National 5
Please note: Due to students starting the course with much less experience of the subject than they do English, it is highly important that all students choosing to take this course understand that there is more work involved than the equivalent English qualification.
Students will be expected to complete weekly homework tasks to a good standard, show commitment to the course and a strong work ethic. Failure to do so can lead to candidates being dropped to a lower level Media qualification.
The course provides candidates with the opportunity to develop knowledge of the role of media and the key aspects of media literacy: categories, language, representation, narrative, audience,institution and society.
The course enables candidates to experience the opportunities and challenges within the media industry by creating their own media content. To allow for personalisation and choice, candidates are not required to make a particular form or genre of media content. They can create individual media content, or a section of a larger, group project.
Purpose and aims of the Course
The main purpose of this Course is to analyse and create media content. The Course enables learners to understand and develop their media literacy skills and appreciate the opportunities and challenges that occur within the media industry. The Course provides learners with opportunities to develop both knowledge of the media and the ability to create media content.
This Course offers learners opportunities to develop and extend a wide range of skills,including communication, independent learning, critical literacy, personal, interpersonal and team working, and creative thinking.
In particular, this Course aims to enable learners to develop:
- the ability to analyse and create media content, appropriate to purpose, audience
and context - knowledge and understanding of the key aspects of media literacy
- knowledge and understanding of the role of media within society
- the ability to plan and research when creating media content, as appropriate to
purpose, audience and context - the ability to self-evaluate
Course Assessment
Question paper - 60 marks (50% of the total mark)
Example: Question Paper N5 Media (PDF, 9 MB)(opens new window)
The purpose of the question paper is to assess the candidate's ability to apply knowledge and understanding by analysing media content. The question paper gives candidates an opportunity to demonstrate the following skills,
knowledge and understanding:
- analysis of media content in context
- analysis of the role of media within society
- applying knowledge and understanding of the key aspects of media literacy
to the analysis of a print text
Assignment - 60 marks (50% of the total mark)
There is no minimum or maximum word requirement, however students should expect to write an assignment in the region of 2000 - 2500 words.
In the assignment, candidates plan and develop media content in response to a negotiated brief. The assignment gives candidates an opportunity to demonstrate the following skills, knowledge and understanding of production techniques:
- consideration of possibilities and problem solving in planning and production processes
- application of knowledge and understanding of the relevant key aspects of media literacy
- evaluation of the strengths and/or weaknesses of the finished
content
Please Note: All coursework must be completed to be sent to the SQA by the deadline given by the class teacher. A failure to do so would disqualify the student from sitting the exam and gaining a qualification in the subject at this level.
Homework and Study Support
Homework will form an essential part of the course. It is not possible for any student to cover every element of the course purely in class time. Every student is required to perform various tasks at home as part of the course. This work will either have an direct or indirect impact on their final grade.
Links
SQA - National 5
Bitesize - GCSE Film - Bitesize does not currently have N5 Media page, but this does cover a lot of the key concepts used at N5.
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