MOCK: PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING - QUESTION ONE

How does public service broadcasting (PSB) differ from commercial broadcasting in terms of funding, content, and audience reach? Make specific reference to The Radio One Breakfast Show in your answer.

PLANNING

Ideally, you should plan three paragraphs. Some questions lend themselves to this very easily, other will need a little more careful thought. This one is easy.

Paragraph 1: Funding

Paragraph 2: Content

Paragraph 2: Audience Reach

For each section, you need to demonstrate the depth of you knowledge by offering up specific and detailed examples. In the comments section below, post an example of something that demonstrates your knowledge of these three areas. This should form the basis of your answer.

Post below

V

MOCK: PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING - QUESTION TWO

 To what extent does public service broadcasting fulfil its remit to educate, inform, and entertain? Make specific reference to The Radio One Breakfast Show in your answer.

Planning. This question seems, quite naturally to fall into the same category as question one, naturally having three sections:

Paragraph 1: Educate

Paragraph 2: Inform

Paragraph 3: Entertain

This is a perfectly legitimate way to approach the question. However, if your knowledge pushes you in a different direction, you might consider a slightly different tactic. For example:

Paragraph 1: Educate and Inform - Consider discussion of the way that R1BS covers news and how it educated its audience about the election in 2024.

Paragraph 2: Entertain - Consider how R1BS engages its audience as part of its remit to entertain. Also, how it also fulfils its remit to introduce British Artists.

Paragraph 3: Reach diverse audiences - The remit extends just beyond those three elements and so R1BS must also attempt to reach a wide and diverse audience. Consider using the evidence of the different presenters of the Christmas shows. 

As with question one, for each section, you need to demonstrate the depth of you knowledge by offering up specific and detailed examples. In the comments section below, post an example of something that demonstrates your knowledge of these three areas. This should form the basis of your answer.

Post below

V

MOCK: PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING - QUESTION THREE

How has technological convergence impacted public service radio broadcasting? Make specific reference to The Radio One Breakfast Show in your answer. (Explicitly about convergence.)

Planning. Sometimes when you are planning, you may notice that you can reuse evidence from other questions to support your response and that this will direct the structure of your essay.

Paragraph 1: Distribution & platforms

Discuss the way that convergence has changed how audiences access Radio 1. 

Paragraph 2: Content & interactivity

Discuss the way that the show has changed its style because of convergence, especially around content designed to encourage interactivity.

Paragraph 3: Tensions between PSB and commercial competition 

Discuss the way that other broadcasters have co-opted some of the market share from R1BS, in particular platforms like Spotify. 

Intertextuality Question - Exemplar

How does The Big Issue use intertextuality in extract A?

Extract A: Front Cover No. 1214

This front cover was release in July of 2016. The all female remake of the popular movie The Ghostbusters was released in this same month along with Donald Trump receiving the official Republican Party nomination for his first run for U.S. president. Here his face has been placed onto the body of Slimer, one of the more iconic ghosts from the Ghostbusters franchise. The heads of the ghostbusters have been replaced with the heads of (From left to right):

Hilary Clinton - The Democrat Party nominee running against Trump.

Theresa May - The new UK Prime Minister, only the second woman to hold that office.

Taylor Swift - According to Forbes magazine, the highest paid celebrity in the world. 

Serena Williams - The highest paid female athlete in the world. 

MARK SCHEME

• Clear and coherent understanding of Intertextuality [0,1,2,3]​
• Accurately answers the question [0,1,2,3]​ 
• Selects and describes examples with care and precision [0,1,2,3]​   
• Carefully analyses ALL examples [0,1,2,3]​
• Uses terminology like a Media Studies expert [0,1,2,3]

0 - No
1 - A little, but pretty vague 
2 - Yes, but could do it better  
3 - Yes! Excellent

EXAMPLE ESSAY

 

Cut around a solid shape or block capital text (fastest)

 Use this when:

• The shape/text is a solid color

• The background has good contrast

Steps

1. Select the Flood Select Tool

   • Shortcut: W

2. Click inside the shape or text

   • The area fills with “marching ants”

3. Adjust tolerance (very important)

   • In the top context toolbar:

