GUIDANCE ON EXAM NOTES

1. Students are able to take in 4 sides of A4 research notes into the exam; these must be submitted with the candidate’s exam script.
   
2. The purpose of the notes is to serve as a memory aid in the exam.
   
3. The notes must be hand written by the candidate.
   
4. They should cover primary and secondary sources, statistics, brief quotations, diagrams and note form summaries.
   
5. It is recommended that students collect research findings carefully during the course of the Critical Study Unit. These should then be selected and edited carefully at a reasonable period before the exam, and presented as the 4 final sides of research notes.

Note: The notes will not be marked, but they will be checked. Where there is doubt about a particular students’ grade, the notes could be crucial at Grade review in decision-making.

Rules regarding taking in notes

• No essay plans or continuous prose (paragraphs) allowed.
• No additional sheets or materials allowed.
• No word processed, printed, photocopied material allowed.
• Students should take careful note of the rules, as failure to follow them will result in heavy penalties being imposed. This could result in disqualification from the exam.
• Turn up to the exam in plenty of time so your teachers can do a final check of your notes before you go in.

FURTHER DETAIL ON THE EXAM PAPER

The examination consists of a two hour paper. There are two questions for each of the topic areas. Candidates should answer both questions on their chosen topic area. In the case of each topic area, question 1 will address the candidate’s research (45 marks) and question two will require students to present and analyse the research undertaken (45 marks).

Question 1 Research

• You will need to account for the kind of research undertaken including:
• The producers, institution or industry concerned
• Academic criticism (books, papers, research studies)
• Popular criticism (magazine and newspaper articles
• Audience reception (audience responses to texts).

You will need to evaluate the methods used in order to achieve the above, including:

• Primary and secondary research
• Quantitative and qualitative data gathering

Question 2 Analysis and Presentation

• You will need to present and analyse your research including:
• Your specific findings
• The creation and development of an argument or thesis
• The provision of a clear academic context for your research, with reference to, and analysis of similar work.
• Conclusions.

Quite simply, students are being asked to write about what they found out, and what they learnt from their research. You need to:

• Make clear the focus of your study
• Offer reflection on your methods
• Be thorough in your referencing
• Be explicit about how you are addressing the question.