The media plays a central role in contemporary society and culture. They shape our perceptions of the world through the representations, viewpoints and messages they offer. The media have real relevance and importance in our lives today, providing us with ways to communicate, with forms of cultural expression and the ability to participate in key aspects of society. The economic importance of the media is also unquestionable. The media industries employ large numbers of people worldwide and operate as commercial industries on a global scale. The global nature of the contemporary media, coupled with ongoing technological developments and more opportunities to interact with the media, suggest that their centrality in contemporary life can only increase.

The WJEC EDUQAS specification offers learners the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of these key issues and the ability to debate important questions about the media. It introduces them to a theoretical framework for analysing the media, which also underpins study of the media at AS and A-level.

Component 1: Exploring the Media

• Students study a variety of different media case studies (magazines, film posters, newspapers, print advertisements, radio and video games) to explore and analyse how they are constructed, for which audiences and how industries construct and use these products for advertising and marketing.
• Case Studies include: the front covers of the Daily Mail and the Sun, adverts for Quality Street and Sport England, James Bond films including No Time to Die and The Man with the Golden Gun, magazine front covers for Vogue and GQ, Fortnite and The Archers.

Component 2: Understanding Media Forms and Products

• Students study music videos and sitcoms for this unit to explore how products have been constructed by institutions and presented to audiences. They explore the messages that these forms give about different social and stereotypes and the way in which audiences respond to them.
• Case Studies include: Friends, Modern Family, Stormzy and Taylor Swift.

Component 3: Coursework

• This practical unit involves desktop publishing, some graphic design and the use of photoshop to research, plan and produce print-based products for a specific audience in response to a choice of briefs set by the exam board.
• Examples of previous products include: magazines, leaflets, adverts and film posters.

In Year 10 students will have the opportunity to visit the National Video Games Museum in Sheffield for video games history and development. In Year 11 there will be a cinema trip to Showcase Peterborough to cover marketing, promotion and distribution of film.

Component 1: Exploring the Media

• Written Exam (1 hour 30 minutes)
• External Exam = 40%

Component 2: Understanding Media Forms and Products

• Written Exam (1 hour 30 minutes)
• External Exam = 30%

Component 3

• Non-Examined Assessment
• Coursework = 30%

After studying GCSE Media Studies you could study BTEC Creative Digital Media Production at Bourne Academy Sixth Form.

Studying the Media opens up a wide range of employment possibilities and provides a range of transferrable skills you could utilise in digital, marketing, design and production roles. Previous students have gone on to roles such as Special FX Make-Up, Theatre Technical Production, online magazine journalism, website and graphics design, television production and digital animation.