     • Increase Tolerance if it doesn’t select everything

     • Decrease it if it grabs too much

   • Turn Anti-alias ON

   • Turn Contiguous ON (usually)

4. Refine edges (optional but recommended)

   • Click Refine in the context toolbar

   • Feather slightly (0.5–1 px)

   • Click Apply

5. Cut it out

   • To isolate:

     • Click Layer → New Mask Layer

   • Or to delete background:

     • Press Delete

How to resize a pasted image in Affinity Photo 2

1. Paste the image

• Copy the image from anywhere

• Paste it into Affinity Photo (Ctrl + V / Cmd + V)

• It appears as a new layer in the Layers panel

---

2. Select the Move Tool

• Press V
  or click the Move Tool (arrow icon) in the toolbar

---

3. Resize using the bounding box

• Click on the pasted image

• You’ll see a bounding box with corner handles

To resize proportionally (no distortion):

• Drag a corner handle

• Hold Shift (Affinity 2 requires Shift to constrain proportions)

To resize freely (distort):

• Drag without holding Shift

---

4. Apply the transform

• Press Enter
  or click Apply in the context toolbar (if shown)

Viewpoints and Ideologies - Exemplar (Coming Soon)

QUESTION 5: How does The Big Issue use Media Language to construct viewpoints and ideologies in Extract A?

Extract A: THE BIG ISSUE cover 06 February 2023.

At the age of 18, Sophie L Morgan was involved in a road traffic accident that left her paralysed from the chest down. Since then, she has become famous as a T.V. presenter, author and disability advocate. Despite her fame, she admits to suffering from imposter syndrome and has struggled with the reality of her circumstances, particularly when it comes to the ‘invisible’ aspect of being a disabled woman.

 In this extract, The Big Issue are taking a progressive, inclusive and anti-ableist ideological position by presenting the viewpoint that disabled people can be attractive, confident and worthy of our respect, overcoming challenged that are both personal and societal. This will strongly appeal to their "socially" and "ethically conscious" demographic. 

The messaging 

DETAILS OF YEAR 13 MOCK - 2026

Paper 1

Question 1: NEWSPAPERS - UNSEEN - THEORIST - 10 MARKS

1. Analyse the social representation in the two extracts. 

          Apply either Hall, Van Zoonen, Hooks or Gilroy.

Question 2: NEWSPAPER - UNSEEN - LONGER ANSWER - 15 MARKS

1. Source A and Source B cover the same news events from two different newspapers, one left‑wing and one right‑wing. 

          How far does the media language used in the sources incorporate viewpoints and ideologies? 

          In your answer you must: 

• explain how newspapers use media language to incorporate viewpoints and ideologies 
• analyse the media language used in the sources 
• make judgements and reach conclusions about how far the media language used in the sources incorporates viewpoints and ideologies.

Question 3: NEWSPAPERS - CONTEXT (ONE OF THESE THREE) - 10 MARKS

1. Explain how economic factors influence the way print and/or online news is produced. Refer to The Guardian and the Daily Mail to support your answer.
2. Explain how historic contexts influence the way print and/or online news is produced. Refer to The Guardian and the Daily Mail to support your answer.
3. Explain how social contexts influence the way print and/or online news is produced. Refer to The Guardian and the Daily Mail to support your answer.

Question 4: NEWSPAPERS - THEORIST (ONE OF THESE TWO) - 10 MARKS

1. Evaluate the effectiveness of one of the following theories in understanding how power and ownership influence the production of online news.
2. Evaluate the effectiveness of one of the following theories in understanding how economic pressures shape news content.

          Hesmondhalgh, Curran and Seaton, Livingstone and Lunt

Question 5: MUSIC VIDEO (ONE OF THESE THREE QUESTIONS) - 10 MARKS

1. Explain how representations in music videos are chosen to promote the artist(s). Refer to one of the music videos you have studied to support your answer. 
2. Explain how representations of musical artists and their work communicate information about their cultural and political contexts. Refer to one of the music videos you have studied to support your answer. 
3. Explain how and why stereotypes are used in music videos. Refer to one of the music videos you have studied to support your answer.

Question 6: THE BIG ISSUE - UNSEEN - 15 MARKS

• How does The Big Issue use intertextuality in extract A?

