therefore, we have chosen a longer formal ‘final assessment’ to emulate this component, with the style of question, the timings and the conditions being identical to a ‘real’ exam. It is split into two questions, both worth 30 ‘marks’ (see points 6 to 9 for clarification as to why the term ‘mark’ is contentious in this context). C2 is worth 35% of the overall grade.
5. In addition to the summative assessment detailed above, this year we are placed in to the somewhat enviable position of being able to take in to consideration formative assessment in order to form a detailed and holistic picture of our often disparate cohort. In order to surmise the myriad of low stakes assessments, which are routinely documented by our team on a series of well-maintained spreadsheets, we used a seventh assessment which stood in for all of these varied assessment methods. These low stakes tests and assessments were, of course not billed as high stakes, summative assessment, and thus are only considered in a supplementary capacity.
6. Grades and marking are different concepts. Marking, when undertaken for a formal exam, has an initially nebulous relationship with the eventual grades. This is of course because a mark can only be converted in to a grade when all marks are examined in totality at a national level. On a particularly ‘good’ year, where students are able to demonstrate higher marks within the assessment bands distributed to examiners, then the resultant grade boundaries will be adjusted downwards. The opposite is true for the inverse situation. As teachers, when faced with the necessity of providing grades, and indeed marks to students to provide feedback for formatively assessed mock grades, we must twist this absolute somewhat, and will present students with grades based on grade boundaries assigned in previous years. Of course, we will correctly inform students that grades are subject to change based on student performance at a national level. However...
7. This year there is no ‘performance on a national level’, as centres have effectively assigned their own assessment methods based on the needs of their learners. Therefore JCQ and OFQUAL have distributed not ‘grade boundaries or ‘marks’ of any sort to be used by centres, but instead a series of grade descriptors, which are to be used instead. These grade descriptors are similar to those assigned in previous years, summed up in four discreet AOs which broadly can be assigned to the pre-existing AOs. It is worth noting that these AOs differ slightly from the AOs utilised by EDUQAS. When AOs are referenced in this document, it can and should be assumed that we are referring to the JCQ AOs as opposed to any other AOs.
8. These grade descriptors apply to all three components, and therefore superseded any pre-existing method of ‘marking’ student work. We have, of course, used these grade descriptors as has been mandated.
9. We have, however, used ‘marks’ for each assessment, in the starkest possible manner, with each ‘mark’ rigidly assigned to a grade description. However, these ‘marks’ do not exactly corroborate with marks assigned in a ‘normal’ formal end of course exam (how could they?). We have marked each assessment where appropriate out of 30. Additionally we have ‘decoupled’ two elements of coursework (the music video A/V task and the magazine print media task) to provide two separate grades, each marked out of 30. This allows greater granularity in the assignation of grades. This decoupling is of course made possible through the mandated use of grade descriptions published by JCQ.
Appendix 1- A Level Media Studies Grade Descriptors
The following grade descriptors were provided by JCQ and explicitly ratified by EDUQAS, making them the sole and only recognised way to assess work.
A*
To achieve grade A*, students’ evidence will show that they have securely met all the statements within the grade A descriptor, with stronger performance in most or all aspects of the grade A statements.
A
To achieve grade A, candidates will be able to:
• demonstrate a detailed and accurate knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework of media and the influence of relevant contexts on media products and processes
• analyse media products coherently and in detail, including in context, making accurate, often perceptive and critically informed use of the theoretical framework of media and relevant, advanced academic theories
• apply a detailed knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework of media to make coherent, often perceptive and fully-supported judgements and conclusions, and to offer a critically informed evaluation of academic theories, where appropriate
• create a coherent and highly effective cross-media product/prototype/mock-up that explicitly targets an intended audience, applying a thorough knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework, and making purposeful and controlled use of relevant codes and conventions to communicate meaning
B
Characteristics that differentiate a grade B from a grade A:
• knowledge and understanding are accurate rather than accurate, detailed and consistent
• analysis is logical rather than coherent, detailed and often perceptive
• judgements and conclusions are logical and well-supported rather than coherent, often perceptive and fully-supported
• the creation of cross-media products/prototypes/mock-ups for an intended audience is appropriate and effective rather than purposeful, controlled and highly effective
C
To achieve grade C, candidates will be able to:
• demonstrate a generally sound knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework of media and the influence of relevant contexts on media products and processes
• analyse media products in a straightforward manner, including in context, making appropriate and generally sound use of the theoretical framework of media and relevant academic theories
• apply a generally sound knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework of media to make reasonable judgements and conclusions, supported in a straightforward manner, and to offer a straightforward evaluation of academic theories, where appropriate
• create a generally appropriate cross-media product/prototype/mock-up that targets an intended audience in a straightforward way, applying a generally sound knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework, and making satisfactory use of relevant codes and conventions to communicate meaning
D
To achieve grade D, students’ evidence will show that they have securely met all the statements within the grade E descriptor, with stronger performance in most or all aspects of the grade E statements. However, their evidence does not meet the minimum requirements of most of the grade C statements.
