Exemplar for internal assessment resource Media Studies for Achievement Standard 90994

Exemplar for Internal Achievement Standard

Media Studies Level 1

This exemplar supports assessment against:

Achievement Standard 90994

Complete a media product from a design and plan using a specified
range of conventions

An annotated exemplar is an extract of student evidence, with a commentary, to explain

key aspects of the standard. It assists teachers to make assessment judgements at the
grade boundaries.

New Zealand Qualifications Authority

To support internal assessment from 2014

© NZQA 2014
Exemplar for internal assessment resource Media Studies for Achievement Standard 90994

Grade Boundary: Low Excellence

1. For Excellence, the student needs to complete a crafted media product from a
design and plan using a specified range of conventions.

This involves finishing a product, using well-considered choices, which:

• is effective, appeals to and/or has impact on its target audience (includes

capturing and holding the attention of the audience)
• shows consistent control of production technology
• reflects or appropriately adapts the details of the design and plan.

This student has completed a crafted music video which is effective and appeals
to the target teenage audience by using well-considered locations that hold viewer
interest with a clear narrative journey, close ups and an evocative opening shot
that captures audience’s attention.

The student shows mostly consistent control of production technology with some
evocative cinematography (0:06, 0:34), colour grading, slow motion, motivated
transitions and some effective and well-considered shots (0:38, 2:21-2:24, 2:45).

The product reflects the details of the design and plan (see AS90993 Low
Excellence exemplar) by creating the contrast between the main character’s
loneliness and sadness (in close ups) and the solace she finds in the calm and
beautiful settings of the beach and gardens (paradise).

For a more secure Excellence, the student could:

• hold audience attention more effectively by removing some seemingly

‘random’ shots of scenery (2.09, 2.10), and with more convincing character
performances (the parents)
• show more consistent control of production technology by using a tripod to
create ‘cleaner’ shots (0:28) and sharper focus (0:30, 1:44, 2:50).

© NZQA 2014
Exemplar for internal assessment resource Media Studies for Achievement Standard 90994

Grade: Merit

2. For Merit, the student needs to complete a developed media product from a
design and plan using a specified range of conventions.

This involves using well-considered choices to finish a product which:

• appeals to and/or has some impact on its target audience

• shows control of production technology.

Student work is not currently available at this grade.

A student at this grade may, for example, complete a developed music video
which appeals to and has some impact on the teenage audience by the use of a
relevant narrative and a fast paced song.

The student should show control of production technology with well-considered

choices, e.g. cutting to the beat, using colour grading, editing with some degree of
sophistication (for example the use of multiple repeats, slow motion, relevant
transitions), and having mostly consistent sound.

The product reflects and adapts the details of the design and plan by using the
intended conventions and adapting the storyboard to include more shots.

© NZQA 2014
Exemplar for internal assessment resource Media Studies for Achievement Standard 90994

Grade Boundary: High Achieved

3 For Achieved, the student needs to complete a media product from a design and
plan using a specified range of conventions.

This involves finishing a product which:

• uses a specified range of conventions of a media product

• has some appeal to its target audience
• shows some control of production technology
• broadly reflects the intention of the design and plan.

Student work is not currently available at this grade.

A student at this grade may use a range of appropriate music video conventions
including: flashback, titles, narrative, crosscutting and audio/visual match up.
The video should appeal to its target teenage audience with a relevant teen issue
and actor performances which are generally convincing.

The student should show control of production technology, such as, interesting
camera work and a variety of generally well composed shots.
The video will reflect the intention of the design and plan by using the intended
conventions, reflecting and adapting the details of the storyboard and reflecting
the intended mood.

To reach Merit, the student could:

• show control of production technology by using a range of shot types and

consistent camera movement.
• structure the narrative to have appeal and impact on the target audience in
a longer, more developed music video
• give more attention to mise-en-scene to show well-considered choices.

© NZQA 2014
Exemplar for internal assessment resource Media Studies for Achievement Standard 90994

Grade Boundary: Low Achieved

3 For Achieved, the student needs to ccomplete a media product from a design and
plan using a specified range of conventions.

This involves finishing a product which:

• uses a specified range of conventions of a media product

• has some appeal to its target audience
• shows some control of production technology
• broadly reflects the intention of the design and plan.

This student has used a range of appropriate music video conventions including:
visual verbal links, time manipulation, cross cutting, colour grading and use of
flashback . The audio generally complements the visual elements.

The video has some appeal to its target teenage audience with the school setting,
age of characters and subject matter.

The student shows some control of production technology in the use of colour
grading and transitions to clearly show flashback and mood. Shots are generally
well framed.

The product broadly reflects the intention of the design and plan (see AS90993
Low Achieved exemplar) by using the intended conventions and broadly reflecting
the lonely mood and emotional tone.

For a more secure Achieved, the student could:

• show more control of production technology, such as tightening the framing of

some shots (1:43), smoother use of zooms and camera movement, shortening
the length of shots (1:48-2:07), greater shot coverage (especially close-ups to
show emotion and create intimacy) and cutting to the beat
• increase audience appeal through more convincing acting and fewer walking
shots.

© NZQA 2014
Exemplar for internal assessment resource Media Studies for Achievement Standard 90994

Grade Boundary: High Not Achieved

4 For Achieved, the student needs to complete a media product from a design and
plan using a specified range of conventions.

This involves finishing a product which:

• uses a specified range of conventions of a media product

• has some appeal to its target audience
• shows some control of production technology
• broadly reflects the intention of the design and plan.

Student work is not currently available at this grade.

A student at this grade may, for example, produce a narrative music video which
broadly reflects the intention of the design and plan and uses a range of music
video conventions. The student may show some control of production technology,
such as a range of standard shots being used and edited together.

To reach Achieved, the student could:

• show greater control of production technology throughout by, for example,

more careful framing, a wider variety of shots selected, and more attention
to pace in editing
• improve the narrative by, for example, developing a clearer storyline, and
giving more consideration to how the selected visual techniques contribute
to the narrative, as opposed to a literal interpretation of the lyrics.

© NZQA 2014