Action adventure mark scheme

SPECIMEN
General Certificate of Secondary Education
B322
Media Studies
Unit B322 Textual Analysis and Media
Studies Topic (Moving Image)
Specimen Paper
Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Candidates answer on the question paper.
Additional materials:

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Candidate Candidate
Forename Surname

Centre Candidate
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Number Number

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
• Write your name in capital letters, your Centre Number and Candidate Number in the boxes above.
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• Use black ink. Pencil may be used for graphs and diagrams only.
• Read each question carefully and make sure you know what you have to do before starting your
answer.
• Answer all the questions.
• Do not write in the bar codes.
• Do not write outside the box bordering each page.
• Write your answer to each question in the space provided.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES
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• The number of marks for each question is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part
question.
• The total number of marks for this paper is 80.

FOR EXAMINER’S USE
1
2
3
4a
4b
TOTAL

This document consists of 3 printed pages and 1 blank page.
SP (SLM) T12103 © OCR 2008 [500/4455/2] OCR is an exempt Charity [Turn over

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Section A
Answer all questions.
The extract is from the film ‘King Arthur’ (Buena Vista Home Video, 2005).
Characters:
Arthur In charge of the small band of archers
Guinevere The female archer
Lancelot Says that Guinevere looks frightened
Tristan Fires the first arrow for Arthur
Dagonet Runs out with an axe to break the ice
Bors Runs out to help Arthur rescue Dagonet

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Cynric Leader of the larger group

ADVICE TO CANDIDATES

•
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You have three minutes to read all the questions before the extract begins
• The extract will be played four times
• First screening: watch the extract; no notes are to be made this time
• Second screening: watch the extract and make notes
• There will be a break for you to make notes on the answers to the questions
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• Third screening: watch the extract and make notes
• There will be another short break to make notes
• Fourth and final screening: watch the extract and make notes

Answer all three questions using examples from the extract.
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1 Explain two ways in which the characters and/or events in the extract fit the action adventure
genre. [10]

2 Explain how each of the following is used to create effects that fit the action adventure genre:
• soundtrack
• camerawork
• editing
• mise-en-scène. [20]

3 Discuss the ways in which people and/or war are represented in the extract. [20]
Total [50]

3

Section B
Answer this question using Television and/or Radio Comedy programmes you have
studied.
4 Pick two TV or radio comedies you have studied.
(a) Discuss why they were scheduled:
• On the channels that chose them
• On the days and times they were transmitted. [15]
(b) Show how these two programmes offer their audiences different pleasures. [15]
Total [30]
Paper Total [80]

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EC
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4

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Copyright Acknowledgements:
Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared
where possible. Every reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (OCR) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring
clearance have unwittingly been included, the publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest opportunity.

OCR is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of University of Cambridge Local
Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is itself a department of the University of Cambridge.

© OCR 2008

OXFORD CAMBRIDGE AND RSA EXAMINATIONS
General Certificate of Secondary Education

MEDIA STUDIES B322
Unit B322: Textual Analysis & Media Studies Topic
(Moving Image)
Specimen Mark Scheme
The maximum mark for this paper is [80].

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This document consists of 10 printed pages.
SP (SLM) T12103 © OCR 2008 [500/4455/2] OCR is an exempt Charity

2

The maximum mark for this paper is 80
The unit is marked out of a total of 80.
The purpose of this unit is to assess candidates’ ability to:
Recall, select and communicate their knowledge and understanding of media products and the
contexts in which they are produced and consumed (AO1)
Analyse and respond to media texts/topics using media key concepts and appropriate terminology
(AO2)
The overall distribution of assessment objectives for this unit is 40% AO1 and 60% AO2. These
are broken down by question as follows:
Q1 5 marks AO1 knowledge of generic conventions
10 marks AO2 textual analysis

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Q2 20 marks AO2 textual analysis
Q3 5 marks AO1 knowledge of representation issues:
(e.g. stereotyping, access/exclusion)
Q4 22 marks AO1 knowledge and understanding of TV or radio
comedy texts, TV or radio channels and
IM scheduling, and audience pleasures
EC
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Section A
Question Max
Answer
Number Mark
Explain two ways in which the characters and/or events in the
1 extract fit the action adventure genre.
Candidates may discuss various features of the extract that fit the
conventions of the action/adventure genre, for example:
• Arthur and his band are characterised as underdog heroes
• They are pitted against a powerful enemy
• Conflict is represented by violence
• Arthur wins out against the odds by quick-wittedness, coolness under
pressure, and superior teamwork
• Large scale media language: epic language, elaborate camerawork,

