MEST3 PPE - Learner Response

MEST3 PPE - Learner Response

1) Type up your feedback in full (you do not need to write mark/grade if you do not wish to).

Total 65/80 A- Above target grade= credits x2

WWW: Excellent critical autonomy & clear, concise writing 

EBI: A bit more needed on the news case study in section B 

2) Did you succeed in meeting or exceeding your target grade for A2 Media? If not, how many additional marks do you need across Section A and Section B to achieve your target grade?

Grade boundaries for complete paper (out of 80): Exceeded target grade, can gain more marks in section A 

A* = 75; A = 65; B = 55; C = 45; D = 36; E = 25.

3) Read through the mark scheme. Pay particular attention to pages 6-8 that have suggested content for each of the questions in Section A. How many of these potential points did you make? Did you successfully answer the questions? The original question paper is here if that is helpful.

Q1: 

• Use of narrative voiceover

• Use of soundtrack to establish tone

• Use of self-contained narrative that resembles a Hollywood film

• Use of differing production values

• Use of direct address

• Use of hand-held camera to suggest immediacy

• Use of interviews involving residents in New Era estate

• Role of Russell Brand as celebrity figure

Q2:

• Development of coherent set of values and beliefs that can be seen in all products created by

individual institutions

• Use of language to establish authority

• High production values to establish tone, mood and atmosphere

• Repetition of values, meaning that dissenting voices don’t often get heard

• Limited opportunity for audiences to provide instant feedback

• Moderation of feedback by media producers

• Presentations of fact rather than opinion

Q3:

• Role of the media in our everyday lives

• Responsibilities of the media in catering to a wide variety of opinions

• Differences between public service broadcasters and privately owned media institutions

• Opportunities for audiences to express their own values and beliefs

• Changes in media technology / impact upon audiences and producers

• Role of audiences in providing feedback to media products

• Role of government in democratic societies

4) Which was your strongest question in Section A? Why did you do better in that particular question? Note the number of marks each question is worth.

Q1- 6/8

Q2- 8/12

Q3- 9/12 

I got more of the recommended points for Q3 which meant that was my strongest question in section A, although a variety of points were used throughout section A.

5) Which was your weakest question in Section A? Again, try and identify why this happened. Did you misinterpret the question? Did you run out of time? 

Q2 was my weakest question, i believe this was due to the lack of theory or ideologies in this question.

6) Now look at pages 11-12 of the mark scheme for Section B - New/Digital Media paying particular attention to the suggested essay content on page 12. How many of the broad areas suggested by AQA did you cover in your Section B essay? Did you successfully answer the question?

Q6:
• Historical role of media producers

• Recent developments in new and digital media

• Impact upon, and responses of, traditional media producers

• Changing demands of audiences

• Different situations in different mediums and on different platforms

7) Read the Examiner's Report in full. For each question your answered, would you classify your response as one of the stronger answers or one of the weaker answers the Chief Examiner discusses? Why? What could you do differently next time? Write a reflection for EACH question in the paper: Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q6 OR Q7.

Q1- I would say mine was one of the stronger answers as i included many media language techniques and stayed largely focused on the question. For next time i could have a more balanced argument over the two topics in the question

Q2- This was my weakest question and although i included points that had been suggested i also made the mistake of not including enough on other texts which is what i will do next time.

8) Choose your weakest question in Section A and re-write an answer in full based on the suggested content from the Examiner's Report. This answer needs to be comprehensive and meet the criteria for Level 4 of the mark scheme. This will be somewhere between 3-6 well-developed paragraphs (depending on the question/number of marks available).


Q2:
Media products encourage the audience to agree with views and values by using various techniques. For example, in media product 2 the two-step flow model is evident in that the Trews report are reporting on the issue of the new era housing estate of which various other newspapers have already commented on.  The trews report is an example of the two-step flow model as they inform audiences on issues already reported on but from a different perspective.

Furthermore, another way media products can get audiences to agree/engage with is via the concept of the hypodermic needle model. For example, in the past news outlets, especially print would have been the main source of news and mainly involves the views of opinion leaders- editors of the newspapers.  These are hegemenously printed on the front pages of which and people woild tend to believe and agree with this as it vaugley represented their own political opinion. The Marxsist perspective suggests audiences are passive but now-a-days print newspapers aren't considered the most dominant medium.

As a result the internet and social media have developed and created online echo-chambers, which can be seen to encourage audiences to agree with a certain set of values and beliefs. For example people on twitter follow people with the same or at least similar values or beliefs as them. For instanc, news institution on twitter would post different stories from a perspetive based on what side of the political spectrum they are on. And people genrally follow these and listen to them poltically.