A Level Media Studies - Course Content

Areas of the media that will be studied throughout the two years:

• television

• film

• radio

• newspapers

• magazines

• advertising and marketing

• online, social and participatory media

• video games

• music videos. 

Media products (01)

Learners will explore how media products are used by institutions to construct different representations and how media audiences interpret these products.

Learners will use aspects of the theoretical framework to analyse and evaluate their own cross-media productions.

Media products: 

• moving image media (national British television news)
• print media (national British newspapers)
• online products.

60 marks

1 hour and 45 minutes (including 10 minutes viewing time) Written paper

30% of total A level

Media in a digital age (02)

Learners will explore and analyse the ideas and arguments from debates about the media. These debates will be drawn from:

• a historical perspective
• the digital age
• global media.

Learners will explore three different aspects of the digital age:

1. the impact of the changing platforms for film, radio and magazines
2. the evolving media forms of music video and video games in the digital age; they should explore debates about the online contemporary versions of these media forms
3. the influence of long form narratives on contemporary global television drama. 

80 marks

2 hours Written paper

40% of total A level

Making media* (03/04)

Learners will practically explore the creation of three linked media products in a cross-media production.

There will be three briefs to choose from. Each brief is made up of promotional elements of a marketing campaign for a new media product and consists of three elements.

The three elements are:

1. moving image element
2. website element
3. print element.

60 marks

Non-exam assessment (NEA)

30% of total A level