Studying media products overview: applying the four frameworks to set products - AQA GCSE Media Studies

Studying media products is where the theory comes together in AQA GCSE Media Studies (specification 8572). You apply the four framework areas to set products across a range of media forms. This page maps the area and links to the detailed dot-point pages.

What studying media products covers

You analyse set products in several media forms, applying media language, representation, industries and audiences to each.

• Television. Genre, narrative, scheduling and how television targets and engages audiences.
• Magazines and newspapers. Layout, mode of address, tabloid versus broadsheet, and print representation.
• Advertising and music video. Persuasive techniques, brand identity and music video conventions.
• Video games and online media. Interactivity, user-generated content and the games industry.

The skill the exam rewards

The core skill is to apply all four frameworks to your set products and to know their context. Name precise features, explain the meaning they create, and link them to when and where the product was made. Comparison of two products is a common task.

Key terms to master

Learn these precisely: set product, media form, the four frameworks, context, mode of address, brand identity, interactivity and convention. These recur across every form.

How to study set products

1. Know your set products. Learn their features and context in detail.
2. Apply all four frameworks. A product can be examined through any of them.
3. Use context. Link features to the time, place and culture of the product.
4. Test yourself. Use the set products quiz to check your recall.

For the official specification

AQA publishes the full specification (8572), past papers and mark schemes at aqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and AQA's own past papers, because question style is board-specific.