P block exam
T block exam
R block exam
Exam instructions and hints
This mock exam is a little different! So that no one feels disadvantaged, I made three (slightly) different exams, one for each group. The questions should be of equal difficulty, though of course, opinions may vary! However, for everyone, the first question is a textual analysis of a film poster, the second question is an industry question on The Daily Mirror, and the third question is on Audience and the WaterAid advert.
Grades vs feedback
Grades mean nothing. This might sound controversial for a teacher to say, but unless we're talking about the final grade, which can be used to get jobs and get in to university etc, the grades you recieve in the middle are pretty pointless. In fact studies show that giving students grades actually makes students perform worse. Why? It either demoralises you (oh no, why am I so terrible???), or gives you false expectations (wow I rock, I will never try again lol). So what does actually give you a better grade? Feedback. Actionable, straightforward feedback. This way, you continually improve.
So my advice? Ignore your grade, and focus on your feedback.
Feedback
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| You will be emailed something like this. From left to right, this corresponds to question one mark, question two mark, question three mark, overall mark, overall grade, and feedback. You will need to check out the mark scheme and the feedback legend below to work all of this out. Oh, and the colours refer to your target grade, which is based off your GCSE result. Yellow means you hit your target grade, red means you are currently below your target grade, and green means you've exceeded your target grade. So much feedback! (also the overall grade should be a B here...) |
In media, we give feedback in four different ways. First, you will get a mark. You can cross reference this mark with the grade descriptors to work out how secure your grade is. You will also get a grade, for each question, and an overall grade. This will allow you to see where your strengths and weaknesses lie.
However, even more important than marks and grades is feedback. You will get a single roman numeral, which will link to one basic piece of feedback. This is the one thing you should focus on next time. This strategy works really well, definitely loads better than giving you eighteen detailed things to focus on. You can also find detailed generalised feedback for the whole cohort below.
Remember why we do exams: not to freak you out, but to give you an opportunity to prove your specialism in a subject, and to improve next time. No matter how well or badly you think you have done, you can always do better next time, even if you get an A*!
Feedback legend
This is the one thing you should focus on next time! If you see your feedback and think "I did that!!??", then you simply need to do more. Much more!v Additionally, even if you didn't get a certain number, you might still need to include more media language. You always need to include more media language
i - You must include more media language. Shot types, camera angles, mise-en-scene, lexis, colour, setting, whatever, if you're not using these words, you're not getting marks!
ii - You must focus on analysis and suggesting meanings. What do the de-saturated colours mean? How does the lexis target a working class audience? Don't describe... analyse!
iii - Focus on theory. You don't use enough. You should use more. Make sure to properly revise at least three theories for the next mock!
iv - Focus on presenting a clear argument or point of view. You've ticked every other box, so what do you think? Get argumentative! Get angry! And make a big conclusion!
v - Avoid colloquialisms and find your academic tone. Check out the detailed feedback below for more information on this. This one will take time: there's no quick fix!
Mark scheme and grade descriptors
The following grade descriptions are adapted from the official government media studies descriptions from the 2021 exam series. If they seem really basic and straightforward, it's because they are! Grade boundaries are a mish-mash from previous years. Final, official grade boundaries may be more or less harsh...
A* - Q1 - 26-30 Q2&3 - 13-15 Overall: 52 - 60
- Everything in an A, and beyond what is normally expected on an A-level student
A - Q1 - 23-25 Q2&3 - 11-12 Overall 45 - 51
- Detailed and accurate knowledge and understanding of media language and contexts
- Detailed analysis with excellent use of advanced theory
- Detailed knowledge and understanding of media language to make coherent, often perceptive and fully-supported judgements and conclusions
B – Q1 - 19 - 22 Q2&3 9 - 10 Overall 35 - 44
- Accurate knowledge and understanding of media language and contexts
- Logical analysis, with good use of theory
- Logical and well-supported arguments
C – Q1 - 16 - 18 Q2&3 - 8 Overall 32 - 34
- Sound and satisfactory knowledge and understanding of media language and contexts
- Straightforward analysis with some reference to theory
- Generally reasonable conclusions, with some reference to theory
D - Q1 - 13 - 15 Q2&3 - 6-7 Overall: 25 - 31
- To achieve a 'D' grade, students must tick every box in 'E', but also will demonstrate some evidence of 'C' grade criteria.
E – Q1 - 9 - 12 Q2&3 - 4-5 Overall 16 - 24
- Basic knowledge and understanding of media language and contexts
- Basic, descriptive analysis
- Some basic conclusions, or none at all
U – Q1 - 0 - 8 Q2&3 0 - 3 Overall 0-15
- No material worthy of a grade
General feedback
Media language is a big deal
It seems that no matter what changes in this crazy world, one thing will always remain the same: the number one way that students lose marks in A-level media studies is by not making reference to media language! If you don't make reference to terms such as lexis or mise-en-scene, then I cannot give you marks!
I am a harsh marker, this is a difficult exam
I would apologise for this, but I genuinely feel that unless I mark harshly, I am not adequately preparing you for the final exam. So if you think your final grade is a little mean, please remember that if a question is on the D/C border, I will always drop it to D. Examiners are supposed to mark positively and generously, but there's nothing to say that your examiner won't be in a really bad mood. This was also a tough exam, with the same kind of questions you will see in your final exam. So if you didn't get the grade you wanted... good! Now you've got something to aim for!
It's never you and them...
Many of you are still writing things like 'he's looking right at you' or 'they want you to buy the product'. Aside from these examples having no media language, please remember it's NEVER 'you and them' in media studies; it's producer and audience. Make sure you use the right terminology, otherwise your mark will come tumbling down...
Avoid colloquial language
Colloquial language is how you talk. It's completely fine to say 'how's it going', or even to give an answer in class such as 'this poster is like, crazy unconventional, I guess?'. However, in writing, you must adopt an academic tone. This means writing in a clear, precise, and yes, frankly slightly pretentious way.
For example, a student wrote a very good answer which included this sentence:
'This is placed there in the middle so follows of the z rule can see the attractiveness of this and want to buy and watch this film as it must be good if it’s won the Grand Prix award, right? '
This does a lot of things right, but the chatty rhetorical question on the end ruins things. Instead, the student could have concluded this sentence with:
'This element is situated in the middle of the poster, drawing attention to its importance. This importance is further emphasised through the producer's conventional use of the Z-line rule, which clearly connotes a level of professionalism and high production values to the target audience. Finally, through the anchorage of the Palm D'or Grand Prix logo, the exceptional quality of the film is clearly communicated to the film's target middle-class audience.
Conclusion: we're going to have to practice writing in an academic tone, as many of the possible marks come from writing in a confident, clear and sophisticated manner.
Use the right terminology for the right situation
This is similar to using colloquial language, but several students were missing easy opportunities to use media language. For example, a student wrote "this leaves the audience in the dark to what the film will be about". But even better would be to say "the lack of clear iconography functions as an hermeneutic code, constructing a compelling mystery for the target audience". It's little things like this that will push you from Cs and low B grades to A grades... when you get the hang of it!