Media Studies · Semester 1 Plan
Media Studies · Semester 1 of 4 (course map)
G11 (AS year), autumn 2026-27. 16 lessons across 64 teaching days in 21 weeks. Over the semester you master media language and textual analysis, produce and complete Component 1 by Fri 2026-11-27, and establish C2 Section A craft. Dates follow the school calendar and may shift when the school publishes the calendar for this period.
Classes are Mon/Tue/Fri singles plus a Wednesday double. Every in-class assessment sits in the Wednesday double.
The six units
| Unit | Weeks | Gate |
|---|---|---|
| U1 Introduction | W1 | — |
| U2 Media Language | W2–6 | C1 planning locked |
| U3 Macro & Textual Analysis | W7–8 | A1 Wed 2026-10-14 |
| U4 Representation | W9–12 | A2 Mon 2026-10-26 |
| U5 Media Contexts | W13–16 | A3 Fri 11-27 · A4 Wed 12-16 |
| U6 Revision & Consolidation | W17–21 | EoT: full C2 paper in the exam window |
Each unit page lists its lessons. Full register: 9607 S1 Assessments.
Week by week
| Wk | Dates | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| W1 | 09-01 → 04 | The four Key Concepts on a known text; blog set-up; CS1 |
| W2 | 09-07 → 11 | Semiotics (Saussure); media area decided Wed; CS2 |
| W3 | 09-14 → 18 | Peirce + code families; cold-read TV-drama stills; CS3 quiz |
| W4 | 09-20 → 23 | Genre + camera; CS4 (Fri is a holiday, Mid-Autumn) |
| W5 | 09-28 → 30 | Narrative; C1 planning locked; HW1 + Wed (window spans the holiday) |
| W6 | 10-09 | Single post-holiday day: sound/editing vocab, HW1 debrief |
| W7 | 10-12 → 16 | Propp/Todorov stress-test; A1 Wed 10-14 (60-min unseen analysis) |
| W8 | 10-19 → 23 | Barthes; PEEM paragraphs; Section A architecture; CS5 blog audit |
| W9 | 10-26 → 30 | A2 due Mon (blog mid-point); representation + Hall; mid-terms Thu 10-29 |
| W10 | 11-02 → 03 | Standalone sessions: rough-cut screening, stereotype audit (Juniors Days Wed–Fri) |
| W11 | 11-09 → 13 | The gaze (van Zoonen, Mulvey, hooks); CS6 Fri |
| W12 | 11-16 → 20 | CCR drafted from blog evidence; CS7 review vs C1 criteria |
| W13 | 11-23 → 27 | Audiences; CCR surgery; A3 Fri 11-27: C1 complete, no edits after |
| W14 | 11-30 → 12-01 | U&G; A3 returned (Juniors Days Wed–Fri) |
| W15 | 12-07 → 11 | Morley; institutions; CS8 guided Section A; C2 case-study document opened |
| W16 | 12-14 → 18 | Integration/synergy/convergence; A4 Wed 12-16 (authentic Section A format) |
| W17 | 12-21 → 23 | A4 self-assessment; coverage matrix; EoT announced; HW2 set |
| W18 | 12-29 → 30 | Whether G11 runs this week will be confirmed in class |
| W19 | 01-04 → 08 | Exam rehearsal; HW2 due Mon; CS9 timed Section B; Fri = last teaching day |
| W20 | 01-11 → 18 | EoT: full 2-hour Component 2 in the exam window |
| W21 | 01-19 → 20 | Scripts + AO breakdowns; S2 target sheets; grades due Wed 01-20 |