Coursework Section: G321: Foundation Portfolio in Media
50% of AS Grade
AS Coursework task:
Preliminary Exercise
Using DTP and an image manipulation program produce the front page of a new
school/college magazine, featuring a photograph of a student in medium close-up
plus some appropriately laid out text and a masthead. Additionally, candidates must
produce a mock up of the layout of the contents page to demonstrate their grasp of
DTP.
Main Task
The front page, contents and double page spread of a new music magazine. If this
is completed as a group task, each member of the group must produce an
individual edition of the magazine, following the same house style.
NOTE: All images and text must be original and there must be a minimum of
four images per candidate.
The 100 marks for this unit is split between Research and Planning,
Construction and Evaluation of the Main Task (You will be assessed as
having minimal, basic, proficient or excellent skills in the three areas)
If the PRELIMINARY TASK is not completed you will lose 15 marks from the
100 assigned for the coursework. You will follow a similar outline to the Main
task for your Preliminary task
All work (Preliminary and Main task) will be submitted electronically on
the blog.
Research and Planning = 20 marks
Research and Planning must be done individually.
You will be marked on evidence of the origination of your work and of
planning the production. This must be presented in a digital format , no paper
copies are accepted.
The way you record your Research and Planning could include:
• Green screen recording of you analysing Magazine front covers
• A range of software (prezi, wordle, bubbl.us, go animate etc)
• Spider diagrams
• Podcast - Wavepad and or Garageband.
• Write up findings on NCTC Media Blog (this must be done regularly- at
least once a week)

These are the areas you will be assessed on:
• Whether your Research and Planning is complete
• Research into similar products and a potential target audience.
• Organisation of actors, locations, costumes or props.
• Work on shotlists, layouts, drafting, scripting or storyboarding.
• Time management
• Your care in the presentation of the research and planning.
• Time management
Construction 60 marks
Main Task 60 marks
These marks are assigned to the construction of the Magazine. You must
complete a front page, contents page and double page spread of your own
Music magazine. You must show a range of skills in your construction and
your will be marked using the following assessment criteria:
• Producing material appropriate for the target audience and task;
• Showing understanding of conventions of layout and page design;
• Showing awareness of the need for variety in fonts and text size;
• Accurately using language and register;
• Using ICT appropriately for the task set;
• Appropriately integrating illustration and text;
• Shooting a variety of material appropriate to the task set;
• Manipulating photographs as appropriate to the context for presentation,
including cropping and resizing
Evaluation 20 marks
This is an exercise where your will be marked individually on your ability to
evaluate and reflect on the creative process and your experience of it.
You need to answer the following questions as part of your evaluation:
• In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms
and conventions of real media products?
• How does your media product represent particular social groups?
• What kind of media institution might distribute your media product and
why?

• Who would be the audience for your media product?
• How did you attract/address your audience?
• What have you learnt about technologies from the process of
constructing this product?
• Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt
in the progression from it to the full product?
You should try to find imaginative and creative ways to answer these
questions, demonstrating your skills and abilities within media (e.g. use of
PowerPoint, Vox Pops or video interviews with Target audience).
You will be marked on the following areas:
• skill in the use of digital technology or ICT in the evaluation.
• understanding of issues around audience, institution, technology,
representation, forms and conventions in relation to production.
• ability to refer to the choices made and outcomes.
• understanding of your development from preliminary to full task.
• ability to communicate.