For use with G325 Sec B

1. OCR Advice
For the perfect A2 Sec B response

2. Media & Collective Identity
• The topic areas require understanding of
contemporary media texts, industries,
audiences and debates.
• Contemporary = released within 5 years of
exam date (for you lot, 2011 onwards)

3. • Candidates must, through specific case
studies, texts, debates and research of THEIR
choice, prepare to demonstrate understanding
of the contemporary issue.
• This understanding must combine knowledge
of at least TWO media and a range of texts,
industries, audiences and debates, selected by
the candidate.
Media & Collective Identity

4. • The assessment of the response will be
generic, allowing for the broadest possible
range of responses within the topic area
chosen.
• Each topic is accompanied by four prompt qns
and you must be prepared to answer an exam
qn that relates to one or more of these four
prompts.
Media & Collective Identity

5. • There should be emphasis on the historical,
the contemporary and the future in relation to
the chosen topic, with most attention on the
present.
• Centres are advised to ensure that study
materials are therefore up to date and
relevant.
Media & Collective Identity

6. • Candidates are free to study any media texts,
theories, case studies, debates and issues,
providing they relate to the four prompts:
Media & Collective Identity

7. 1 How do the contemporary media represent
collective groups of people in different ways?
2 How does contemporary representation
compare to previous time periods?
3 What are the social implications of different
media representations of groups of people?
4 To what extent is human identity increasingly
‘mediated’?
Media & Collective Identity: the 4
prompts

8. • Candidates many analyse the representation
of and/or the collective identity of one or
more group(s) of people.
• Candidates might explore combinations of any
media representation across two media, or
two different reps across two media.
Media & Collective Identity

9. You MUST cover these 3 elements:
• Historical – dependent on the requirements of
the topic, you must summarise the
development of the media forms in qn in
theoretical contexts
• Contemporary – eg’s from 5 years ago
• Future – you must demonstrate personal
engagement with debates about the future of
the media forms/that the topic relates to.
Media & Collective Identity

10. • The majority of eg’s in your answers should be
contemporary. However, theories and
approaches may be drawn from any time
period. Eg – a Feminist analysis of
contemporary media examples would be
appropriate.
Media & Collective Identity

11. • Where candidates refer to only one media
area in their answer, the mark scheme clearly
indicates that marks will be restricted to a
maximum of top of level 1
• Where candidates fail to provide or infer
historical refs and/or future predictions, marks
will be restricted to a maximum of top of level
3 for use of eg’s only.
Media & Collective Identity

12. • In order to preserve the flexibility and
freedom for candidates to tailor the topics to
their own preferences/interests, the eg’s
offered should be taken as a starting point but
certainly not as a prescribed set of content.
Media & Collective Identity

13. • Candidates will need to offer a balance of
media theories, knowledge of texts and
industries and personal engagement with
issues and debates.
• Examiners will expect a great deal of variety in
texts, case studies, theories and debates
selected for inclusion in their answers for each
theme.
Media & Collective Identity