KS4 outline for GCSE Media Studies (AQA Exam Board)

This course will provide students with a stimulating and challenging range of activities and an opportunity to develop valuable transferable skills in communication, analysis, research and group work.

The syllabus is designed to enable students to develop a critical awareness of the role of the mass media in society. Its focus is the study of media texts, audiences and institutions and theoretical understanding. All of these elements of the course are closely related to the development of practical skills. These skills may include digital photography, desk top publishing and storyboarding.

Assessment is by coursework, a practical project and a controlled test given at the end of the course. The test takes the form of a media stimulation related to a genre specified by the exam board. Topics in recent years have included Action Adventure Films, The Popular Press and Music Magazines. Read more.

KS5 outline for AS and A2 Media Studies (WJEC Examination Board)

Advanced level Media Studies provides an excellent foundation for anyone interested in studying Media and Communications courses in Higher Education or pursuing a career in any aspect of media production, marketing or management. The course develops in students many transferable skills useful in further study or in the workplace – team work, presentation skills, practical production skills, analysis skills, evaluation skills.

Media Studies is highly compatible with most subjects in the post-16 curriculum as well as with the concerns and interests of citizens in a contemporary society. The AS Media Studies course offers students the opportunity to look at the role the media plays in their own lives on a daily basis, by acquiring a sound foundation in the main concepts and debates of Media Studies. The A2 course will give students the opportunity to develop their interests and competencies to a level where they may decide to pursue them further in a media related degree or vocational training. The main aim of Media Studies, though, is to equip students with the lifelong skill of reading media texts in a highly critical manner.
Production work is an important part of A level Media Studies courses. The purposes of production work are for students to put theory into practice, to develop technical skills and to challenge existing media texts by producing fresh, creative alternatives. Individual research work is another key element of the subject, particularly when students progress to A2 level and choose many of their own topics for study. Equally, effective group work is essential in Media Studies, and is assessed in the Advanced Portfolio module in Y13.
Students looking to pursue AS Media Studies should be aiming for at least a grade B in Media Studies or English. It is not essential that you have studied Media Studies at GCSE. We will give you plenty of opportunities to develop your grasp of the basic concepts in the subject early in the course. 

AS Media - Read more.
A2 Media - Read more.

Further information

For further information about the Media Studies curriculum in Years 10-13, contact Mr P. Milton