Here is your complete checklist to prepare you for the UNIT 1 exam that takes place on Monday 13th May at 9:00am.
(And don't forget that the mock exam is on Monday 29th April in the hall: 12E at 8.30am; 12D at 10.35am...please arrive at least five minutes early).Firstly, make sure you use the 6 Part Active Revision Cycle whenever revising:
This is the most productive approach:
- STEP 1 Read your notes/text book/online resources carefully
- STEP 2 Reduce/summarise the information (e.g. draw a mind map, write key words on A5 card, write a table, draw a diagram)
- STEP 3 Learn/memorise the reduced information - using rhymes, acronyms, etc.
- STEP 4 Do an exam question under timed conditions
- STEP 5 Review what you have done
- STEP 6 Traffic light topics (red - don't know it; amber - know it a bit; green - know it well)
A. MediaMagazineSpend as much time as possible reading and actively making revision notes (mindmaps etc.) using the MediaMagazine (login details: mediamagazine10/ly957mp). This is a great resource - up to date information, written by A Level media examiners, with all the key terminology and theory in bold in every article:
B. UNIT 1 Exam Papers (Section A)Practice Section A questions, under exam conditions:
Typical questions (fifteen minutes per question)...
- Media Forms: What techniques does the extract use to establish the text’s genre and/or engage the audience?
- Media Representations: How is gender/ethnicity/age/disability/sexuality/a place represented in the extract?
- Media Institutions: In what ways is the extract typical of the film/advertising/television industry and/or what values does it promote?
- Media Audiences: Who does this text/brand appeal to?
Typical texts (it WILL be moving image in the May 2012 exam)...
- TV programme extracts (drama/soap, news, game show, documentary, etc.)
- Adverts
- Film extracts/ trailers (variety of genres)
- Music videos
- Video game extracts/trailers
C. MEST1 Past Questions (Section B)
Firstly, revise your case studies fully. Go back over the Ill Manors PowerPoint presentations you produced on them and posted on your blogs, looking at each other's for extra ideas.
Also, make sure you do some additional research from the last few months so you have some up-to-the-minute examples.
These are the key questions you should be able to answer:
How are texts in the three platforms constructed?
• Are there similarities and differences in the way the area is dealt with in each platform?
• What type of media language is used and how?
• How are genre codes used?
• How do texts within the three platforms construct narrative?
How do audiences access texts across the three platforms?• Do the texts enable different types of audience activity and/or interaction?
• Are audiences able to play a role in the construction of media texts? (UGC)
• Are there differences in the audience gratifications offered across the three platforms?
How are representations constructed and are there similarities and/or differences across the platforms?
• What values and ideologies are communicated within the representation?
What institutional issues are raised by the topic areas?
• How are institutions reacting to change in technology?
• How are institutions attempting to reach and engage their audiences?
• What economic issues are behind the construction and distribution of contemporary media texts?
Then, make sure you complete detailed essay plans on ALL of the past questions, and then practice as many as you can under timed conditions (45 minutes/question):
January 2009
To what extent do the media products in your case study do more than just entertain their
audience(s)?
In your answer you should:
● Provide a brief outline of your case study
● Consider how far the media products in your case study also inform, educate and
provide opportunities for interaction and participation
● Support your answer with reference to examples from three media platforms.
Consider the reasons media products from your case study are present across a range of
media platforms.
In your answer you should:
● Provide a brief outline of your case study
● Discuss the advantages for producers of each media platform
● Support your answer with reference to examples from three media platforms.
June 2009
‘Audiences are no longer just consumers of media texts but producers too.’
To what extent is this true of the media products in your case study?
In your answer you should:
● provide a brief outline of your case study
● evaluate how far audiences participate in and contribute to the media products in your case study
● support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three media platforms.
Account for the similarities and differences in the codes and conventions used in the
media products from your case study.
In your answer you should:
● provide a brief outline of your case study
● compare how and why media products from your case study are similar and/or different within and across media platforms
● support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three media platforms.
January 2010
Identify how media products from your case study make links with other media platforms.
What are the reasons for these links?
In your answer you should:
● provide a brief outline of your case study
● consider possible links such as targeting audiences, promotion and revenue generation
● support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three media platforms.
‘All media texts tell stories.’ In what ways is narrative used in the media products in your
case study?
In your answer you should:
● provide a brief outline of your case study
● discuss the different ways narrative functions in the media products in your case study
● support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three media platforms.
June 2010
'Audiences are becoming increasingly powerful in shaping media output.' With reference to your case study, how far is this true?
In your answer you should:
● provide a brief outline of your case study
● evaluate the roles of audiences in the creation of media products from your case study
● support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three media platforms.
January 2011
How far have improvements in technology made a difference to the quality of audience experience?
In your answer you should:
● provide a brief outline of your case study
● evaluate the impact of new technologies (eg red button, file-sharing, 3D) on the audience's ability to interact with and/or enjoy media products from your case study
● support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three media platforms.
Do the institutions in your case study have an equal presence on each media platform?
In your answer you should:
● provide a brief outline of your case study
● evaluate how and why media products from your case study have more of a presence on some platforms than others
● support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three media platforms.
June 2011
'To be successful, media institutions have to use a variety of media platforms'. To what extent is this true of your cross-media study?
In your answer you should:
● provide a brief outline of your cross-media study
● consider the possible advantages of using a range of media platforms
● support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three media platforms.
'Our enjoyment of media products is influenced by the platforms we use to access them.'How far is this true of your cross-media study?
In your answer you should:
● provide a brief outline of your cross-media study
● consider how audiences use and respond to media products from different media platforms
● support your answer with reference to a range of examples from three media platforms.
Jan 2012
1. Evaluate how far audiences are able to represent themselves and/or
their ideas and opinions in media products from your cross-media study.
Support your answer with reference to a range of examples
from three media platforms.
2. Evaluate how successfully media products from your cross-media
study are promoted within and across media platforms.
Support your answer with reference to a range of examples
from three media platforms.
June 2012
1. Consider how imaginative techniques are used by media
products from your cross-media study to attract
and maintain audiences.
Support your answer with reference to a range of examples
from three media platforms.
2. Synergy is the process by which media institutions use a
range of platforms to promote, sell and distribute their products. Assess the
impact of synergy in your cross-media study.
Support your answer with reference to a range of examples
from three media platforms.
D. Key Media Terminology and Audience Theory
Revise the following really well:
E. AS Revision Booklet
This excellent guide summarises the key theories and key terminology you need to include and provides examples of how to use them in the exam.
Read this repeatedly in the run-up to UNIT1, revise ALL the main theorists here and practice using them in your answers.