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orchestral music.
Candidates may cite other films they have studied that share these
elements as a means of establishing that they are generic conventions,
but these citations should be very brief – answers should prioritise the [10]
use of textual evidence from the extract over description of other texts.
Stronger answers might discuss the hybridity of the extract. Some might
note that the film is also an historical epic and that the presence of
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Guinevere (or male bonding for gay audiences) offers the possibility of
romance.
Level 1 (0-2 marks)
Describe some aspects of the text
Shows minimal understanding of generic conventions
Minimal or inaccurate use of terminology
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Some simple ideas expressed with errors of spelling, punctuation and
grammar that obscure meaning. Writing may also lack legibility.
Level 2 (3-5 marks)
States at least one generic narrative feature
Shows some understanding of generic conventions
Offers some textual evidence
Limited use of terminology
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Simple ideas expressed appropriately but possibly with some errors of
spelling, punctuation and grammar that obscure meaning.
Level 3 (6-7 marks)
States two generic narrative features
Shows sound understanding of appropriate generic conventions
Offers sound textual evidence
Some accurate use of terminology
Ideas expressed with some clarity and fluency; errors of spelling,
punctuation and grammar do not obscure meaning.
Level 4 (8-10 marks)
Explain two generic narrative features
Shows thorough understanding of appropriate generic conventions
Ideas and arguments supported by evidence
Precise and accurate use of terminology
Ideas expressed clearly and fluently in well structured sentences with
few, if any, errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar.

4

Question Max
Answer
Number Mark

2 Explain how each of the following is used to create effects that fit
the action adventure genre:
• soundtrack
• camerawork
• editing
• mise-en-scène.
Candidates should discuss at least one example of each of the bullet
points, explaining how they create a specific effect. They may choose to
discuss the same effect across the range of media language or pick
different effects.

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They may, for example, discuss how each of the bullet points creates a
sense of action by giving examples of how the music synchronises with
the action, crane shots emphasise the action, fast-paced editing drives
the action, and the setting of a frozen lake cracking underfoot adds
suspense to the action.
They may on the contrary, discuss how the sound of the heroes’ bows
stretching is mixed very high in the soundtrack to emphasise their power,
how the use of medium close shots at the beginning of the extract
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demonstrates the characters’ emotional reaction to their situation
(suspense), how the cross cutting between the heroes and the enemy
leader emphasises their antagonism, how costume, casting, make up and
hair is used to establish character .
Marks will be allocated, whichever approach is chosen, for accurate
identification of media language, using terminology as appropriate,
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and clear explanation of connotative effect. [20]
Level 1 (0-5 marks)
Attempts one or two bullet points
Describes some aspects of the extract
Minimal or no understanding of connotative effect
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Attempts at least three bullet points
Offers some textual evidence from the extract
Some understanding of connotative effect
Some simple ideas expressed appropriately but possibly with some errors
of spelling, punctuation and grammar that obscure meaning.
Comprehensive range of examples (all bullet points covered)
Offers sound textual evidence from the extract
Sound understanding of connotative effect

5

Question Max
Answer
Number Mark

Comprehensive range of examples
Detailed analysis of textual evidence from the extract
Thorough understanding of connotative effect
Competent understanding of connotative effect.

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3 Discuss the ways in which people and/or war are represented in the
extract.
Candidates should recognise the stereotypical representation of violence
as a male activity. They may further recognise the deliberate anti-
stereotyping strategy of making Guinevere an equal (but token female)
member of the group.
Other representation issues they might discuss include:
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• The exclusively white representation
• The exclusion of older characters from the heroes
• The equation of physical attractiveness with heroism
• The heroes have English accents, the villains have German accents
• The heroes are individuals, the ‘baddies’, apart from their leader, are
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an undifferentiated mass
• The fictional word is familiar from English folklore and is part of the
myth of Englishness [20]
• The extract celebrates martial teamwork, self-sacrifice, and the
triumph of superior technology and strategy over numbers.
Level 1 (0-5 marks)
Describes some aspects of the extract
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Shows minimal understanding of representation issues
Offers minimal textual evidence from the extract
Describes aspects of representation in the extract
Shows some limited understanding of representation issues
Offers some textual evidence from the extract
Discusses one or two of the issues of the representation of people and/or
war in the extract
Shows sound understanding of appropriate representation issues
Offers textual evidence from the extract that exemplifies these issues

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Question Max
Answer
Number Mark

Discusses a range of the representation of people and/or war in the
extract, or discusses fewer issues in depth
Shows thorough understanding of appropriate representation issues
Offers a range of textual evidence from the extract that exemplifies these
issues

Section A Total [50]

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Section B
Question Max
Answer
Number Mark

