9607_s26_qp_22 — 2026 May-June Media Studies 9607 Question Paper 2 Variant 2 · Cambridge CAIE AS & A Level

Describing technical elements instead of analysing how they create meaning (Section A)

“Some candidates simply described technical elements featured within the extract and did not develop their answers much further when it came to exploring meaning, making basic statements like 'the close-up shows emotion'.”— 9607 Paper 2, May/June 2025

How to fix: Move beyond what you see/hear to how and why. For every technical observation, structure: identify the technique → quote/describe the exact moment in the extract → explain the precise effect on meaning → connect to representation. Replace 'the close-up shows emotion' with 'the lingering close-up on Faraday's hands holds the audience inside his vulnerability and signals his outsider status before he speaks'. Treat terminology as a servant to analysis, not a substitute for it.

Neglecting sound and editing in Section A — only writing about camerawork and mise-en-scene

“Candidates were less successful in identifying how sound and editing helped to create meaning, however. The range of the technical elements covered, as well as their depth, is a direct contributory to the marks which can be achieved for terminology, therefore centres are strongly advised to guide their candidates to ensure that they produced responses which are balanced across all four assessed technical elements of moving image language.”— 9607 Paper 2, May/June 2025

How to fix: Plan in four columns before you write: camerawork, editing, mise-en-scene, sound. Force at least two analysed examples per column. For sound: distinguish diegetic vs non-diegetic, identify synchronous vs asynchronous, comment on score, ambient sound, silence, and sound bridges. For editing: pace, transitions, shot duration, eyeline matches, cross-cutting — and only use 'jump cut', 'J cut' or 'L cut' if you can define what you mean by them.

Ignoring representation — writing only about media language in Section A

“This limitation in addressing both of the key concepts being assessed in Section A is one which has been noted by many Examiners and is evident across the entire cohort sitting the paper.”— 9607 Paper 2, May/June 2025

How to fix: Section A assesses TWO key concepts: media language AND representation. Every paragraph must pivot from technique to representation: who is being represented, how, why, and to what effect? Cover representation of people, places, and ideas (e.g. ethnicity, class, gender, immigration status). Apply Hall, Gilroy, or Alvarado to representation explicitly — don't just label techniques.