OCR MEDIA STUDIES H409


A level: OCR Media Studies H409 (start date September 2017, currently the draft specification)
Contact Teacher Mrs J Mann



OCR’s A Level in Media Studies is designed to widen the intellectual horizons of the student through the analysis of both global and historical media.

It develops the skills needed to analyse and compare media products and the contexts in which they are produced and consumed in order to make informed arguments, reach judgements and draw conclusions about media issues. Students also create three media products of their own.

In Unit 1 Media Products (30%), the three media studied are British television news, British newspapers and online platforms. Unit 1 involves a comparative analysis of three previously unseen sources under examination conditions. Students are asked to reflect on how different representations are created and explore how different audiences are addressed, using a range of theorists and showing understanding of genre conventions. By the end of the two-year course, students will have made a trio of their own products and the second section of this examination asks them to evaluate their own work using theoretical frameworks.

Unit 2 (40%) concerns Media in a Digital Age, in particular, its dynamic and changing platforms in a global context. These are, firstly, the comparison of different approaches between contemporary and pre-1970’s film, radio and magazine industries; secondly the study of evolving digital media such as videogames and music video forms; and, thirdly, the analysis of long-form narrative television drama. Unit 2 fosters the development of reflective thinking in preparation for three examination questions on the critical debates about contemporary media.

Practical production remains important. Unit 3 Making Media (30%) is a non-examination assessment for which students produce and analyse a linked trio of their own products. All briefs are cross-media with options such as music promotion for a new label, a television magazine programme promotion or a British television soap opera promotion. All briefs include making a video, a website and a press kit. This is individual (not group) work but students may use other students to operate lighting, sound, recording and other equipment under their direction. An ‘evidence trail’ documenting research and planning of all parts of the brief is required.

At Claremont Fan Court School, Media Studies is taught in a dedicated media studio with a suite of Apple Macs, Canon cameras, iPads and Adobe software. Students present their research, planning and evaluation in blogs using a wide range of presentational tools.



Students develop media literacy, involving higher order thinking skills such as questioning, analysing and evaluating information, referred to as critical viewing or critical analysis. (Ofcom 2007).



Competence in media literacy is increasingly necessary in many fields of employment in addition to the opportunities in media-related careers. Media students will develop many

transferable skills, both practical and academic. Visits to the BFI offer valuable industry perspectives.

Below are links to PDFs of examination assessment materials, subject flyer and course outlines.

H409/01 assessment Media Products
H409/01 exam paper resource booklet Media Products
H409/02 exam paper Media in a Digital Age 
H409/03 exam paper Making Media 

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