Assessment 1: learner response

 1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).

WWW: This is a very solid start in your first assessment. Q4 in particular offers plenty of reference to the text and a good focus on the question. Now we need to hit that level across the whole paper. 

EBI: Revise narrative theory and genre theory to push up Q1+Q3. Social and context questions (Q2) are very important and we'll be looking at this more in class. 

2) Read the mark scheme for this assessment carefully. Identify at least one potential point that you missed out on for each question in the assessment.

Q1: Todorov: disequilibrium suggested by gun; character eyeline looking off-screen suggests danger or threat; tagline references ‘survival’; no hint of new equilibrium.

Q2: Reflection of UK working class contexts in both products: urban settings; single (male) character dressed for urban environment; similar composition and colour scheme; possible connotations of determination, overcoming difficult backgrounds, poverty, stereotypical masculinity, danger or threat, binary opposition (‘The Showdown’).

Q3: Neale “repetition and difference” – allows producers to evolve genre but maintain audience; Abercrombie “television producers set out to exploit genre conventions... economic sense” ... “Genres permit the creation and maintenance of a loyal audience.”

Q4: Preferred or dominant readings: Vibe as opinion leader (two-step flow theory), defining ‘cool’ on behalf of audience; authority and confidence (‘We dare you to disagree’); celebrating hip-hop and urban culture; central image strongly endorsed – stylish, iconic etc.; strong connection with audience – name checks use first names/trust audience knowledge; multicultural; adopts informal language to connect with audience (‘Haters’); offers more than just music (‘Athletes’/’Politicians’). 

3) Read this exemplar response from a previous Year 12 (an A grade) - note this was a slightly different paper in terms of the question wording (we've updated it to better reflect recent exams). Identify at least one potential point for each question from this student's paper that you could have mentioned in your assessment. 

Q1: The prop of the gun held by the young man in the poster indicates that there may be an element of violence throughout. 

Q2: In both figures the producers have portrayed young males as the central image. 

Q3: If enjoyed by audiences it'll be more successful. 

Q4: Applying Hall's reception theory it's easy to acknowledge that this may be read in different ways. 

4) Did you get any media terminology or theory wrong in the assessment? Make a note of it here for future revision, including theories/terminology that you could have used but didn't.

 Revise narrative theory and genre theory and social and context questions. 

5) Identify your weakest question and write five bullet points that would improve on your original response. Use the mark scheme and exemplar paper to identify these points - particularly focusing on the anticipated content and the top level descriptors.

I think my weakest question would have to be question 3. 

• Genre is important for both audiences and producers. 
• audiences must enjoy for it to be a success. 
• Use key conventions of popular genres to make it a success. 
• Their production is viewed by a lot of people. 
• It's a template for producers to produce their best piece.