Unit 8

Understanding the 3 sample exam booklets

Part A

You will get this 2 weeks before the exam

And it will go through what you need to complete for the preparatory tasks. You will
get the details for the commission (the project you need to work on for the actual
exam.

(Part B goes through the actual completion of the exam, which will need to be
completed under 5 hours)
We will start our 5 hour assessment for this sample paper after half term

The preparatory work will be completed under four areas:

Your rationale
Your pitch
Your proposal
Your treatment

You can refer to four sides of A4 notes to support your answers in the assessment
period. Clearly, the better you prepare these four sides of notes, the better you will
perform in the assessment period. I have no idea what the real exam will be on so we
need to prepare for any possible commission. The sample paper is a really interesting
one. The charity wants new ideas for a campaign on self-harm. You will see that there
are a choice of commissions, you will need to pick one for the exam. However, to
make sure you are fully prepared, you will prepare for all of these commissions at this
stage.

Part B - This is where you will find the questions you have to complete all four
activites for your chosen commission. Different questions have different points. As
you have 5hrs (300 minutes) for the exam you need to think about every four minutes
being worth one point So:

Activity points time Essential content

Rationale 15 60 minutes They want to know how you have used the info
they sent you to form your ideas. Refer to A1 A4
of the Essential Content and summarise key notes
and findings on one of your A4 pages

Pitch 15 60 minutes
Sell your idea maximum 500 words
Proposal 20 100 Provides key detail on how the media product will
minutes be produced

Treatment 25 80 minutes High quality sample idea plus justification

expanding on pitch and proposal

Essential content - The essential content is set out under content areas. You must
cover all specified content before the assessment.
A Rationale for ideas in response to a commission

A1 Use of research and background material - Use of research and

statistical/background information about the client and commission when preparing a
rationale:

Sources of information about the target audience data analysis from charts and
tables of information

appropriateness of response for target audience consideration of product and

platform to audience

A2 Understanding the client/commission

Aspects that will have an impact on the ideas produced and their
suitability for securing the commission:

the purpose of the commission - ethos and reputation of the client

themes or subjects they wish to explore o the message they want to
communicate who or what they are targeting (impact)

Funding and finances of the client company and the impact on the budget
for production: affiliations with third parties and their priorities
competitors within the same industry and their products - scope of
operations, including geographically and demographically - regulatory
restrictions on the client/commissioner

A3 Ideas generation

Brainstorming
Measuring against clients criteria
Selection, ordering and deselection of ideas.
Final idea (development and adaptations, decisions and revisions) Developing
justifications

A4 The rationale for final idea

Structured argument.
Clear communication.
Assessment of material provided.
Selection and prioritization of information and statistics.
Justification supported by information and background material. Use of
material to highlight creative potential.

Task 1
Getting ready for Sample Task 1
The Rationale 15 marks

How have you used the information provided to form your ideas?

What do you need to do to get a Distinction?

Level 3 Distinction

Learners are able to apply a thorough knowledge and understanding of the pre-production process for media
products developed with a specific justified medium in mind. They will demonstrate an ability to interpret complex
information provided and gathered, and use it to support their ideas. They will demonstrate a thorough
understanding of the relationships between commissioners, producers, products, production techniques and
audiences in context and use this to inform their solutions to the commission. Learners apply a range of media
concepts creatively, and demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the links between an audiences response
to these solutions and the techniques chosen to develop their ideas. They will be persuasive in communicating how
they have fulfilled the requirements of the commission. Learners consistently justify their solution throughout,
evidencing this in the ability to communicate clearly, detailed ideas within a specific medium.

The What can you research / find out about

Press
Release The charity

Why there has been an increase

Causes of anxiety and depression

How do you raise awareness of mental health issues

Mission recognize act support

What support is good support?

Training and development

Donations / sponsors

Use of data

Timescale / logistics

Why you?