E
To achieve grade E, candidates will be able to:
• demonstrate a basic knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework of media and the influence of contexts on media products and processes
• offer a basic analysis of media products, although this may be descriptive, undeveloped or lacking in clarity, making some use of the theoretical framework of media
• apply a basic knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework of media to make some basic, undeveloped or partially supported judgements and conclusions
• create a basic cross-media product/prototype/mock-up that targets an intended audience in a basic way, applying some basic knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework, and making some use of relevant codes and conventions to communicate meaning
U
A student should be graded unclassified (U) if their evidence does not meet the minimum requirements of most of the statements within the grade E descriptor.
Appendix 2 – Questions for assessments
Unseen one - Time allowed: 30 minutes
With extra time: 38 minutes
Media language
For this assessment, you will analyse the print resource, which is the theatrical poster for the 2019 South Korean drama film Parasite [STUDENTS WERE PROVIDED WITH A COLOUR REPRODUCTION OF THE THEATRICAL POSTER FOR PARASITE]
Explore the ways in which media language combines to create meaning in the theatrical poster to the drama film Parasite (2021).
You could make reference to
Genre conventions
The relationship between independent and mainstream cinema
Target audience and audience appeal
Unseen assessment 2
Time allowed: 30 minutes (exclusive of screening time)
With extra time: 38 minutes (exclusive of screening time)
Compare how this music video extract to Black by Dave and the video to Formation by Beyoncé represent social groups.
In your answer you must:
• consider how media language constructs representations
• consider the role of stereotypes
• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far representations reflect social and cultural contexts
Mock assessment
Time allowed: 100 minutes
With extra time: 125 minutes
1 - For Stuart Hall, stereotypes reflect the social attitudes of the culture and the time in which a media product is made.
Evaluate this theory of representation. Make reference to Humans and Les Revenants in your response [30] (50 minutes)
2 Explore the ways in which magazines target their audiences. Make reference to the set editions of Woman and Adbusters [30 marks, 50 minutes]
Mock assessment resit (these questions were provided to a single student who had technical issues during the first run)
Time allowed: 100 minutes
With extra time: 125 minutes
1 - To what extent can audiences respond to the TV shows you have studied in different ways? Make reference to Les Revenants and Humans [30] (50 minutes)
2 - Liesbet Van Zoonen suggests the idea of what is male and what is female has changed dramatically over time. Explore this feminist theory. Make reference to Woman and Adbusters to support your points [30] (50 minutes)
Appendix 3 – processes of standardisation and moderation
A number of processes of standardisation and moderation were carried out in order to further legitimise the assessment process detailed in this document.
• All student music video coursework (referred to as 'assessment 2' as above), was initially marked and moderated internally immediately following the 'final extended deadline' on 19/10/2020
• All remaining student coursework (referred to as 'assessment 1 through 3' as above), was initially marked and moderated internally immediately following the 'final extended deadline' on 1/12/2020
• All grades and marks have been RAG rated/colour coded on the master assessment spreadsheet to allow teachers to easily get a sense of progress. The coding can be surmised: green: better than MEG, yellow, equal to MEG and red, less than MEG.
• A sample of student work was selected for each assessment. Four individual students were selected in advance for each assessment. These moderated marks and grades are indicated with purple cells on the grade excel sheet.
• All student grades, both formative and summative were discussed frequently throughout the standardisation process. Student progress, attainment, and historical precedents were taken in to account where necessary. This discussion was formally conducted on 10/06/2021 when all grades were individually discussed by the A-level media studies team. A ‘second pass’ was made on 11/06/2021, whereupon minor changes were made.
