eduqas media studies gcse coursework grade boundaries

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Eduqas Grade Boundaries GCSE

Navigating the GCSE landscape can be a complex journey for students, parents, and educators alike. Understanding grades, exams, and especially grade boundaries is crucial but often seems like a puzzle. That’s why we’re here to shed light on an important aspect of this journey: the Eduqas grade boundaries.

Eduqas is one of the leading exam boards in the UK, and its grade boundaries play a vital role in the GCSE assessment process. These boundaries determine the marks needed to achieve each grade, making them a key factor in understanding a student’s performance.

Eduqas GCSE Grade Points – June 2023

In this blog, we aim to make the concept of Eduqas grade boundaries more accessible and easier to understand. Whether you’re a student trying to predict your grades, a parent aiming to support your child, or an educator planning your teaching strategies, knowing about these grade boundaries will help demystify a part of the GCSE exams. Let’s dive into what these grade boundaries mean and how they affect GCSE students.

Eduqas GCSE Grade Points – June 2022

Eduqas gcse grade points – october 2021, eduqas gcse grade points – november 2020, eduqas gcse grade points – june 2019, eduqas gcse grade points – june 2018.

Resources: https://www.eduqas.co.uk/home/administration/results-grade-boundaries-and-prs/grade-boundaries/ https://www.wjec.co.uk/

In the ever-evolving landscape of education in England, Eduqas stands as a beacon of innovation, quality, and support for the educational community. As one of the premier qualification providers, our mission extends beyond delivering esteemed qualifications for schools, academies, sixth forms, and further education colleges; we are dedicated to enriching the educational journey of each student, preparing them for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Heritage and Evolution

Eduqas is a proud division of WJEC , an organisation with a storied history that dates back to 1948, originating from a consortium of local education authorities. Today, WJEC continues to thrive as a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee, underpinned by a commitment to educational excellence. In 2014, we launched Eduqas as a distinctive entity to offer qualifications reformed by Ofqual, specifically designed for the educational institutions in England. The desire to leverage WJEC’s extensive experience while tailoring our offerings to meet the unique needs of the English education system drove this initiative.

Commitment to Teachers and Students

At Eduqas teachers and students at the heart of everything. Eduqas meticulously crafts qualifications to inspire students and equip them with the necessary tools for their future success. Recognising the critical role of educators in this process, Eduqas ensures that it hears their voices and addresses their needs. Bottom-up approach to decision-making ensures that initiatives and resources are reflective of the real-world needs of classrooms across the UK.

Eduqas involvement in the UK’s education sector extends beyond qualification provision. Eduqas plays a pivotal role in the development and implementation of significant educational reforms, collaborating closely with key stakeholders like Ofqual and the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) . This collaborative spirit underscores commitment to contributing to a forward-thinking, dynamic education system that benefits all.

Eduqas builds on the legacy of WJEC, blending years of experience with a commitment to innovation and tailored support. Our focus on developing resources and expertise specifically for the reformed qualifications of England exemplifies our dedication to supporting educators and students alike. As we look to the future, Eduqas remains committed to excellence, inclusivity, and the continuous evolution of the education sector.

What Are Grade Boundaries?

Imagine running a race where the finish line moves slightly each year, depending on the terrain and weather conditions. In exams, grade boundaries serve a similar purpose – they adjust the “finish line” (or the mark needed to achieve a certain grade to ensure fairness, regardless of the exam’s difficulty that year. Simply put, grade boundaries are the minimum marks you need to score to attain each grade.

At their core, grade boundaries are the gatekeepers of grades. They determine the minimum mark needed to secure each grade. But why do we need them? Let’s break it down:

• Grade boundaries make sure that regardless of when you sat an exam, your performance is judged equitably. Even though exam difficulty might fluctuate yearly, grade boundaries adjust to ensure consistency.
• They help in ensuring that the grade a student receives accurately mirrors their level of understanding and achievement in a subject.

