Re-cap Quiz

1. What is the name of the first AS Paper?

2. What percentage of the AS grade is it worth?

3. How many marks are available on this paper?

4. How long do you have to complete it?

5. How is the paper divided up?

Re-cap Quiz

1. What is the name of the first AS Paper?Cultural and Social Domains

2. What percentage of the AS grade is it worth?70%

3. How many marks are available on this paper?120

4. How long do you have to complete it?2 hours (120 minutes – a mark a minute)

5. How is the paper divided up?There are 4 sections. 2 sections are made up of small-mark answers using source material, with the other 2 sections based on 30 mark essay-style questions

This week we are going to focus on section b on the first AS paper which requires you to produce an essay style response to a question worth 30 marks.

Section B is entitled ‘The Cultural Domain’ Potential Topics:

Beliefs, values and moral reasoning Media and communication Creativity and innovation

Although these are very broad categorisations, if you look at past papers you can see patterns in terms of the questions that are generally set.

Section B – June 2009

Section B – June 2010

Section B – June 2011

Section B – June 2012

Section B – June 2013

The ‘Arts’

What is classed as art (by the examiner)?

Architecture Fashion Photography Painting Sculpture Stage Screen Music The written word

As you can see this is fairly broad; where possible you should try to bring in any relevant knowledge you have from your other subjects. This specifically applies to media/film art/theatre/music/english/dance students.

For these questions, the ‘explain, exemplify, elaborate’ structure that we talked about last week is still applicable; however it should be noted that the ‘exemplify’ part (AO2) is particularly important being worth 10/30 marks.

By referring to one art form in detail, explain and discuss the difficulties facing an artist who wishes to create an original work.

There are various challenges that an artist can face when trying to create original work. Arctic Monkeys are an indie four-piece band that have achieved considerable success, both critically and commercially. This is in part due to the way that they have evolved and developed their sound and style over time to remain original and unique.

One challenge that the band first faced in terms of trying to be original was a lack of financial funding, as they chose to sign with independent label Domino rather than a major. Although this meant less commercial pressure, it also meant that they had less financial backing meaning they were unlikely to have had the money to afford certain equipment or the services of specific producers. As such they had to try and forge an original direction using limited resources.

1. Explain2. Exemplify3. Elaborate

The Media/Press Industry

In recent years, most of the UK’s daily national and regional newspapers have produced on-line, internet editions in addition to the usual printed versions. There are also news ‘feeds’ available for computer users as well as text alerts to mobile telephones.

Discuss two ways in which current developments in media communication may have improved news coverage and two ways in which they may distort the reporting of news.

the news. One way that these developments have improved the news is by providing audiences with more up-to-date, global content. We are now given rapid updates on international news stories from locations around the world, such as the recent attacks in Paris and Copenhagen. This means that audiences are now more informed than ever about the relevant social and political issues of the day.

1. Explain2. Exemplify3. Elaborate

Improve the news Distort the news

online news sources have colour and movement

the wish to file stories quickly can result in a loss of editorial control

being able to save and navigate pages easily

the inclusion of many links and features added to a story can cause confusion for the reader

the rapidity of the news – it is updated regularly, having links to other items that are connected to the initial story

citizen journalism (such as blogs) can distort and shorten stories, promote bias and be selective

enabling stories to be filed quickly and from remote locations using a variety of media (mobile telephones and broadband, satellite links)

text alerts can be brief and therefore ambiguous

enabling and facilitating reader feedback on the news.

news search facilities are meant to be comprehensive but are also selective and prioritised (not necessarily according to their truth and authority).