Media Studies A Level 3
Oakwood Park Grammar School
Oakwood Park, MAIDSTONE, ME16 8AH
Available start dates
Available start dates
Application Instructions
For students applying from other schools please see the information below.
For existing students at OPGS - you will be applying internally and will receive separate instructions
Applications Open - 11th December 2025
Applications Close - 30th January 2026
Entry Requirements:-
Students achieving a minimum of at least six GCSEs (9 – 5) of which at least four are at a grade 6 (or equivalent).
In addition, students must meet subject entry requirements, which in most cases require a minimum of Grade 6 in the subject to be studied, or related subjects. Some subjects will require a grade 7 or higher. Please see school website (https://www.opgs.org) for entry requirements needed for individual A level subjects.
Students must also achieve a minimum of a grade 5 in English Language and Mathematics.
Typically, we would expect students following essay-based subjects to gain at least a grade 6 in English Language and students following scientific courses to gain at least a grade 7 in Mathematics.
The school shall determine which grades at 6 are required when A level subjects requested have not been taken at GCSE Level.
Priority will be given to existing pupils transferring from Year 11 who meet the entrance criteria
How to Apply
Students should select three or four A level subjects and include a 4th/5th as a reserve subjects. Please list your subjects in priority order and indicate which is your reserve choice.
Subject Choice
In choosing your subjects for A level you need to find out about the syllabus, examination requirements, coursework and the approach to study. Choose subjects that interest you and think carefully about the range and combination of subjects you would like to study. You may also wish to consider requirements for Higher Education or career paths.
Students should also note that the school cannot guarantee courses will run if there are not enough applicants. It is also possible that, in some subjects, numbers will have to be limited.
Course Summary
Students do not need to have studied GCSE Media Studies to take the subject at A Level, although it provides them with a good foundation of skills, which they can develop. The A Level course extends students' skills of analysis, expecting them to demonstrate their knowledge through the rigour of formal academic essays. It also allows them to use their creative skills designing and creating their own texts.
Course Details
The A Level Media Studies course includes two exam modules, one on ‘Investigating Media Language Representation in the Media’ worth 30% and one on ‘Investigating Media Forms and Products’ worth 40%, and one coursework module in which you have the opportunity to create your own Media production piece worth 30%. The Year 13 course asks students to consider the same Media products introduced at Year 12 level in more depth, with greater emphasis on how theories and contextual factors can be evaluated to help our understanding of the products. The coursework element requires students to have some creative flair and a strong understanding of computer skills and software.
The exam modules are split into 2 sections. Component 1 is aimed to provide students with a framework for analysing the media and requires them to explore representations and audience/user responses. We explore genre, narrative, representation and audience reactions through a range of media texts, ranging from advertising, television, film marketing, music videos, video games, magazines, newspapers.
Component 2 asks students to study in depth six case studies set by the exam board based on the industries of television, magazines and media in the online age. Within these they look in depth at analysing the texts within their social, cultural and historical contexts, their representations and audience responses and also investigating the industry context of production, marketing and regulation in relation to webpages and social influencers across multiple online platforms.
Students will need to do an in-depth comparison of products by looking at the difference between historical and contemporary texts within the same industry, as well as comparing English with non-English speaking texts (subtitled) to account for the fact we live in an increasingly global age. For example, students explore a 1965 edition of Vogue compared to a modern edition of The Big Issue. This allows students to consider context but also the difference between mainstream and independent publishers. Students will also get to explore how the TV Crime Drama genre has evolved by comparing Life on Mars to the Swedish-Danish The Bridge.
For the NEA component, Student will also get the chance to explore the media in a more creative way by producing a cross-media production piece in which they create 4 pages of a printed magazine, as well as a radio programme, to explain key features of their chosen magazine based on a brief set by the exam board. The exam board will stipulate the genre and target audience, but the rest is up to the students. Here, students can use their analysis and own research to inform their planning of their production piece and it gives them a strong sense of agency of the non-examination part of the course. Student get to choose a sub-genre of interest to them and use images, layout and design and written articles to represent an issue that is meaningful to them: this could be body image, gender roles, aspirational lifestyles in the beauty or health industries; some may have more of a niche interests in sports, music or travel. The students who score most highly in this element of the course tend to challenge or subvert the stereotypical conventions and instead move their representations forward in a new and innovative manner.
How will it be delivered and assessed?
Students are internally assessed with formal essay assessments at least twice every half a term.
Coursework assessment occurs internally and is rigorously moderated to ensure students are marked according to examination criteria.
This is a 2 year linear course so in Year 13 students will also have external examinations which require essay based responses to both stimulus materials shown in the exam and material learnt over the duration of the course.
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Entry requirements
Six 9-5 GCSE grades with at least four at grade 6
A minimum of a grade 5 in Mathematics
Grade 6 in GCSE English Language
Typically, we would expect students following essay-based subjects to gain at least a grade 6 in English Language and students following scientific courses to gain at least a grade 7 in Mathematics.
It is not necessary for students to have studied Media GCSE, but if you have taken it, you will need a grade 6 in media GCSE
Your next steps...
You could take this course with other advanced level courses such as English, to prepare for higher education in Media-related courses, related courses in the Arts or Humanities, or more general higher education courses. With Further training, you could go into a job related to media such as a Journalist, News Reporter, TV Producer, Public Relations Officer The course also helps you develop the skills, understanding and knowledge that many employers across lots of industries are looking for, especially in the media and Communication sectors.
Additional information
For more courses like this, check our courses page.