WJEC, like other exam boards, uses grade boundaries to maintain consistency in grading standards year after year. This ensures that a Grade A in one year reflects the same level of achievement as a Grade A in another year, even if the exams vary in difficulty.

Unitised vs. Linear Specifications What’s the Difference?

• Uniform Mark Scale (UMS) : For exams divided into units, grade boundaries are expressed using the UMS. The beauty of the UMS is its consistency; the percentage required for each grade stays the same year after year.
• What it means for students : You can predict how individual unit performances might impact your overall grade more easily, thanks to the stable grade boundary system.
• One Grade to Rule Them All : Unlike unitised specs, linear qualifications give one overall grade for the entire subject, not breaking it down into units or components.
• When are boundaries set? : These boundaries are determined and published on results day, making the anticipation of your final grade a bit more of a mystery.

WJEC also provides notional grade boundaries for individual components of the exam. These estimates serve as a guide to help you understand how each part of the exam contributes to the final grade. While they offer a helpful perspective on performance, they are not definitive.

Why Grade Boundaries Matter

Understanding grade boundaries can significantly impact how students and educators view examination results. Here’s why they’re so pivotal:

• Fairness – They ensure that all students are judged equally, regardless of exam difficulty variations.
• Transparency – Knowing how these boundaries work makes the grading process more transparent, demystifying how final grades are calculated.
• Guidance – For students, having insights into notional and official grade boundaries can aid in strategic study planning and managing expectations.

Behind the scenes, organisations like The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) compile national statistics and oversee the fairness and consistency of grade boundaries and qualifications. This ensures that your hard work is judged equitably, no matter when or where you take your GCSE exams

Final Thoughts

Grade boundaries might seem like just another layer of complexity in the world of GCSEs, but they play a crucial role in ensuring fairness and consistency in grading. By understanding how WJEC sets these boundaries, students, parents, and educators can navigate the exam landscape more confidently, focusing on achieving their best within a system designed to recognise and reward their efforts fairly.

In this context, it’s worth highlighting how an innovative platform like Edumentors can be a game-changer for students striving to excel in their studies. Edumentors is an online tutoring platform that connects students and parents with experienced tutors from top UK universities. This bespoke service offers an invaluable resource for those aiming to understand the intricacies of exam grade boundaries, among other academic challenges.

Understanding these boundaries is essential, but so is the guidance and support students receive as they prepare for exams.

Edumentors steps in to offer tailored tutoring sessions that not only demystify subjects like these but also provide strategies and insights to maximise exam performance.

With tutors who are not just academically proficient but also empathetic mentors, Edumentors aims to make the journey towards exam success less daunting and more achievable.

Whether you’re battling with the concept of grade boundaries, looking for ways to improve your study techniques, or simply need a bit of motivation, Edumentors is there to support every step of the way. By bringing together expertise from those who have navigated the UK’s top universities, Edumentors ensures that every student has access to quality education and mentorship, empowering them to reach their full potential!

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AS/A Level Media Studies

Amended question numbering in exam paper and separate answer booklet provided – see Sample Assessment Materials for AS and A level , and Answer Booklet in the Sample Assessment Materials tab below.

Please see our  e-Submissions centre guidance , Media Studies NEA e-Submission Guide , email:  [email protected] , or phone  029 2240 4310 .

Apply now and join our team of examiners.

*Subject dependent, based on marking a full allocation and completion of training (which we pay you to attend).

• Key Documents
• Past Papers / Mark Schemes

The Eduqas AS & A level in media studies offers learners the opportunity to develop a thorough and in depth understanding of key issues, using a comprehensive theoretical framework and a variety of advanced theoretical approaches and theories to support critical exploration and reflection, analysis and debate. The study of a wide range of rich and stimulating media products is central to the specification, offering opportunities for detailed analysis of how the media communicate meanings in a variety of forms. Learners will work from the product outwards to debate key critical questions related to the social, cultural, political and economic role of the media. Through studying media products holistically in relation to all areas of the theoretical framework, learners will engage with the dynamic relationships between media products, media industries and audiences. Learners will also consider established media forms alongside more contemporary forms, developing an awareness of emerging and evolving media.

