Media Studies A Level

Our lives have become dominated by screens. What advantages do they present us? And what problems? In an ever-changing world, the ability to analyse the messages, values, and ideologies inherent in the media has become ever more important. From how online and social media targets its audience, how television shows construct compelling, challenging narratives, to how the news media manipulates its audiences, you will fully engage with a range of issues and perspectives surrounding the media.

In A Level Media Studies, you will focus on textual analysis, representations of people and places, how audiences are influenced, and how media industries are structured. Media Studies is, at its heart, the practice of ‘breaking down’ media products to work out exactly how they were made, why they were made, and for who they were made. To explore this, you will learn a whole new vocabulary, which will change your perspective forever on how media works, and how it influences the world, for better and for worse!

In addition to the theoretical, discussion-based work completed in the classroom, you will also create media products. This is a very hands-on subject, and you must be prepared to approach a wide range of often challenging ideas and difficult concepts.

Throughout your time on the course, you will study advertising and marketing, newspapers, video games, music video, radio, and film marketing; exploring magazines, television and online media in significant detail. Finally, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your creative abilities; producing a full-length music video you shoot yourself for an existing song, as well as a tie-in magazine excerpt that promotes your work, learning how to shoot and edit footage to create a compelling, unique project.

Ultimately, Media Studies is ideal for students who love engaging with media and want to take their passion to the next level.

Year 1 Modules

Advertising

Film Marketing

Newspapers

Radio

Videogames

Music marketing

Music video production

Creating a newspaper and a short thriller film

Year 2 Modules

Magazine production

Television

Magazines

Online media

Creating a supplementary magazine project

Shooting an ident/opening for a new TV show

70% Exam

30% Coursework

Exam Board: EDUQAS

Five GCSEs at Grade 5 including:

Grade 5 in GCSE English Language

Grade 5 in GCSE Media or Merit in Media Level 2 if taken

A Level Media Studies is a robust academic subject that leads to a number of progression routes.

Students studying A Level Media Studies have gone on to study:

Photography

Animation

Journalism

English

Sociology

Universities that our students have attended include Nottingham Trent, Lincoln and UEA.