Paper 2

Question 1: PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING (ONE OF THESE THREE) - 15 MARKS

1. How does public service broadcasting (PSB) differ from commercial broadcasting in terms of funding, content, and audience reach? Make specific reference to The Radio One Breakfast Show in your answer. (Explicitly about PSB.)
2. To what extent does public service broadcasting fulfil its remit to educate, inform, and entertain? Make specific reference to The Radio One Breakfast Show in your answer.
3. How has technological convergence impacted public service radio broadcasting? Make specific reference to The Radio One Breakfast Show in your answer. (Explicitly about convergence.)

Question 2: FILM INDUSTRY (ONE OF THESE THREE) - 15 MARKS

1. To what extent has technological convergence transformed the film industry? Make specific reference to Snow White (1937) and Shang-Chi (2021) in your answer. (Explicitly about convergence.)
2. How have changes in audience consumption habits affected the ways in which films are distributed and exhibited? Make specific reference to Snow White (1937) and Shang-Chi (2021) in your answer. (Encourages discussion of convergence.)
3. How has globalisation influenced the strategies used by the film industry to reach international audiences? Make specific reference to Snow White (1937) and Shang-Chi (2021) in your answer

Question 3: LFTVD SYNOPTIC (ONLY ONE QUESTION TO PREPARE) - 30 MARKS

• ‘Long form television dramas challenge rather than reinforce dominant ideologies.’ 

           How far do you agree with this statement?

Question 4: LFTVD EVALUATION

• Evaluate the usefulness of one of the following theories in understanding long form television drama.

- Neale - Language 

- Butler - Representation

- Hesmondhalgh - Industry

- Jenkins - Audience

SYNOPTIC MARK SCHEME

USE THIS MARK SCHEME TO EVALUATE ANY PARAGRAPH YOU PREPARE, BUT BE AWARE THAT IS IS DESIGNED TO APPROACH A WHOLE ESSAY.

1. ANSWER THE QUESTION [0,1,2,3,4,5]

Fluent, flowing and focused answer that repeats the language of the question.

2. ADDRESS CONTEXT [0,1,2,3,4,5]

Explicitly approaches the significance of context in a meaningful and perceptive way. 

3. APPLY THEORY [0,1,2,3,4,5]

Uses a wide range of theorists. Characterises them clearly and correctly. Applies them thoughtfully.

4. USE EXAMPLES [0,1,2,3,4,5]

Makes thorough and judicious use of examples, either from the episode or wider industrial context.

5: ANALYSE EXAMPLES [0,1,2,3,4,5]

Takes the opportunity to analyse the significance of ALL examples, with reference to the question.

6: COMPARE [0,1,2,3,4,5]

Makes clear, perceptive and frequent comparisons between the texts. 

0 - Not at all  .  1 - Vaguely  .  2 - Limited  .  3 - Adequate  .  4 - Good  .  5 - Excellent

Intertextuality Question

The next type of question related to The Big Issue is an Intertextuality question. 

It would likely look something like this...

How does The Big Issue use intertextuality in extract A?

Extract A: Front Cover No. 1214

This front cover was release in July of 2016. The all female remake of the popular movie The Ghostbusters was released in this same month along with Donald Trump receiving the official Republican Party nomination for his first run for U.S. president. Here his face has been placed onto the body of Slimer, one of the more iconic ghosts from the Ghostbusters franchise. The heads of the ghostbusters have been replaced with the heads of (From left to right):

Hilary Clinton - The Democrat Party nominee running against Trump.

Theresa May - The new UK Prime Minister, only the second woman to hold that office.

Taylor Swift - According to Forbes magazine, the highest paid celebrity in the world. 

Serena Williams - The highest paid female athlete in the world. 

Definition:

Intertextuality is when a media text references, copies, or echoes another media text (such as a film, TV show, celebrity, artwork, slogan, or genre) so that the audience recognises it and brings their existing knowledge to the meaning.

In short: Texts gain meaning through their relationship with other texts.