Although the primary emphasis in this specification is on the contemporary media, learners will explore how the products relate to their wider historical contexts. Learners will also extend their experience of the media through the study of products with which they may be less familiar, including those produced by or for a minority group, non-mainstream and non-English language products. This specification aims to develop knowledge and understanding of the transnational nature of the media, considering the effect of different national contexts on representations in media products, the global reach of media industries, and the targeting of audiences on a national and global scale.

Choice and flexibility are a vital part of the specification, enabling teachers to select the most appropriate, relevant and engaging products for their learners to study in Component 2.

This specification also recognises the fundamental relationship between theoretical understanding and practical work, providing learners with exciting opportunities to develop media production skills in different forms, apply their knowledge and understanding of the theoretical framework to media forms and products, and become creators of meaning themselves. Learners will be offered a choice of briefs and forms within which to work, enabling them to explore and pursue their own media interests.

The Eduqas AS & A level in Media Studies offers a broad, engaging and stimulating course of study which enables learners to:

• Demonstrate skills of enquiry, critical thinking, decision-making and analysis
• Demonstrate a critical approach to media issues
• Demonstrate appreciation and critical understanding of the media and their role both historically and currently in society, culture, politics and the economy
• Develop an understanding of the dynamic and changing relationships between media forms, products, industries and audiences
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the global nature of the media
• Apply theoretical knowledge and specialist subject specific terminology to analyse and compare media products and the contexts in which they are produced and consumed
• Make informed arguments, reach substantiated judgements and draw conclusions about media issues
• Engage in critical debate about academic theories used in media studies
• Appreciate how theoretical understanding supports practice and practice supports theoretical understanding
• Demonstrate sophisticated practical skills by providing opportunities for creative media production.

Any requirements set for entry to a course following this specification are at the discretion of centres. It is reasonable to assume that many learners will have achieved qualifications equivalent to Level 2 at KS4. Skills in literacy and analysis will provide a good basis for progression to this Level 3 qualification. Some learners will have already gained knowledge, understanding, and skills through their study of GCSE media studies .

Why choose Eduqas?

• A choice of options for production
• A choice of options for the set products/texts
• Topics and products/texts chosen to appeal to students
• Creative work which is central to the course
• Unlimited access to free resources
• Face-to-face professional learning courses
• Uniform design across GCSE, AS and A level to allow for coherent progression
• Flexibility for teachers to choose relevant and appropriate texts/products
• Direct access to Subject specialists
• Support from our  Regional Representatives

Important information, past papers, marking schemes, entry/amendment uploads & make post-results enquiries.

Grade boundaries are the minimum number of marks needed to achieve each grade.

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WJEC/EDUQAS ENDORSED TITLES

WJEC/EDUQAS NON-ENDORSED TITLES

Access a collection of interactive units that bring together a number of elements including general data, exam questions, their marking schemes and examiner comments, which will lead you through a review of exam questions.

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Eduqas GCSE Higher Grade Boundaries

Eduqas gcse foundation grade boundaries.

Media Industries

A set of resources to support the teaching of media industries in the Eduqas GCSE Media Studies specification. The materials cover key areas of industry such as ownership, technology and regulation, and include resources that focus specifically on the set products for the study of Video Games and Radio in Component 1 Section B. The activities are designed to develop learners’ knowledge and understanding of industry, and extension tasks are embedded to encourage them to develop independent research skills. The digital resources can be used in the classroom and are highly interactive and engaging.

'Fair dealing' of third party materials is used for criticism and review purposes however if there are omissions or inaccuracies please inform us so that any necessary corrections can be made [email protected]

While all resources were correct at the time of publishing, teachers should be aware that things move quickly in the media industry and should therefore check that the information is still current and correct.

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