This document provides exam guidance for a 2.5 hour print media exam: - Students should spend 10-20 minutes analyzing and making notes on stimulus materials before answering questions. - Question 1 focuses on textual analysis of media texts and their visual codes, layout, and genre. Students must analyze purpose and effect, not just describe. - Question 2 may have multiple parts and focus on representation or audience, requiring students to discuss their own media examples in detail. - Question 3 also focuses on representation or audience, requiring in-depth discussion of 2-3 of students' own media examples across different forms and formats.

1. Exam guidance: 23rd May 2014 AM
• The exam is 2hours and 30mins
Before you begin answering the questions you should spend 10-20 minutes
analysing and writing brief notes or bullet points on the print based media.
Question 1
• This will always focus on textual analysis and will test the students' ability
to analyse a media text in detail using appropriate language.
• Students must be able not only to recognise a layout technique etc. but
also to examine their purpose and effect. Those students who only
describe are limiting their chances of achieving higher marks.
Spend 45-50minutes on this question

2. Example from Jan 2012 paper
Study the two film posters for Winter’s Bone (2010)
and Unknown (2011).
1. Analyse the two film posters commenting on:
• visual codes
• Layout and design
• genre
[40]

3. Question 2
• The focus of Question 2 can be either representation or audience and this
question may be stepped.
• Take note of the mark allocation of the various parts of the question and
relate this to the length of your answers.
• In the final part of question 2, students will be asked to refer to their own
examples. Discuss approximately 2/3 detailed examples relevant to the
question and covering more than one media form or format.
• Generalised examples e.g. ‘newspapers offer negative representations of
youth’ should be avoided. Students must not rely on the stimulus material
for this part of the question
Spend 35-40minutes on this question

4. Example from Jan 2012 paper
2. (a) Choose one of the film posters and suggest two different
audiences for this film. Give brief reasons for your
suggestions. [6]
(b) With reference to the other film poster, explore how
audiences are attracted to this film. [9]
(c) With reference to your own detailed examples, which
must not include the resource material examples, explore why
audiences may respond differently to the same media text.
[15]
[30]

5. Question 3
• The focus for Question 3 will be either representation or audience depending on the
area set for Question 2.
• Students will be expected to explore 2/3 of their own examples in depth considering
more than one form or format (e.g. magazines, films, computer games etc)
For example, an exploration of representations of youth in the media could include an
analysis of:
• a television programme e.g. Waterloo Road
• a teenage magazine e.g. Sugar
• a local newspaper
If audience is the focus, they will use 2/3 of their own detailed examples to consider, for
example:
• how audiences are attracted to texts
• what affects the way in which different audiences respond to texts
• how texts construct and position audiences
• how theories can help to understand audience responses, where appropriate.
Spend 35-40minutes on this question

6. Example from Jan 2012 paper
3. With reference to your own detailed
examples, explore the representation of gender
in the media today.
[30]

7. More Detailed Guidance
For more detailed guidance see the full guidance
notes pdf on the blog or go to WJEC website
here:
http://www.wjec.co.uk/uploads/publications/76
94.pdf