Students typically do better in the summer exams than the last set of mocks - but usually only by around a grade. This means you need to make sure you are fully prepared for these exams with the aim of achieving your target grade or just off it.
The following will help you plan your revision:
Media Paper 1
Section A will always focus on Media Language and Representations. This means the following CSPs could come up:
Advertising & Marketing
Score hair cream (1967) & Sephora Black Beauty Is Beauty - Advertising index is here
Music Video
Old Town Road & Ghost Town - Music Video index is here
Section B will always focus on Media Audiences and Industries. This means the following CSPs could come up:
Film Industry
Blinded By The Light - Film Industry index is here
Radio
Newspapers (not in January mock exam - we haven't covered this yet)
The Daily Mail and The Guardian
Unseen question
The first question in Media Paper 1 Section A will always be an unseen media product.
The second question will also relate to the unseen while also bringing in a CSP. This means it is likely the unseen product will link to advertising and marketing or music promotion.
For the unseen question, revise our work on Media codes and reading an image from Year 12.
20-mark essays
There will be TWO 20-mark essays in Paper 1 – at the end of each section (Q4 and Q7). AQA states for your extended response questions:
“You will be rewarded for your ability to construct and develop a sustained line of reasoning which is coherent, relevant, substantiated and logically structured.” This means you need to write an essay that constructs an argument that answers the question you have been given.
Question 4 will be an evaluation of theory question so you need to know the named theorists on the specification and be able to offer an opinion or evaluation of their key ideas.
You can look through this AQA Specimen Paper 1 paper to familiarise yourself with the structure of the paper. Note that several of the CSPs have changed since this specimen paper was produced.
You can look through this AQA Specimen Paper 1 paper to familiarise yourself with the structure of the paper. Note that several of the CSPs have changed since this specimen paper was produced.
Media Paper 2
The first question in Media Paper 2 will always be a 9-mark question on an unseen media product.
Aside from Q1, Media Paper 2 tests your in-depth topic areas:
TV
Capital and Deutschland 83 - TV index is here
Magazines
GQ and The Gentlewoman - Magazines index is here
Online, Social and Participatory
Zendaya and The Voice - OSP index is here
Videogames
The Sims FreePlay and Horizon Forbidden West - index is here.
Indeed, the majority of Paper 2 will be THREE 25-mark essays on your in-depth topics. AQA states for your extended response questions:
“You will be rewarded for your ability to construct and develop a sustained line of reasoning which is coherent, relevant, substantiated and logically structured.” This means plan and write an essay with a clear and convincing argument!
The structure for the 25-mark questions in Paper 2 is as follows:
- Q2: evaluation of theory question - you MUST focus on the theory and simply use CSPs for evidence
- Q3: contexts question (e.g. social and cultural contexts)
- Q4: synoptic question - more details below
Q4: Synoptic question
The final question in Paper 2 will always be the synoptic question – which requires you to demonstrate knowledge of the whole two-year course of study. AQA states:
“Question 4 is a synoptic question in which you will be rewarded for your ability to draw together different areas of knowledge and understanding from across the full course of study.”
How do we do this? Answer: Key concepts - Language, Representations, Audience, Industries. In your answer make sure that you are addressing 2-3 of the key concepts in responding to the question. This will demonstrate your knowledge of the whole course - but make sure you do stay focused on the question!
You can look through this AQA Specimen Paper 2 paper to familiarise yourself with the structure of the paper. Note that several of the CSPs have changed since this specimen paper was produced.
You can look through this AQA Specimen Paper 2 paper to familiarise yourself with the structure of the paper. Note that several of the CSPs have changed since this specimen paper was produced.
How to revise
Revision is a very personal thing and everyone has different techniques. Here's a video on YouTube with top tips for A* A Level revision:
Personally, I strongly recommend using flash cards (they are often called record cards if you are trying to buy them online or in WHSmiths). The simple act of distilling topics into a few key words or phrases to put on the card will seriously help in remembering the key information in the final exams. I have spare flash cards in DF07 if you'd like some. Try creating three sets of cards:
- Terminology/key words
- Theories
- CSPs
Lesson slides
As requested, you can find all of our original lesson slides in this folder on Google Drive. You'll need your Greenford Google login to access this obviously.
Example questions
Use the example question booklets we gave you in class to test yourself against the kind of questions to expect in these exams. The practice questions we looked at in class can be found here: Exemplar question notes from class.
Revision example and useful resources - thank you Assia!
One of our former Year 13 Media students, Assia, very kindly shared some of her revision resources with us when she left Greenford. These are notes on CSPs which you may find useful but I'd also recommend creating your own similar resources for the CSPs to help you remember the key details. By the way, this is what an A grade student looks like! You'll need your Greenford Google login to access these and note that some of the CSPs have changed this year:
Additional revision resources
If you want to mix up your Media revision a little then you can always read around the subject or look through our Factsheet archive for topics you're struggling with.
Anything you read in our Media Magazine archive will help to give you a wider perspective on media debates and every issue has several articles which focus on interesting examples, theories and debates that will help you in the Media exams. You'll find our Media Magazine archive here.
Similarly, you have access to our whole Media Factsheet archive if there are any particular topics or theories you want to revise in more detail. Look at these for example:
- How to revise for A Level Media exams
- Exploring theoretical perspectives to print magazines
- Channel 4: an overview and update
- Understanding digital convergence
- BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat
- Using theory
- The BBC: an overview and update
If you want to test your knowledge of the complete subject content, you can find it on the AQA website here. Look at the menu on the left-hand side - under media language, media representation etc. you'll find everything that could come up in exams:
Remember, you need to revise EVERYTHING you have learned over the last 18 months for A Level Media in preparing for these exams - terminology, theory and CSPs. Good luck!
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