Paper 1: Media One — Structure and Question Types

Paper 1, titled Media One, assesses how media products create meaning and how audiences respond to those meanings. It typically draws on CSPs across print (magazines, newspapers, advertising), audio-visual (film marketing, music video), and sometimes online elements. To do well on Paper 1, you need to understand its structure, recognise the different question types at sight, and know what each type rewards.

The Shape of Paper 1

Paper 1 is a written examination that tests Media Language, Representation, and to some extent Audiences and Industries, through the CSPs AQA has prescribed for this component. You should always confirm current details with your centre, but the paper typically contains two sections.

• Section A — Analysing Media Language and Representation
• Section B — Media Industries and Audiences (where applicable within this paper)

The exam typically runs for approximately two hours, with a total mark allocation at the higher end of the AS/A-Level range. Each section contains a mixture of short-answer questions, medium-length questions, and at least one extended-response or essay question.

Question Types You Will Encounter

Paper 1 questions cluster into recognisable families. Learning to spot them at a glance saves thinking time and reduces misreadings.

1. Unseen product analysis

You will be shown a media product you have not studied (commonly a magazine cover, an advert, a film poster, or a still from a music video) and asked to analyse it. The emphasis is on AO2 — applying the theoretical framework to a new text.

What examiners reward:

• Close, specific reference to visual and linguistic codes
• Confident use of terminology (anchorage, signifier, mise-en-scène, mode of address)
• Moving beyond description to interpretation
• Where relevant, linking to an appropriate theorist

2. CSP-specific analysis

You will be asked to analyse one of the CSPs you have studied, often through a lens such as representation or media language. Here AO1 (knowledge of the product) and AO2 (analysis) are both in play.

What examiners reward:

• Specific textual details (named issues, shots, scenes, pages, editions)
• Awareness of context (production, social, historical)
• Linking features to wider arguments about representation or meaning

3. Theorised essay

At least one extended response will require you to engage with a named theorist or theoretical idea — for example, Stuart Hall's reception theory, Judith Butler's performativity, David Gauntlett's identity theory, or Roland Barthes on myth. These are the questions where AO2 is decisive.

What examiners reward:

• Accurate summary of the theory in your own words
• Application to specific CSP evidence
• Evaluation (does the theory fully explain the product? Are there limits?)
• A conclusion that returns to the question with a judgement

Mark Allocations (General Pattern)

Specific mark allocations change periodically; always check with the current AQA sample assessment materials via your teacher. Typically, however, Paper 1 offers:

Approx. mark band	Question type	What it demands
5 marks	Short-answer, often AO1	A tight, focused paragraph
10 marks	Medium analysis, AO2-led	Two to three developed paragraphs
15 marks	Short theorised essay	A structured response with clear argument
25 marks	Extended essay	A full essay with introduction, argument, evaluation, conclusion

Use phrases like "typically" when discussing these yourself — AQA can and does adjust.

How Examiners Mark Paper 1

Paper 1 is marked with level-based descriptors, usually in four or five levels. Each level describes the quality of AO1 and AO2 work. Top-band responses: