AQA GCSE Media Studies (8572) Past Papers 2026
Download free AQA GCSE Media Studies 8572 past papers, mark schemes, Foundation & Higher tiers. 6 exam sessions from 2019–2026.
June 2024
Latest Session
6
Sessions
2019–2026
5
Question Papers
12
Mark Schemes
240% coverage
0
Inserts
4
Specimen Papers
Components & time pressure
Marks per minute shows how fast you have to work — the higher the number, the tighter the time pressure in that paper.
| Paper | Component | Marks | Duration | Marks / min | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 8572/1 — Exploring the Media | 84 | 1h 30m | 0.93 | High |
| Paper 2 | 8572/2 — Media Forms and Products in Depth | 84 | 1h 30m | 0.93 | High |
Component structure extracted from 4 official AQA documents (2022–2023). Timings and mark totals are taken from the papers themselves.
Yearly Exam Sessions
Topical Past Papers
AQA Media Studies questions organised by specification topic — perfect for targeted revision.
How is AQA GCSE Media Studies (8572) examined?
AQA GCSE Media Studies is examined through 2 paper components. Understanding each component helps you allocate revision time effectively.
Paper 1
84 marks8572/1 — Exploring the Media
Duration: 1h 30m
Paper 2
84 marks8572/2 — Media Forms and Products in Depth
Duration: 1h 30m
What AQA examiners say about Media Studies
Verbatim quotes from 4 official AQA examiner reports (2022–2023). Every quote is attributable to a specific paper and session — these are the things AQA markers flag year after year.
Identifying media language techniques without explaining…
Weaker responses tended to focus on identification of techniques, with less analysis of how these aspects communicate meaning.
Drifting onto biographical/'what happens' content…
Many students focused more on biographical details of Arctic Monkeys, rather than the music video itself.
Ignoring the Close Study Product when the question…
Some students focused on video games in general, rather than the Close Study Product, Lara Croft Go. It is important that students focus on the CSP that is referred to in a particular question.
Most Common Mistakes — Media Studies (8572)
Based on analysis of 4 official AQA examiner reports (2022, 2023). Avoid these errors to maximise your marks.
Identifying media language techniques without explaining how they communicate meaning
Paper 1, Paper 2 · June 2022 and June 2023, Paper 1 and Paper 2
Drifting onto biographical/'what happens' content instead of analysing the product itself
Paper 1, Paper 2 · June 2022 and June 2023, Paper 1 and Paper 2
Ignoring the Close Study Product when the question demands it
Paper 1, Paper 2 · June 2022 and June 2023, Paper 1 and Paper 2
Treating 'How far do you agree...' as an opinion essay rather than evidence-led judgement
Paper 1, Paper 2 · June 2022, Paper 2 (and across all 20-mark extended responses)
Misreading the command word — confusing 'represent' with 'target', or evaluating when asked to explain
Paper 1 · June 2022, Paper 1
Topics Students Struggle With Most
Active vs passive audience theory
On Paper 1 June 2022 'many responses indicated that students weren't familiar with the term [active audience]' and 'many seemed to misunderstand what an active audience is' — students could not even give one example.
Paper 1
Convergence (forms, technologies, industries)
On the 2-mark Paper 2 June 2022 question, 'few students were able to provide one example of convergence involving UK newspapers, with even fewer able to provide two', with several confusing page furniture in Figure 1 for convergence.
Paper 2
News values and newspaper construction
On Paper 2 June 2022 Q4, 'few were able to make the essential links between this analysis and the statement in the question' and 'a lot of students simply ignored news values all together and offered only a descriptive analysis'.
Paper 2
Mise-en-scène and television media language
On Paper 2 June 2023 Q1.3, 'weaker responses often resorted to guessing the meaning of mise-en-scène or to analysing the extract in very general terms', with many over-extending the term to camera movement or non-diegetic music.
Paper 2
Genre theory and niche audiences
On Paper 2 June 2023 Q1.4 'about 13% of students secured only 2 or fewer marks, suggesting that more than one in ten of those entered have no real knowledge or understanding of one of the most basic of media studies concepts: genre'.
Paper 2
Cultural and historical contexts of CSPs
Paper 2 June 2022 noted 'rather more uncertainty about [historical context] in relation to Class' and Paper 2 June 2023 reported 'fewer responses dealt in detail with contemporary social and cultural contexts' on the gender essay.
Paper 2
Representation of social groups (vs targeting)
On Paper 1 June 2022 Q4, candidates 'discussed how the front cover targeted different social groups, rather than how they were represented' — answers focused on targeting were 'not normally rewarded above level 2'.
Paper 1
Conventions of specific media forms (TV advertising, radio, music video)
Paper 1 June 2022 Q5.1 noted 'many students were not able to choose two appropriate examples' of TV advertising conventions, and Paper 1 June 2023 noted variable confidence on enigma codes in the Represent video.
Paper 1
AQA GCSE Media Studies (8572) — Full Archive 2019–2026
This page contains all 35 AQA GCSE Media Studies (8572) past papers available for free download — 6 exam sessions from 2019 to 2026. Each session includes question papers (QP), mark schemes (MS), and where available, insert materials (INS). No registration or payment required.
AQA GCSE Media Studies is graded 9–1, where 9 is the highest grade. Grade 4 is a standard pass and grade 5 is a strong pass. AQA is the UK's largest exam board by entries, so Media Studies papers are widely used in schools across England and Wales.
Some AQA GCSE subjects are tiered. Foundation tier (papers ending in F) targets grades 5–1 and covers core content. Higher tier (papers ending in H) targets grades 9–4 and includes more demanding material. Always practise with papers from the tier you are entered for — the question styles, mark allocation, and time limits differ between tiers.
AQA mark schemes use a clear notation: M marks are for method (your working), A marks are for accuracy (correct answer), and B marks are awarded independently. Understanding this system helps you maximise marks even when you don't reach the final answer — showing clear working can earn method marks. After attempting each Media Studies past paper under timed conditions, mark it against the official scheme and categorise every dropped mark as a knowledge gap, method error, or misread question. Target your remaining revision at the category where you lose the most marks.
Media Studies 8572 at other levels
Questions, answered.
PapersDaddy provides 35 free AQA GCSE Media Studies (8572) past papers from 2019–2026. Download question papers and mark schemes as PDF — no registration needed.
We have 35 papers across 6 exam sessions for AQA GCSE Media Studies (8572). This includes question papers and mark schemes for both Foundation and Higher tiers, plus 4 specimen papers.
Practise with the tier you are entered for. Foundation tier (8572 papers ending in F) targets grades 5-1. Higher tier (papers ending in H) targets grades 9-4. If you're unsure, ask your teacher which tier you are entered for. Practising with the wrong tier will not prepare you for the correct question style and difficulty.
AQA filenames follow the pattern AQA-[CODE]-[TYPE]-[SESSION]. For example, AQA-85721H-QP-JUN19 means: specification 8572, Paper 1, Higher tier, Question Paper, June 2019. QP = Question Paper, W-MS = Mark Scheme, INS = Insert, SQP = Specimen Question Paper.