Exam Board: EDUQAS
Course Outline
From films to newspapers, television to websites, computer games to radio – media plays a central role in our lives. And with the growing power of digital technology and the boundaries between consumers and creators blurring, a qualification in Media Studies has never been more relevant. A-Level Media Studies will teach you how to critically analyse the media and apply theoretical perspectives to a wide range of media products. Along with mainstream media texts, such as music videos and Hollywood movies, you will also engage with products from different historical periods, those produced outside of the com-mercial mainstream and those aimed at or produced by minority groups.
The main areas of study are:
- Media Language: How the media communicates meaning through their forms, codes, conventions and techniques
- Representation: How the media portray events, issues, individuals and social groups
- Media Industries: How the processes of production, distribution and circula-tion engaged in by the media affect media forms and platforms
- Audiences: How media forms target, reach and address audiences. How audiences respond to media forms and how audience members become producers.
Assessment and Examinations
Component 1: Media Products, Industries and Audiences
35% of the qualification
- Section A: Analysing Media Language and Representation
- Section B: Understanding Media Industries and Audiences
Component 2: Investigating Media Forms and Products in Depth
35% of the qualification.
- Section A: Television in the Global Age
- Section B: Magazines – Mainstream and Alternative Media
- Section C: Media in the Online Age
Component 3: Cross-Media Production (Non-Exam Assessment)
30% of the qualification.
Future Prospects
Media Studies will equip you with the independent thinking, communication, analytical and technology skills that are valued in the modern workplace. You will gain an insight into the media industries, including aspects of production, marketing and distribution practices. With A-Level Media Studies, you can go on to study an Arts degree at university or undertake an apprenticeship in the media industry.