This document provides guidance for a media studies exam focusing on representations of youth in media. It outlines four key areas exam questions may focus on: how different groups are represented, how representations have changed over time, social implications, and the mediation of identity. Students are instructed to refer to historical, contemporary, and future representations in their essays. The document also provides advice on how to structure an essay to hit assessment criteria focusing on explanation, examples, and terminology. It emphasizes developing an argument connected to the question using theories, case studies, and media texts from different forms and industries.

1. Revision guide making

2. Task
• Why and how does social class change the way in
which young people are perceived.
• Write 2 phrases you feel summarise the contrast
in representations between the youth in GS and
MIC.
• Discuss with the person next to your views and
opinions on the representations of youth in both
these shows and how it may change peoples
views on young people.

3. Over view
• The main area of focus will be:
• Representations of youth and youth culture in the media
• It is vital we consider the following 4 areas:
• How do the contemporary media represent nations, regions and
ethnic / social / collective groups of people in different ways?
• How does contemporary representation compare to previous
time periods?
• What are the social implications of different media
representations of groups of people?
• To what extent is human identity increasingly ‘mediated’?

4. IMPORTANT EXAM RULE
You MUST refer to the following areas throughout
your essay
HISTORICAL representations 25%
|
CONTEMPORARY (main focus area) 50%
|
FUTURE representations 25%
A contemporary media text is classified 7 years
from the exam date.

5. How to validate our argument we
must consider the following
1) Who produces the representation
2) The media form used for the representation
(TV, film, social media, TV News, Press)
3) The target audience for the representation:
young, actual, parent, older non parent,
OAPs

6. Previous exam questions
• Analyse the ways in which the media represent any one
group of people that you have studied.
• With reference to any one group of people that you have
studied, discuss how their identity has been ‘mediated’.
• Analyse the ways in which the media represent groups of
people.
• “The media do not construct collective identity; they
merely reflect it”. Discuss.
• “Media representations are complex, not simple and
straightforward”. How far do you agree with this
statement in relation to any one group of people that you
have studied?
• What is collective identity and how is it mediated?

7. How you will achieve marks in the
exam
• EAA- Explanation, analysis and argument [20]
• EG- Examples [20]
• Term- Terminology [10]
• Overall mark [50]

8. How to hit the criteria when writing an
essay
• EAA- Adapt learning to the specific requirements
of the chosen question in an excellent fashion.
The argument needs to have connections to the
question in hand to make it valid and believable.
The answer offers a clear fluent balance of media
theories and shows understanding of the theory
and how it applies to the argument. Knowledge
of industries and forms of media is shown with a
personal engagement with the issues and
debates discussed.

9. Hitting the criteria
• Use of examples: Examples of theories, texts
and industry knowledge are clearly connected
together in the answer. History and the future
are integrated into the discussion with
conviction and seamlessly back up the point
made by the individual. Showing that
development of a representation has
remained the same or adapted from a
historical representation. Theory is applied
while these points are made.

10. Hitting the criteria
• Use of terminology: Throughout the answer
material presented is informed by
contemporary media theory and the
command of the appropriate conceptual and
theoretical language is excellent. If theory is
not relevant to the question and referred to in
the incorrect manor it will illustrate the
individual is lacking in media understanding.
References to past, contemporary and future
are evident in the argument throughout.

11. lead examiner tip
Triangulation method
Argument
Case
study
Question
Theory

12. Remember
• This exam is personal to you, it is your own argument you
construct it based on the media theory and texts we will
study in lesson, and your own experience of the media.
• There is no right or wrong answer.
• The examiner is looking for how well you construct an
argument based on the representation of youth in the
media and how the past, present and future media texts
have had an impact on this.
• You will show you understand that different audiences of
different ages perceive identity in different ways and how
historical references have influenced our opinions on
todays representations, and how the internet may change
future perceptions.
• You will also show you understand how the form of media
itself determines an opinion.

13. Theory/ Theorist Theory explained / key texts
linked to
Theory in 5 bullet points
Stan Cohen
(moral panics and folk devils)
Tessa Perkins
(stereotypes)
Marxism
Althusser
Ideology
Gramsci
Hegemony
Uses and Gratifications
Stuart Hall

14. Media text/ form Argument/representation linked to the 4
bullet points
The Mods V Rockers ‘print Press’
Quadrophenia ‘film’
The London Riots ‘print press’& ‘Social
media’
BBC news reports riots ‘news’
Ill manors ‘music’ & ‘social media’
Geordie Shore ‘TV’
Made in Chelsea ‘TV’
Fish Tank
4 areas:
-How do the contemporary media represent nations, regions and ethnic / social / collective
groups of people in different ways?
-How does contemporary representation compare to previous time periods?
-What are the social implications of different media representations of groups of people?
-To what extent is human identity increasingly ‘mediated’?