Media Studies Islay

The SQA have just published their annual External Assessment Reports. These give details of where candidates performed well in last year’s exams, as well as where they didn’t fair too good. I’m pasting it here becuase it makes for some good reading and will also give you pointers in relation to what examiners are looking for - I’ve highlighted key bits in bold. Please do take note of these comment.

Intermediate One:

Areas in which candidates performed well:
In the Unseen Analysis, answers on Language were better than those on Categories. In the Question Paper,
well-prepared candidates were able to achieve high marks in both Sections of the paper.
Areas which candidates found demanding:
Knowledge of how the chosen media text was funded caused difficulties for candidates. In Unseen Analysis,
some texts or excerpts from texts caused the candidates difficulties - being either too long and therefore
demanding in the time available, or else too “thin”, that is, offering too few opportunities for developed
answers.

Intermediate Two:

Areas in which candidates performed well:
In the Unseen Analysis, as has been the case for many years now, answers on Language were better than those
on Categories. In the Question Paper, well-prepared candidates were able to achieve high marks in both
Sections of the paper.
Areas which candidates found demanding:
There tended to be a re-telling of the experience of making a media product in the reflective essay in Section 2,
Media Production rather than attempting to construct an answer guided by the specifics of the question.
In Unseen Analysis, Markers commented on the difficulty candidates experienced when writing answers to
questions on the Medium of the text. Perhaps candidates find it too challenging to relate specific textual details
in the (short) unseen text to questions on the medium, and tend to make only general observations unrelated to
the text.

Advice to centres for preparation of future candidates
In the examination paper, Section 1 Media Analysis, questions ask candidates to explain how one named key
aspect and one other of the candidate’s choosing from the permitted range are linked in a specific way as
directed by the question. Candidates’ responses must attempt to answer the specific question rather than
offering to explain the key aspects in an unrelated way.
Candidates should practise linking two key aspects in when preparing writing essays for Section 1, Media
Analysis.
In preparation for the reflective essay in Section 2 Media Production, candidates must be guided by the
specifics of the question to structure their answers rather than re-telling the experience of making a media
product.