December mock exam: Learner Response

 1) Type up any feedback on your paper (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential). If you only have marks and a grade on the paper, write a WWW/EBI yourself based on your scores.

Total = 47    Grade = 6

WWW - A really strong exam throughout with the the potential to go even higher. Well done!

EBI - It's now about adding more depth and examples to our longer mark questions. This will help push towards the top level.

2) Use the mark scheme for this Paper 2 mock to read the answers AQA were looking for. First, write down a definition and example of non-diegetic sound (Q1.1 and 1.2). 

Non - diegetic sound is sound that only the audience can hear. One example of non-diegetic sound is music

3) Next, identify three points you could have made in Q1.3 - camerawork and the extract. Look for the indicative content in the mark scheme - these are the suggested answers from AQA.

The opening shot in the extract focuses on the omelette in Will’s hand – almost a close-up – with handheld camera movement following the plate to the table. This focus on the food Will has cooked seems to establish him as the less dominant person in the relationship. The medium shot of Lyra suspiciously looking at the food reinforces this power imbalance in their relationship.

As Lyra walks into the house, the camera moves backwards with her – a faster- paced dolly shot to signal to the audience that things are changing, the relationship is moving on. Will is left out of focus and trying to keep up – once again communicating to the audience the power imbalance in Lyra’s favour.

When Lyra takes Will’s bed, a medium shot of Will allows the audience to see his helpless body language and expression to show that he is not particularly happy with the situation but recognises Lyra is a force of nature and he has no hope of challenging her.

4) Now look at Q1.4 in the mark scheme - pick out two points from the mark scheme that you could have included in your answer.

Lyra’s costume subverts feminine stereotypes. It is blue, practical and does not emphasise her figure or draw attention. It helps to establish Lyra as a practical, confident character who is used to surviving on her own.

However, there is perhaps one exception to this when Will suggests that they work together. Lyra is shown responding with a slight smile that suggests she is in favour of them teaming up and perhaps therefore removes a little of her independence.

5) Focus on Q2 - the 20-mark essay on representations of age and social and cultural contexts. Pick out three points from the mark scheme that you didn't include in your answer.

In HDM it is the teens/young adults who lead the way in driving the narrative forward. The adults tend to accept their more peripheral roles or discuss the prophecy that revolves around Lyra. The teens are proactive, and the adults react.

Susan is clearly in touch with popular culture. As a stereotypical teenager, she is engrossed in pop music on her radio and her modern clothes differentiate her from the teachers. In spite of her intellectual superiority, she is polite and deferential to her teachers. She is not afraid, though, to challenge her ‘grandfather’, the Doctor, in order to defend Barbara and Ian.

6) Turning your attention to Section B, write a definition and example of user-generated content - use the mark scheme to check it.

User-generated content is content that is created by the audience and unprofessional people. One example of this is tiktok post 

7) Look at Q4 - the 20-mark essay on the power of influencers. Pick out three points from the mark scheme that you didn't include in your own answer. 

By the end of 2019, the influencer marketing industry was worth some $8bn a year. One recent report by Insider Intelligence predicted that it would grow to $15bn globally by the end of 2022.

Even Marcus Rashford is not immune to criticism however. He has been accused of being too political and fans and critics have told him to ‘stick to football’. His recent website rebrand put a much bigger emphasis on his football career with a homepage dominated by animated GIFs of his notable goals and football achievements. The reduction in content that focused on his fashion shoots, celebrity lifestyle or volunteering suggests that celebrities are not all-powerful and are still subject to public opinion and criticism.

Some media theorists have suggested that in the digital age it is audiences that have the power rather than companies, industries or traditional celebrities. Social media and YouTube levels the playing field and gives ordinary people the chance to create and share content. This would suggest that celebrities and influencers do not have more power than ever before and in fact the internet is a democratising force giving power to normal people.

8) Now look at Q5 - the 20-mark essay on regulation and the internet. Again, pick out three points from the mark scheme that you didn't include in your own answer.

The video game industry makes a significant economic contribution which could be curtailed if tighter regulations and controls were introduced.

An unregulated internet preserves the freedom of speech in a medium to which almost half the world’s population has access.

How representations reflect the social, historical and cultural contexts in which they were produced.

9) On a scale of 1-10 (1 = low, 10 = high), how much revision and preparation did you do for your Media mock exam? Be honest here - it's a good chance to think about how to approach the next set of mock exams.

4/10

10) List three key things you want to revise before the next mock exams in February (e.g. particular CSPs, terminology, exam technique etc.)

Revise exam technique

Revise all the CSPs so that I can link it to other CSPs in a synoptic question and so that I can write more in the 20 markers. 

When revising I will try to go into depth with all the CSPs and find out more about the CSP and time period of it.