Media study guides

An overview of the contexts of the media in AQA GCSE Media Studies (8572), covering how social, cultural, historical and political contexts shape media products and audience interpretation across the four frameworks.

An overview of the AQA GCSE Media Studies non-exam assessment (Component 3), covering the AQA-set briefs, the statement of intent, applying the theoretical framework to a production, and how the NEA is marked and moderated.

An overview of the media audiences area of AQA GCSE Media Studies (8572), covering how producers target and categorise audiences, media effects theories, and the active versus passive audience debate including uses and gratifications.

An overview of the media industries area of AQA GCSE Media Studies (8572), covering ownership and funding, regulation, production and distribution, and how digital technology and convergence have changed how media products are made and consumed.

An overview of the media language area of AQA GCSE Media Studies (8572), covering codes and conventions, semiotics, narrative and genre, and the technical and visual codes that construct meaning, and how to apply them in the exam.

An overview of the media representation area of AQA GCSE Media Studies (8572), covering how representations are constructed, stereotypes, representing gender and ethnicity, point of view and bias, and how audiences interpret representations.

An overview of studying media products in AQA GCSE Media Studies (8572), covering how to apply the four frameworks to set products across television, magazines and newspapers, advertising and music video, and video games and online media.