GCSE NEA Check and Mark Scheme
- Mastering Media
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
2026 Eduqas GCSE Media Studies NEA
For the 2026 Eduqas GCSE Media Studies NEA, Brief 4: Music Marketing (Option b) requires you to create a functioning website to promote a new, fictional artist or band in either the hip-hop or folk genre. Your project must specifically target an audience aged 16–24.
The website must consist of two pages—a homepage and one linked page—and must include at least four original images and 150 words of promotional text in total.
1. Homepage Requirements
The homepage is the primary platform for establishing the artist's brand identity and "persona". It must include:
Original Branding: An original name and logo for the artist or band.
Navigation: A working menu bar with at least four relevant tabs, one of which must be a functioning link to your second page.
Visuals: A main original image plus at least two other original images used to promote the artist. These images must be different from the one used on the second page.
Convergence: Links to other media platforms, such as social media sites.
2. Second Page Options
You must choose to create either a 'News' or an 'About' page. This page must maintain a consistent "house style" and branding with the homepage.
Content:
'News' page: Should focus on latest releases, concerts, or collaborations.
'About' page: Typically includes a biography or background information to further establish the artist's identity.
Visuals: At least one original image related to the artist that has not been used on the homepage.
Embedded Media: This page must feature 30 seconds of original embedded audio or audio-visual material. This could be an interview with the artist, a message from a fan site creator, or a live performance.
Note: Audio-visual material must be moving image footage; slideshows or GIFs are not permitted.
3. Core Production Rules
Originality: Every image, video clip, and line of text must be devised and created by you. You cannot use existing celebrities or band names.
AI Prohibition: The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate any images, text, or footage is strictly forbidden.
Representation: You are required to include images of at least one person to construct a representation of a specific social group.
Software and Templates: You may use web design software or templates, but the templates must be unpopulated. You are responsible for the original design, layout, and all content; work that relies too heavily on pre-existing templates will be restricted to lower mark bands.
4. Statement of Aims and Intentions
You must submit a compulsory 250-word outline with your website. This statement explains how you intended to use media language and representation to appeal to the 16–24-year-old target audience and reflect the chosen music genre
Based on the Eduqas GCSE Media Studies specification, the assessment for Component 3: Creating Media Products (NEA) is worth 60 marks and is evaluated using a specific three-column grid. For Brief 4: Music Marketing, the following overview details the mark scheme from the assessment grid and the specific online production requirements.
The Assessment Grid (Music Marketing Focus)
The grid is divided into three assessment areas, with marks awarded across five bands.
Column 1: Statement of Aims (10 Marks)
You must produce a 250-word statement outlining your intentions for the production.
Band 5 (9–10 marks): An excellent, detailed statement that clearly responds to the music marketing brief and targets the 16–24 audience. It must demonstrate a plan for a consistent use of appropriate pop/hip-hop conventions and purposeful representations.
Band 3 (5–6 marks): A satisfactory statement that demonstrates a plan for generally appropriate conventions and representations for the music genre.
Band 1 (1–2 marks): A minimal statement with little sense of the brief or the intended audience.
Column 2: Realisation of the Brief (20 Marks)
This evaluates how well the final product meets the technical requirements of the music marketing task.
Band 5 (17–20 marks): An excellent realisation that uses conventions of the music video or website form consistently. It should consistently engage the young adult audience through a highly appropriate mode of address and complete all tasks set out in the brief.
Band 3 (9–12 marks): A satisfactory realisation where the main tasks are completed, but some details may be missing and conventions are used inconsistently.
Band 1 (1–4 marks): A minimal realisation that is likely incomplete or substantially below the required length/quantity.
Column 3: Media Language and Representation (30 Marks)
This is the most heavily weighted section, focusing on your creative and technical ability.
Band 5 (25–30 marks): Excellent use of media language to communicate complex meanings, such as through purposeful control of connotations to establish an artist's brand. It must construct purposeful, appropriate representations of social groups.
Band 3 (13–18 marks): Satisfactory use of media language to communicate meanings in an uncomplicated way, with only occasional control of connotations.
Band 1 (1–6 marks): Minimal use of media language with extremely limited meanings or control over narrative/design.
Indicative Content for Music Marketing
The assessment specifically looks for the following elements in your production:
Audio-Visual (Music Video): An appropriate interpretation of the song and identity for the artist. It should feature a range of shots (type, distance, angle), well-paced editing that matches the music and lyrics, and a clear narrative structure showing disruption and resolution. High-band work may use intertextuality or representations that challenge/subvert stereotypes.
Online (Website): A clear "brand identity" for the artist using backgrounds, typography, and logos. You must establish a consistent house style and use an appropriate range of original images. The tone, register, and vocabulary should be tailored for a young adult audience.
Online and Website Production Guidance
Specific rules apply if you choose the website option for your music marketing project:
Software and Templates: You are not required to use programming languages like HTML. You may use web design software or templates, but you must be responsible for the final design.
Originality: All content must be original, including text, images, and any audio-visual material. Using non-original footage or images (except for the chosen song) will limit your production marks to Band 2 or below.
Template Dependency: Any software or templates used must be acknowledged on your cover sheet. An over-reliance on pre-existing templates will result in a lower mark.
Functionality: Websites must remain live for the duration of the moderation period (until December of the assessment year), and all links must be tested to ensure they work.
Original Audio-Visual Material: The required 30-second embedded media must be original moving image footage (not slideshows or GIFs) created by you
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