A-Level Media Studies

You will need 5 GCSE's at grade 4-9 including Maths and English Language

There will be a mixture of formative and summative assessment throughout the course. Each set product for this course will involve a variety of group and class discussion to further support and develop your own thoughts and opinions about representation, audience appeal and encoded messages within media texts.

English and Maths are important life skills that will help you to achieve your best in your studies and progress to your dream career. If you have not already achieved grade 9-4 in GCSE Maths and/or English at school, we will support you to improve your skills.

Although there are no placements as part of this course, there will be opportunities to take part in media related events and festivals.

The exam board for this course is WJEC

The sixth form day is 9am - 4.15pm, Monday-Friday.
You will study each of your subjects for 4hr 45min per week, across three separate lessons.
Your timetable will be determined by the combination of subjects that your study, which will be made available to you at the start of the academic year.
You are not required to be on campus when you do not have a timetabled lesson, although we would strongly recommend that you are. Making effective use of our learning facilities and resources during such study periods, will ensure that you keep on top of your work and make significant progress in your studies, not to mention developing important time-management, organisation and independent-study skills.

This course will develop your transferable skills and will develop your wider understanding of the media by exploring music videos, video game industry, film industry, radio, TV, influencers, newspapers, advertising & marketing. The course aims to develop your own interpretations of media products and whether it offers a true reflection of society. In addition, you will be given the opportunity to project manage your own film marketing campaign or magazine as part of your coursework.

There are three components to this course.

Component 1: In this component, you will develop knowledge and understanding of key aspects of the theoretical framework, media language and representation as an essential basis for analysing media products from a variety of forms. In addition, you will study products from specific media industries and for specific audiences to develop their knowledge and understanding of those areas of the theoretical framework. You will also explore how media products relate to their social, cultural, historical, political and economic contexts. In this component, you will develop their ability to use relevant subject-specific terminology and theories.

Component 2: You will explore these three media forms through close analysis of the set products, comparing their use of media language and the representations they offer in relation to relevant social, cultural, economic, political and historical contexts. You will study the role of media industries in shaping media products, as well as considering the way in which both mass and specialised audiences are targeted and addressed. Relevant and advanced theories will inform study of the set products and you will reflect critically upon these theoretical perspectives.

Component 3: Is the coursework section and although the brief does change every year the options will stay the same. You will have the choice to make your own film marketing campaign, the DVD or Blu Ray cover, posters and website. Or, you might want to create your own magazine and write your own articles and advertorials, you will create a website that will compliment your magazine.

The media play a central role in contemporary culture, society and politics. They shape our perceptions of the world through the representations, ideas and points of view they offer. The media have real relevance and importance in our lives today, providing us with ways to communicate, with forms of cultural expression and the ability to participate in key aspects of society. The economic importance of the media is also unquestionable. The media industries employ large numbers of people worldwide and generate significant global profit. The globalised nature of the contemporary media, ongoing technological developments and more opportunities to interact with the media suggest their centrality in contemporary life can only increase.