St Katherine's School
Creative Digital Arts Department

Magazines must be studied in relation to media language and media representations, including a consideration of the social, cultural and political contexts that influence how media language is used to construct representations. The Big Issue is a niche magazine outside the commercial mainstream that learners may not normally engage with. It provides a contrasting example of how the elements of the theoretical framework for media language can be used to construct alternative representations that appeal to particular audiences, including a consideration of the influence of the social, cultural and political contexts. Learners must study two front covers of The Big Issue, from the September of the first year of teaching a two year course, (e.g. from September 2017 onwards for a candidate entering for assessment in June 2019), chosen by the centre. The front covers selected should demonstrate representations that are alternative to the mainstream and of national significance, in terms of the events or issues they portray. Learners need to study the magazine products in relation to all the subject content bullet points listed under the ‘media language’ and ‘media representations’ topics in the subject content table at the end of Component 02. Theories of media language and representation do not need to be studied. Consideration should be made of media language elements specific to magazines such as locations, costumes, props, makeup, lighting, choice of camera shot, angle, typography, layout and address of written content to the audience. The study of The Big Issue does not extend to online.