Welcome to GCSE Media Studies Vimeo

What do you study?

You will study 9 different media forms: 

• Music
• Video
• Video Game
• Film
• Magazine
• Television
• Radio
• Advertising and Marketing
• Newspapers and Online.

Media Studies is a practical subject.  You will acquire the skills and knowledge to design websites, storyboard film scenes and create magazine pages using Adobe Photoshop software.  There is a fascinating analytical element to the course that means you will be studying the media types in depth.  You will also learn a lot of new terminology, much of which can be used in other subjects.  The content of the course is very different to English but many of the analytical skills are similar, so students often find that their English grades improve as a result of choosing Media Studies.

Why study GCSE Media Studies?

Studying the media means studying how we live.  The media saturates everything we do in the 21st Century; it is estimated that we are bombarded with an average of 5000 adverts per day; we spend more and more time interacting with social media; massive online companies are challenging and changing the way we access news and information.  Doesn’t it make sense to learn how all this works? 

Media Studies is a rigorous and challenging subject that opens a route into a variety of jobs and careers including journalism, politics, advertising, marketing and any number of creative positions within media companies.  The GCSE course allows you to develop your understanding of how the media industry works, making it a truly vocational course.

How is the course assessed? 

There are three elements in this GCSE.  Assessment (30%) and Two Examinations (70%). Graded 1-9 with 9 being the highest.

Exam 1: Television and Promoting Media.

Written Paper – 1 hour 45 minutes (including 30 minutes viewing time for a clip).  Students will explore how media products construct meaning.

Exam 2: Music and News.

Written Paper – 1 hour 15 minutes.  Students explore the four key concepts: media language, representation, audiences and media industries.

NEA (non-exam assessment or coursework): Creating Media. 

Students create media products through applying the knowledge and understanding they have acquired on the other parts of the course.