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/Next Steps yourself based on your scores.

Q1.3 feedback - Consider moments that present will as well as lyra as strong/dominant 

Q1.4 feedback - consider how lyra's costume and eating habits are unlady-like

Q2 feedback - remember to link to the societies that produced them

Q4 feedback - can you consider the pair's social engagement 

Q5 feedback - what would more regulations help to prevent and what could they get in the way of

2) Use the mark scheme for this Paper 2 mock (posted on GC) 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 can't be heard by characters in the story, eg background music, narration, sound effects

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. 

Will’s suggestion that they work together is made while Lyra is shown in a medium  close-up over-the-shoulder shot. This allows the audience to see her reaction – a  slight smile that suggests she is in favour of the suggestion and grateful to have an  ally after a lot of time alone.

Camera angle is used in an interesting way in the extract. Will is often shown from a  low angle which should suggest power or dominance. However, his expression and  body language is very timid so in fact seems to further emphasise Lyra’s confidence.  When Lyra is sitting at the table, the camera is deliberately placed at Lyra’s level so  she is not presented as weak or vulnerable.  

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.

Non-verbal communication - Will’s expression and body language is very timid which subverts masculine  stereotypes. In contrast, Lyra’s movements and expressions exude confidence. This  can be seen in the extract both outside at the table and later when discussing which  beds they will take. 

 Mise-en-scene - 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. 

The way Lyra first investigates and then eats the omelette also subverts feminine  stereotypes. Her interaction with props in the scene deliberately subvert ideas of  being ‘ladylike’ or feminine. 

5) Look at 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.

Although the idea of ‘teenage’ was not new, teenagers as a distinct category  developed rapidly in the post-war years and was well established by 1963. The idea  of the ‘generation gap’ as a social issue was still new and much-discussed

Media representations of teens/young adults usually identify this group by their  attitudes, behaviour, language, clothing and music. There are many negative  stereotypes of teenagers in television drama in which characteristics such as  laziness, anti-social behaviour, inability to concentrate and self-indulgence are  portrayed as ‘typical’.

 As with many modern representations of teenagers, HDM suggests stronger ties to  friends than to families. Lyra’s attitude towards her friends in contrast to her mother  Mrs Coulter is a good example of this. Older characters are viewed with suspicion. 

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

 material contributed to media or posted on websites by non-professionals. Eg my Facebook profile 

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. 

Marcus Rashford demonstrates this with his commercial partnerships with Burberry, Nike,  Coca-Cola and more. The fact he appeals to such mainstream brands is evidence of his  power in the digital age.

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.  

Kim Kardashian's engagement rate is lower than Rashford at 0.33% but she has over 350  million followers so can still reach and engage with huge audiences. 

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.

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

it is difficult or impossible for national governments to regulate a global industry • platform providers (eg Alphabet, Facebook) argue that they cannot be held fully responsible for  everything that users upload – they have been increasingly successful in devising automated  systems to detect and take down inappropriate or unlawful material 

internet and social media providers have responded to criticism by setting up their own codes of  conduct and self-regulatory practices 

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.

probably 5/10. I didn't do that much revision other than the revision we did in class 

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

CSPs for Rashford and Kardashian 

media terminology maybe diegetic and non-diegetic sound and user generated content

practise 20 mark exam questions