AQA A-Level Media Studies guide FAQ (7572)
Guide overview All 7 topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
AQA A-Level Media Studies: questions and answers
Specification 7572. Two sets, because students and parents ask different things.
For students
My set products are different from my friend’s. Does this still work?
Yes. AQA publishes close study products and rotates them, and centres choose within some sections. The guide is cut by the theoretical framework instead, which does not change when the products do.
Which forms are on which paper?
Media One is advertising and marketing and music video for media language and representations, then two of radio, newspapers and film for industries and audiences, with film examined for its industry only.
Media Two is television, magazines, and online, social and participatory media with video games. The full breakdown is here.
Do I have to name theorists?
Yes. AQA names the academic theories you are assessed on, and a point made without its theorist is credited below the same point attributed. The guide asks for the theorist, the concept and its claim separately.
Is the coursework covered?
The production itself is your own practical work, marked by your centre. What is in the guide is the knowledge around it: the brief requirements, the Statement of Intent and what the assessment expects, which is 74 questions.
How much do I need on industries?
More than most students expect. Media Industries is 189 questions: ownership, regulation, funding, distribution, convergence and the specific institutions behind the set products.
How long does one session take?
About twenty minutes for one subtopic, all three steps.
Can I do it in my head instead of writing?
Write. Media Studies marks turn on naming the theory and applying it to a named product. The method page sets out the evidence.
Do I still need past papers?
Yes. Past papers train applying the framework to an unseen extract under time. AQA publishes them free.
For parents
What is this, in plain terms?
A PDF of 1,066 exam-style questions covering the examined content of AQA A-Level Media Studies, with the answers printed after each topic.
The set texts change. Will this go out of date?
The guide is organised by the theoretical framework and the named theories, which do not change when AQA rotates its close study products.
My child thinks Media Studies is not a memorising subject.
The written papers are 70 per cent of the grade and they are assessed on named theorists, named concepts and specific industry facts applied to specific products.
How do I check it is the right course?
The specification code is on the exam timetable. AQA A-Level Media Studies is 7572.
How do I know if it is being used properly?
There should be handwritten answers on paper and three passes over the same questions, and two scores per session to compare.
How much is it compared with a textbook?
£7.00 for the whole specification. An endorsed A-Level Media Studies textbook is usually £25 to £35.
How much time does the whole course take?
83 subtopics at roughly twenty minutes each is about 28 hours for a full first pass, spread across two years.
AQA A-Level Media Studies Active Recall Guide
1,066 questions with their answers, 83 subtopics, one file.