December Mock Exam: Learner Response

1) Type up any feedback on your paper (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential). If you only have marks and a grade on the paper, write a WWW/Next Steps yourself based on your scores.

WWW: 

- Fajr, you are able to consider how age is represented in both TV CSP's for Q2.

- Good attempt at analysing the TV clip with your notes page.

Next steps:

- Lots of gaps in your knowledge, even for short 1-mark Q's.

- You need to actively revise for upcoming media mocks.

- Complete all blog work/exam past papers to help with knowledge and recall.

2) Use the mark scheme for this Paper 2 mock (posted on GC) to read the answers AQA were looking for. First, write down a definition and example of non-diegetic sound (Q1.1 and 1.2). 

Q.1 - all sounds made by or heard by the characters

Q.2 - any example of dialogue from the extract such as ‘When Lyra says, “So you’re a

kitchen boy then?”

3) Next, identify three points you could have made in Q1.3 - camerawork and the extract. Look for the indicative content in the mark scheme - these are the suggested answers from AQA.

 - The opening shot in the extract focuses on the omelette in Will’s hand – almost a close-up – with handheld camera movement following the plate to the table. This focus on the food Will has cooked seems to establish him as the less dominant person in the relationship. The medium shot of Lyra suspiciously looking at the  food reinforces this power imbalance in their relationship.

- The wide shot and slow dolly/tracking through the open doors shows both characters together sitting at the table. This deliberately places both characters in the same

frame as the conversation becomes more friendly and less guarded. The camerawork is communicating the growing friendship between Lyra and Will and helps to foreshadow the suggestion (in the very next shot) from Will that they team up and work together. The slow dolly/track at this point signals to the audience that

something important is happening; their relationship is changing. It works in a similar way to a zoom.

- Will’s suggestion that they work together is made while Lyra is shown in a medium

close-up over-the-shoulder shot. This allows the audience to see her reaction – a

slight smile that suggests she is in favour of the suggestion and grateful to have an

ally after a lot of time alone.

4) Now look at Q1.4 in the mark scheme - pick out two points from the mark scheme that you could have included in your answer.

- The way Lyra first investigates and then eats the omelette also subverts feminine stereotypes. Her interaction with props in the scene deliberately subvert ideas of being ‘ladylike’ or feminine.

- However, there is perhaps one exception to this when Will suggests that they work together. Lyra is shown responding with a slight smile that suggests she is in favour of them teaming up and perhaps therefore removes a little of her independence.

5) Look at Q2 - the 20-mark essay on representations of age and social and cultural contexts. Pick out three points from the mark scheme that you didn't include in your answer.

• Media representations of teens/young adults usually identify this group by their attitudes, behaviour, language, clothing and music. There are many negative stereotypes of teenagers in television drama in which characteristics such as laziness, anti-social behaviour, inability to concentrate and self-indulgence are portrayed as ‘typical’.

• There are also positive representations of teens in which attributes such as freedom, independence, creativity and social awareness are likely to be emphasised. Some frequently represented characteristics of teenagers may be seen as positive by younger audiences but as negative by older audiences. These include rebelliousness, openness to change, liberal values on matters such as sexuality and a much stronger commitment to friendship groups than to family or country.

• Dominant cultural values of the early 1960s placed a strong emphasis on ‘tradition’. This meant that there was an expectation that young people would conform to social norms and show obedience, deference and respect to figures of authority including parents and teachers. Media representations which challenged or subverted these cultural codes would have been shocking to a 1963 television audience.

6) Turning your attention to Section B, write a definition and example of user-generated content - use the mark scheme to check it.

• material contributed to media or posted on websites by non-professionals

• a website I made about my favourite band

7) Look at Q4 - the 20-mark essay on the power of influencers. Pick out three points from the mark scheme that you didn't include in your own answer. 

- There is an army of influencers: social media users and celebrities with large, devoted followings, who give their followers access to a carefully curated version of their lives. In this “authentic” context, sponsored content, known as “sponcon”, has proved a potent tool for selling products.

- By the end of 2019, the influencer marketing industry was worth some $8bn a year. One recent report by Insider Intelligence predicted that it would grow to $15bn globally by the end of 2022.

- Marcus Rashford demonstrates this with his commercial partnerships with Burberry, Nike, Coca-Cola and more. The fact he appeals to such mainstream brands is evidence of his power in the digital age.

8) Now look at Q5 - the 20-mark essay on regulation and the internet. Again, pick out three points from the mark scheme that you didn't include in your own answer.

• the relationship between technology, media industries and media products

• the ways in which the media re-present the world and construct versions of reality

• the ways aspects of reality may be represented differently depending on the purposes of the producers

9) On a scale of 1-10 (1 = low, 10 = high), how much revision and preparation did you do for your Media mock exam? Be honest here - it's a good chance to think about how to approach the next set of mock exams.

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10) List three key things you want to revise before the next mock exams in February (e.g. particular CSPs, terminology, exam technique etc.)

- media terminology

- CSP's

- media theories