Media Studies is a contemporary academic course that integrates theoretical and practical approaches to the media through a blend of coursework and exam assessment. You will study nine different media forms comprising: television, film, radio, newspapers, magazines, advertising and marketing, online and social media, video games, and music videos. Overall, the Media Studies course will enhance your enjoyment, appreciation, and critical understanding of the media and its role in our lives both past and present, and will develop your skills in producing your own media texts. Media Messages: 35% of total A Level Section A: News You will engage in an in-depth study of contemporary news in the UK, requiring you to explore how and why newspapers and their online counterparts are evolving as media products. You will also study the relationship between online and offline news. You will analyze set media products, The Guardian and The Daily Mail but a variety of quality and popular publications will be studied throughout the topic. Section B: Media language and representation You will explore the use of media language and representation in consumer branding and charity advertising, alternative magazines such as The Big Issue, and music videos such as Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack and Titanium by David Guetta. Evolving Media: 35% of total A Level Section A: Media industries and audiences You will develop knowledge and understanding of media contexts, media industries, and audiences through the study of radio with a focus on the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show, video games with a focus on Minecraft, and film distribution through a comparative study of the Jungle Book 1967 and 2016. Section B: Long-form television drama You will engage in an in-depth study of television as an evolving, global media form. You will study two specific long-form television programs. You will study one complete episode from one English language text – Stranger Things and one will be a non-English language text – Deutschland 83. You will look at how the television industry and audiences have changed and how television producers use media language to construct meaning for global audiences. Making Media: 30% of total A Level You will create a promotional cross-media production that includes two linked media products – a print magazine and an associated website. You will respond to a brief set by OCR. In-depth studies require you to apply and evaluate academic ideas and arguments across all four areas of the theoretical framework. You will work with theories of feminism, post-colonialism, gender performativity, identity, representation, postmodernism, narratology, structuralism, genre, semiology, audience, cultural industry, and regulation.
5 GCSE grades at 4 or above including Maths or English. You should have at least a grade 4 in GCSE English. GCSE Media Studies is not required however if it has been taken we would expect a grade of 5 or above. Students should also meet the general college entry requirements for Advanced Level study.
In this two-year A-Level student assessment takes place through two examinations (70%) and the submission of coursework (30%) at the end of the second year of study. Media Messages: Written Examination, 2 hours, 35% of qualification. Evolving Media: Written Examination, 2 hours, 35% of qualification. Making Media: Non-Exam Assessment, coursework, 30% of qualification.
About Education Provider
| Region | North East |
| Local Authority | Darlington |
| Ofsted Rating | |
| Gender Type | Co-Educational |
| Address | Vane Terrace, Darlington, DL3 7AU |
Media Studies is a contemporary academic course that integrates theoretical and practical approaches to the media through a blend of coursework and exam assessment. You will study nine different media forms comprising: television, film, radio, newspapers, magazines, advertising and marketing, online and social media, video games, and music videos. Overall, the Media Studies course will enhance your enjoyment, appreciation, and critical understanding of the media and its role in our lives both past and present, and will develop your skills in producing your own media texts. Media Messages: 35% of total A Level Section A: News You will engage in an in-depth study of contemporary news in the UK, requiring you to explore how and why newspapers and their online counterparts are evolving as media products. You will also study the relationship between online and offline news. You will analyze set media products, The Guardian and The Daily Mail but a variety of quality and popular publications will be studied throughout the topic. Section B: Media language and representation You will explore the use of media language and representation in consumer branding and charity advertising, alternative magazines such as The Big Issue, and music videos such as Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack and Titanium by David Guetta. Evolving Media: 35% of total A Level Section A: Media industries and audiences You will develop knowledge and understanding of media contexts, media industries, and audiences through the study of radio with a focus on the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show, video games with a focus on Minecraft, and film distribution through a comparative study of the Jungle Book 1967 and 2016. Section B: Long-form television drama You will engage in an in-depth study of television as an evolving, global media form. You will study two specific long-form television programs. You will study one complete episode from one English language text – Stranger Things and one will be a non-English language text – Deutschland 83. You will look at how the television industry and audiences have changed and how television producers use media language to construct meaning for global audiences. Making Media: 30% of total A Level You will create a promotional cross-media production that includes two linked media products – a print magazine and an associated website. You will respond to a brief set by OCR. In-depth studies require you to apply and evaluate academic ideas and arguments across all four areas of the theoretical framework. You will work with theories of feminism, post-colonialism, gender performativity, identity, representation, postmodernism, narratology, structuralism, genre, semiology, audience, cultural industry, and regulation.
5 GCSE grades at 4 or above including Maths or English. You should have at least a grade 4 in GCSE English. GCSE Media Studies is not required however if it has been taken we would expect a grade of 5 or above. Students should also meet the general college entry requirements for Advanced Level study.
In this two-year A-Level student assessment takes place through two examinations (70%) and the submission of coursework (30%) at the end of the second year of study. Media Messages: Written Examination, 2 hours, 35% of qualification. Evolving Media: Written Examination, 2 hours, 35% of qualification. Making Media: Non-Exam Assessment, coursework, 30% of qualification.