Magazines use intertextuality to:

• Engage the audience quickly – familiar references are instantly recognisable

• Create humour or irony – especially through parody or pastiche

• Add depth and meaning – one reference can communicate complex ideas fast

• Position the reader as “in the know” – making them feel clever or included

The Big Issue often uses intertextuality to:

• Connect with a broad, mainstream audience by referencing well-known films, celebrities, artworks, or cultural moments

• Challenge stereotypes by placing homeless or marginalised people within familiar, high-status cultural imagery

• Create empathy – recognisable references make serious social issues feel more relatable and human

• Blend activism with popular culture, making political or social messages more accessible and less confrontational

For example, when The Big Issue references iconic film posters or famous figures, it invites readers to rethink social issues through a familiar cultural lens, helping the message feel relevant rather than distant.

Introduction:

Intertextuality helps magazines like The Big Issue engage audiences by using familiar cultural references to communicate social messages quickly, challenge assumptions, and create a sense of shared understanding with the reader.

Task 1: As you can see, this introduction is very vague. Rewrite it so that it relevant to the extract. You should include something about the messaging of the extract and you may wish to include something about the audience demographic. 

Post you response in the comments section below... 

SYNOPTIC QUESTION 1: INTERTEXTUALITY

SOME RESOURCES

Chatham and Clarendon Media Studies Blog: LFTVD: INTERTEXTUALITY - ECONOMIC CONTEXT

Chatham and Clarendon Media Studies Blog: LFTVD - INTERTEXTUALITY - SOCIAL CONTEXT

Chatham and Clarendon Media Studies Blog: LFTVD - INTERTEXTUALITY - CULTURAL CONTEXT

Chatham and Clarendon Media Studies Blog: LFTVD: INTERTEXTUALITY - HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Chatham and Clarendon Media Studies Blog: LFTVD - INTERTEXTUALITY - POLITICAL CONTEXT

PREPARE YOUR RESPONSE TO THIS QUESTION

2026 Question: “Economic contexts are more influential on the way that programme makers use intertextuality than social, cultural or historical contexts." How far do you agree with this statement?

2026 Question: "To achieve success, intertextuality must reflect dominant values and ideologies within both global and national markets." How far do you agree with this statement?

Let's start by watching these youtube essays.

Intertextuality: Hollywood's New Currency

Stranger Things And Intertextuality (A Response To The Nerdwriter)

Stranger Things: Intertextuality and Post-Structuralism

QUESTION 1: 

Firstly, ask yourself, what it the question really asking?

“Economic contexts are more influential on the way that programme makers use intertextuality than social, cultural or historical contexts.”

You are being asked to:

• Evaluate this claim (not just agree)

• Compare economic contexts with social, cultural, and historical contexts

• Focus specifically on intertextuality (references, influences, homage, genre borrowing)

• Apply this to both Stranger Things and D83. 

NB: This is not a “describe intertextual references” question. It is a judgement question about why intertextuality is used.

Secondly, be crystal clear about what you understand by Intertextuality and how it is used in media texts.

Intertextuality = how media texts reference, echo, borrow from, or respond to other media texts.

This includes:

• Genre conventions
• Homage / Pastiche / Parody
• Narrative tropes
• Visual style
• Music
• Character archetypes

Thirdly, plan the structure of your essay. 

Introduction: 

• Briefly define intertextuality
• Acknowledge the debate: economic contexts vs social/cultural/historical
• Name your texts
• Offer a balanced argument (e.g. economic contexts are crucial, but not more influential than cultural and historical contexts)

Paragraph 1: Economic Contexts - Stranger Things - Paragraph 2: Economic Contexts - D83

https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/economic-context-long-form-tv-drama-ppt/267458707

Paragraph 3 & 4: Social (Cultural) and Historical Contexts

Here is where you challenge the statement, asking if these areas are at least as important or possibly more important than Economic contexts. 

 

https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/social-and-historical-context-lftvdpptx-715c/267637586

One possible line of argument might be:

Economic contexts strongly influence the use of intertextuality in Stranger Things, where nostalgia and recognisable references function as a commercial strategy in a risk-averse streaming market. However, Deutschland 83 demonstrates that historical and cultural contexts can be more influential, as its intertextual references prioritise authenticity, national identity and political memory over commercial appeal. Therefore, the statement is only partially valid.

Brief 4: Promotional Package

Brief: You work for an independent media production company. You have been given a music video (Brief 3 - Element One) and a 'behind the scenes documentary' (Brief 3 - Element Two) and tasked with producing a promotional package for an up and coming artist that is featured in the video.

