Year 12 Exam Revision
- Mastering Media
- May 19
- 4 min read
EXAM BLUEPRINT
COMPONENT 1 (90 MARKS / 2h 15m):
Section A hits you with a 15-mark unseen decoder for media language and a 30-mark representation clash where you compare a set product against an unseen resource.
Section B is the industry hustle, featuring stepped questions on film, video games, or radio.
PETAC STRUCTURE
To survive the 30-mark evaluation, every paragraph needs to be a PETAC masterclass:
POINT: Stake your claim—what version of reality is being constructed?
EXAMPLE: Flash the visual or technical code (neon lighting, rhythmic cuts, or direct address).
THEORY: Bring in the legends like Barthes for semiotic myths or Hall for representation power.
ANALYSIS: Tear down the code to show how it positions the audience.
CONTEXT: Connect it to the social, historical, or economic world it breathes in (e.g., 1960s patriarchal norms vs. contemporary diversity).
THEORETICAL POWER
REPRESENTATION: Use Gilroy’s Postcolonial Theory to find where colonial discourses still haunt the media. Hit them with Van Zoonen to critique the objectified female body.
INDUSTRY: Hesmondhalgh is the key for understanding the logic of profit—how conglomerates minimize risk through formatting. Understand Vertical Integration as the ultimate power move where one company owns the whole production and distribution chain.
AUDIENCES: We aren't passive anymore. Clay Shirky says the "End of Audience" is here because we "speak back" to the media machine.
Section A: Analysing Media Language and Representation (45 Marks)
Question 1: Media Language (15 Marks) Question 1 is based on an unseen audio-visual resource: an extract from a music video.
Resource: "Now I'm In It" by Haim (2019)].
The extract will be shown three times.
First viewing: Watch the extract.
Second viewing: Watch and make notes.
Third viewing: Watch and make final notes.
1.0 Explore how this music video extract uses codes and conventions to communicate meaning.
Question 2: Representation (30 Marks) Question 2 is based on both of the following:
An unseen print resource: a contemporary film poster
The set film poster for Kiss of the Vampire you have studied.
2.0 Compare how far the film posters for Kiss of the Vampire and the unseen contemporary poster use gender stereotypes.
In your answer you must:
Consider the similarities and differences in how gender stereotypes are used in the film posters.
Consider how the representations reflect social and cultural contexts.
Make judgements and draw conclusions about the use of gender stereotypes in the film posters.
Section B: Understanding Media Industries and Audiences (45 Marks)
Question 3: Media Industries (25 Marks) Question 3 assesses the Video Game Industry. Refer to the Assassin’s Creed franchise to support your points.
3.1 Briefly define the term horizontal integration in the media industries. (1)
3.2 Briefly explain the role of PEGI in the regulation of video games. (2)
3.3 Explain how global production and distribution affect the video game industry. Refer to the Assassin's Creed franchise to support your points. (10)
3.4 (Synoptic) Explain how industry power and profit influence the variety of media products available to audiences. Refer to the Assassin's Creed franchise and any other industry context you have studied. (12)
Question 4: Media Audiences (20 Marks) Question 4 assesses Advertising. Refer to the Super. Human. (Paralympics) advertisement to support your points.
4.1 Explain how producers of advertisements target and reach audiences. Refer to the Super. Human.advertisement to support your points. (12)
4.2 Explain how audiences may decode media products in different ways. Refer to the Super. Human.advertisement to support your points. (8)
CASE STUDIES IN DEPTH
Roland Barthes (Semiotics)
Semiotics is about how texts use signs and symbols to communicate meaning. It breaks down the difference between denotation—the literal meaning—and connotation—the deeper associated meanings. Barthes exposes how these constructed meanings are repeated so often they become naturalized as myths, reinforcing specific ideologies for the audience.
Steve Neale (Genre Theory) Genre isn’t static; it’s a constant tension between repetition and variation. To keep audiences satisfied, genres rely on familiar codes, but they only survive by introducing difference. This evolution is driven by economic and institutional contexts, creating hybrid products that feel both familiar and radically innovative.
Paul Gilroy (Postcolonial Theory) The ghosts of the colonial past still tag the media landscape today, creating racial hierarchies and notions of "otherness" that refuse to fade. These old discourses haunt contemporary attitudes, shaping how different ethnicities are represented on the global stage. It’s a tool for finding where colonial power still pulls strings.
Liesbet van Zoonen (Feminist Theory) The media machine is a patriarchal construct that often spray-paints the female body as a passive object for visual pleasure. This theory critiques how women are represented as vulnerable or domestic "ideals" depending on social vibes. It’s about how gender is objectified to satisfy a historical male gaze.
David Hesmondhalgh (Cultural Industries) It’s all about the logic of profit—major conglomerates manage financial risk by formatting their products into safe, predictable boxes like sequels and star-driven brands. They maximize reach by dominating the market through integration, keeping the internet's radical potential contained for commercial gain while prioritizing big audiences over risk.
Vertical Integration (Industry Concept) The ultimate industry power move where one giant owns the entire circuit—from initial production and global distribution to the final exhibition on screen. By controlling every stage, these massive studios minimize competition and maximize their grip on the world's attention. It ensures total dominance over the entire media lifecycle.
Clay Shirky (End of Audience) The old model of the passive, sit-back viewer is dead. In the digital age, we’ve transformed into "prosumers" who produce, share, and speak back to the media machine. This participatory culture has flipped the script, making the audience as much a part of the production as the industry itself.
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