4(a) Pick two TV or radio comedies you have studied. Discuss why they
were scheduled:
• On the channels that chose them
• On the days and times they were transmitted
Candidates should have studied two programmes on different radio and
television channel/stations. Answers that only discuss one programme
and discuss two programmes on the same channel/station are highly
unlikely to gain marks above level 2.
Candidates will probably discuss two contrasting comedy programmes

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and show how they fit their different institutional contexts. However, they
could discuss how very similar comedies are used on different channels/
stations and this approach should not be penalised if it fulfils the
assessment criteria.
The question asks for a discussion of the relationship between
institutional context and scheduling practices, on the one hand, and the
texts the candidates have studied, on the other. Better answers will focus
on how the texts fit the institution and its scheduling. Weaker answers
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might focus solely on the texts, or might simply list facts about the
institutions.
Candidates might briefly discuss the channel’s brand identities, perhaps
in terms of other programmes played on those channels and the ways the
channels market themselves. This may include how an institution has
branded a time slot, e.g. ‘Thursdays are funny’. They may mention
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regulatory (e.g. Public Service Broadcasting) requirements in terms of the
watershed and limitations on content or in terms of requirements for
British (or regional) programmes. They may touch on channel ethos and
history in relation to the distinctiveness of the BBC or Channel 4, for
example, if these are relevant to their texts. They should be able to state
whether the texts are scheduled on mass audience or niche audience
channels/stations and perhaps make some judgements about the nature
of those niche audiences. Candidates may produce audience figures;
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better answers will use these to illustrate institutional context (but note
that this can be equally well done without statistics).
Candidates should know the days and times of transmission for the two
texts and be able to discuss which programmes were scheduled before
and after them. They might state which programmes were scheduled on
competing channels/stations at the same times. They should attempt to
evaluate how these time slots would attract the target audience for the
texts, whether this be a mass or niche audience. Better candidates will
use evidence from the schedules to back up this evaluation, not
unsubstantiated assertions about what the audiences will be doing at this
time of day. Stronger candidates may show awareness of the crucial role
of scheduling in a multi-channel TV and radio environment and discuss
the role of stripped schedules. [15]

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Question Max
Answer
Number Mark

Level 1 (0-3 marks)
Describes the scheduling of one or two comedies
Shows minimal knowledge of TV or radio channels and scheduling
Minimal or no understanding of how channels use scheduling to reach
audiences
Level 2 (4-8 marks)
Accurately describes the scheduling of two comedies

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Shows some knowledge of TV or radio channels and scheduling
Some understanding of how channels use scheduling to reach audiences
Describes and evaluates the scheduling of two comedies
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Shows sound knowledge of TV or radio channels and scheduling with
some understanding of how programmes reflect institutional contexts
Sound understanding of how channels use scheduling to reach
audiences
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Discusses the scheduling of two comedies
Shows detailed knowledge of TV or radio channels and scheduling with
understanding of how programmes reflect institutional contexts
Thorough understanding of how channels use scheduling to reach
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audiences

4(b) Show how these two programmes offer their audiences different
pleasures.
Higher level answers will explicitly contrast a range of pleasures offered
by two texts with detailed exemplification of these pleasures by reference
to one or more episodes of the programmes. These pleasures may
range through comedic effect to narrative pleasures (e.g. opportunities for
identification and narrative resolution), generic pleasures, audience uses
and gratifications, high (or deliberately low) production values,
pleasurable themes, and so on.
Middle level answers are likely to discuss fewer pleasures, with little or no
explicit contrasting, and more limited examples, probably from only one
programme or part of a programme.
Lower level answers are likely to describe the texts with little identification
of pleasure beyond the text ‘being funny’. [15]

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Question Max
Answer
Number Mark

Level 1 (0-3 marks)
Describe one or two texts
Shows minimal knowledge of audience pleasures
Minimal or no understanding of how programmes offer audience
pleasures
Level 2 (4-8 marks)
Shows knowledge of one or two audience pleasures
Basic understanding of how programmes offer audience pleasures

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Some textual exemplification
Some ideas expressed appropriately but possibly with some errors of
Shows sound knowledge of different audience pleasures
Sound understanding of how programmes offer audience pleasures
Some understanding of differences between programmes
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Relevant textual exemplification
Shows detailed knowledge of audience pleasures
Thorough understanding of how programmes offer audience pleasures
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Thorough understanding of differences between programmes
Detailed and appropriate exemplification

Section B Total [30]
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Paper Total [80]

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Assessment Objectives Grid (includes QWC)

Question AO1 AO2 Total

Section A 10 40 50

Section B 22 8 30

Totals 32 48 80

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