Parents’ Page

Welcome

We are delighted that your son or daughter has decided to take the A Level Cambridge International Examination in Media Studies.

Media Studies focuses on the social, political and economic currency of today. Young people engage, consumer, produce and participate in the media every day.  We would be doing them a dis-service not to recognise the importance that media plays in their lives. The skills they will gain from this course will be of benefit to them in whatever walk of life they choose to follow.

Course Outline

The course has four main assessed units:

  • Component 1 – The Foundation Portfolio (Coursework)
    • Research, plan and create four pages of a new music magazine using Indesign and Photoshop.
    • Maintain a blog recording and reflecting on the process and evaluating the finished product.
  • Component 2 – Media Texts and Contexts (Exam)
    • Analysis of TV Drama Sequence
    • Essay on the Music Industry
  • Component 3 – The Advanced Portfolio (Coursework)
    • Research, plan and create a cross media campaign including music video, website and album art design using Indesign, Premiere Pro, Photoshop and Wix.
    • Maintain a blog recording and reflecting on the process and evaluating the finished product.
  • Component 4 – Critical Perspectives in Media (Exam)
    • Media Regulation
    • Postmodern Media
    • Media Ecology

Year 1

The students will complete much of their coursework and develop media production skills in a range of different media.

We will also seek to build up the students’ ability to analyse media texts, understand the music industry and reflect and evaluate on their skills and media concepts in preparation for the exams throughout the year.

Year 2

The students will complete their music video, album cover and website in the first term and then focus on the exam theory with plenty of practice in essay writing under timed conditions in preparation for Component 2 and Component 4 examinations in May 2021.

Syllabus and Assessment at a Glance

Please click here.

Dates (2019-20)

  • 10/12/19 –  Magazine Shoot (locations to be confirmed)
  • 24/3/20 – Golden Gregsons  (Awards Evening)
  • Support Drop In – Every Wednesday Lunchtime

Student Blogs

The students are expected to evidence their coursework in their blogs. We keep a close eye on their progress by recording their post completion using a blog league.

In order to keep on top of the number of posts which show their research, planning, production, post production, reflection and evaluation of their products, the students are strongly advised to try and do a post a day.  Getting behind on posts will adversely affect their grades at the end of the day and create double the amount of work.

Please encourage them to keep on top of it.

Cameras and Equipment

It is extremely useful for students to own a camera. They will be using it quite extensively for practical photography and cinematography both in the production of their coursework, but also for other learning tasks.

The cameras we recommend are entry level Nikon, Sony or Canon DSLR that film in HD.

A complete kit is a camera such as this one, a fast SD card like this and a tripod. All of these are usually available to buy second hand on eBay.

We recognise that this is a significant financial outlay and we do have some school cameras and SD cards that we can loan to students for the academic year for a deposit of £50. If students wish to take advantage of this option they should speak to their teacher who will organise the loan.

Filming Off Site & Risk Assessment

We encourage our students to experiment and practice media production skills. Most of the practical work they need to do to complete the course will be conducted at school and during normal school hours. However in the Summer Term of year 1 and in the Autumn Term of year 2 students may need to film offsite without direct supervision. These shoot may be done during or outside normal school hours.

We always encourage students to assess the possible dangers and risks posed by filming or photographing. However if students are working without supervision, this process is mandatory and school and parents should be fully aware of the shoot arrangements and be satisfied that it has been properly risk assessed.

All remote supervision shoots operate under a generic risk assessment, which the students should be aware of and which is agreed by parents. Furthermore, the students should complete a location specific assessment and agree it with their teacher.

It is important for students to note, that should they return with footage that self evidently convenes their risk assessment or ours, that footage, no matter how visually effective, will not be eligible to submit as part of their coursework!

Contact Us

You should always feel free to contact the school with any concerns or questions you may have.

Your daughter or son’s tutor is usually the first point of contact. However you should feel to contact their media teachers to discuss their progress. The most effective way is via e.mail as teachers may not be at liberty to take phone calls during lesson time.

The teachers in this year’s cohort of Media Studies are