The package must include:

The homepage and one hyperlinked page for a website promoting the artist.

The homepage must contain at least 

• A promotional gallery of the artist. 
• A latest videos section
• A news section.
• An interactive section encourage fan response.

The hyperlinked page will be titled - In other media - and must contain at least.

• A still of the artist being interviewed on Breakfast T.
• An account of their experience being interviewed.
• A front cover of The Big Issue featuring the artist.
• An account of their interview including extra photographs from their cover shoot.

The package is targeting an audience of 16 - 25 years old, but could include a wider range of ages. 

NB: You will be graded on the quality of your production and the way that you have addressed your audience.

Viewpoints and Ideologies Questions

One of the question types you may be asked when analysing The Big Issue is a viewpoints and ideologies question. The question would look something like this:

QUESTION 5: How does The Big Issue used Media Language to construct viewpoints and ideologies in Extract A?

Extract A: THE BIG ISSUE cover 07 June 2021.

The cover story features Margaret Thatcher (former British Prime Minister) who infamously removed free school milk from schools during her time as education minister, earning her the title 'Thatcher, Thatcher, Milk Snatcher.' Also pictured is Marcus Rashford,  who successfully campaigned for the UK government to extend free school meals and food support for vulnerable children during school holidays and the Covid-19 pandemic; his campaigning meant that more disadvantaged children would continue to receive meals when schools were closed.

In the comments section below, answer these two questions:

1. What viewpoints are being expressed?
2. What ideological positions are being expressed by the magazine?

Next, choose an aspect of Media Language to analyse. It is not always easy to decide on the perfect order, and some magazines will need different approaches. But, if you are not sure, use a similar approach as you do with newspapers.

• Image
• Text
• Anything else

Write a paragraph about the use of image and post it to the comments section below. You should consider the following questions:

1. What viewpoint/s is/are being constructed by the image/s?
2. How have they used mise en scene, shot, type and colour?
3. What ideological position are they taking?

MARK SCHEME

1. CLEAR AND COHERENT UNDERSTANDING OF VIEWPOINTS/IDEOLOGY [0,1,2]​   

2. ACURATELY ANSWERS THE QUESTION [0,1,2]​ 

3. SELECTS AND DESCRIBES EXAMPLES [0,1,2]​   

4. CAREFUL ANALYSIS OF EACH EXAMPLE [0,1,2]​

5. USES TERMINOLOGY CLEARLY AND PRECISELY [0,1,2]

0 - No

1 - Maybe

2 - Yes

EXAMPLE PARAGRAPH ON IMAGE

The image on the cover highlights the Big Issue’s viewpoint that Margaret Thatcher, despite being the former Prime Minister, is not worthy of our respect because she chose to disadvantage poor children while Marcus Rashford deserves out admiration because he has use his platform as a premiership footballer to campaign for disadvantaged children to receive free school meals during the Covid pandemic. The use of a low angel shot combines with facial expression (mise en scene) to construct the message that Dame Thatcher was austere and dismissive - the audience is positioned to feel like she is literally looking down on them and her facial expression is stern and cold - while Rashford is friendly and worthy of admiration - the audience is positioned to feel as if we are looking up to him and his facial expression is smiling happily. This contrast reinforces the left wing position of the magazine by rejecting her right wing values and respecting his left wing values. The proxemics also highlights the sense that the publication sees Dame Thatcher as behind, Rashford; she is far smaller in the shot, and position in the background, while he dominates the shot and is clearly in the foreground. This may connote the viewpoint that she is in the past, or perhaps that her policy is regressive, while his is progressive. Based on these expressed viewpoints we can infer that The Big Issue supports left wing collectivist ideology, which is likely to be shared by the readership, who are described by the publication as being ‘socially’ and ‘ethically’ conscious.’

BASED ON OUR MARKSCHEME THIS PARAGRAPH SHOULD NOW ACHIEVE 10/10

Final Task:

Write a paragraph about the text on the cover and post it to the comments section below. You should consider the following questions:

1. What viewpoint/s are being constructed by the language and typography?
2. How have they used typography (font, text size), language and colour?
3. What ideological position are they taking?