A-grade Magazine Coursework looks like this.

Certain students need to look again at elements of their coursework before the marks go to the examiner. If that's you, your teacher will have spoken to you about any missing elements you need to address and given you a NEXT STEPS sheet to complete. Use these examples of previous successful students to make sure your coursework gains all of the marks it deserves.

Deadline Day Final Instructions

Hand in your final portfolio by putting these three elements into your blue coursework folder. However, DO NOT THROW ANYTHING AWAY keep any draft work in your plastic folders.

1. Your final magazine extract - Front Cover, Double Page Spread and Contents Page.
2. Research and planning powerpoint.
3. Updated Evaluation (comment on your changes from the first draft to your final product and evaluate the impact of your changes).

Once you have completed your work and handed your folder in, you need to create a blog with the Blogger app via Google and upload your products as images.

Draft Magazine Evaluation

You need to answer the following questions in as much detail as possible. This is a very important part of this project.

• Answer each question in as much detail as possible. Add examples from all parts of your work.
• How effective was your research into similar magazines and relevant target audiences? What did you learn from your research into these two areas? In what ways did this shape the creation of your magazine?
• What creative decisions did you have to make at the different stages of your magazine production? How did your magazine change as your work progressed?
• How closely does your magazine follow the forms and conventions of existing magazines? Gives examples of real magazines you reference.
• How successful is your finished magazine? What are its strengths and weaknesses?

Once you have completed your evaluation. Print out a copy for your folder.

NEXT STEPS: Return to designing your magazine and complete your final version for the deadline.

DEADLINE = Thursday 17th November

Coursework schedule (Thursday 1st September - Friday 14th October)

Welcome back to Year 11. 

Now get ready for some hard work on your magazine coursework.

Thursday 1st September

Today you need to print out your magazine research and planning and put it in your coursework folder by the end of today's lesson.

Monday 5th September - Friday 14th October

Complete the following:

• Flatplans of cover, contents and double page
• Write an article or an interview for your double page
• Take suitable photos for all pages of your magazine (preferably all images will be original)
• Draft version of cover, contents and double page

Deadline for first draft cover, contents page and double page spread - Friday 14th October

Year 11 Target Audience Task

Go to the UK Tribes website.
Explore the website to help you research how to define Target Audience groups. Think about how this site may influence your own ideas about the Target Audience for your magazine product.

Task: Create a description of the Target Audience for your magazine product. Add this to your research powerpoint as a new slide. Can you include a description and images that would suit your target audience. You are trying to create a Target Audience Profile to show the kind of person who you imagine would buy your magazine.

Magazine Research and Planning Task List

You need to complete the following (use Martha's work as a guide):

• general magazine x1
• specialist magazine x2
• genre conventions
• moodboard(s)
• magazine analysis (cover, contents, double page spread) x3
• colour palettes x6
• fonts (including descriptions) x8
• audience profile (male & female - as applicable)
• UK Tribes audience profile
• questionnaire and questionnaire feedback

Magazine Glossary

Masthead – The name and logo of the magazine.

The Lead – the introductory paragraph of an article. Usually written in bold or capitals.

Body copy - refers to the text of your written articles, which should be produced as a printed presentation to accepted industry standards, e.g. correct use of language, font size, word limits etc. Usually written in columns.

Serif font – fonts like Times New Roman, or Baskerville Old Face, which have little bars (serifs) on the end of the letters.

Sans serif font – fonts like Impact, or Agency FB, which do not have little bars (serifs) on the end of the letters.

Drop Capitals – Really big letter, which start off an article.

Cross Head – Small sub-heading used to split up a large block of text.

White Space – white parts of a page other than text or pictures.

Mode Of Address – How the magazine talks to the audience.

Sell Lines – Text on the cover that helps to sell the magazine to the audience. Kerrang!’s sell line is “life is loud”.

Banners – text, which stands out because its on a coloured background.

House Style – a magazines distinctive design that distinguishes it from its competitors.

Borders – the gaps at the edges of the page.

Gutters – the gaps between the columns of text.

Leading - the space between lines of text.

Kerning - the space between letters.

Strap Lines – a smaller headline, printed above the main headline.

By-lines - name of the person who wrote the article. Picture Credits - where did the photos come from, or who took them.

Anchorage – The way in which text helps to pin down the meaning of a picture and visa versa.

Magazine - Research and Planning Task

Genre choices are:

• music 
• fashion
• sport

Today's work:

1. Decide on your genre
2. Research magazine titles within that genre. Make a list of existing titles. Remember, you can use some of the research you completed before the summer break. Simply add to this piece of work and present your ideas using your chosen software.
3. Collect images of as many different covers as you can. Group by title e.g. Vogue, Wonderland, iD (all fashion titles).
4. You may look at magazines across the international market, but be aware that they are not produced in the UK.

Unit B324: Production Portfolio in Media Studies

Unit B324: Production Portfolio in Media Studies

This is a controlled assessment unit, 25-30 hours, internally assessed and externally moderated.

120 marks, 30% of the total GCSE marks

Candidates can either work individually or in groups to produce a major practical production from

a selection of set briefs. 

Within this, each individual produces their own evidence of research and

planning alongside an individual evaluation of their finished product.

The Production Portfolio offers candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in research, planning, production and evaluation and their understanding of the following media key concepts:

• audience
• institutions
• media language
• genre.

The brief:

An extract from a new magazine aimed at a specific audience, to include the front cover, contents page and a double-page spread article, using some original photography.

• If candidates are working in a group, each group member must produce at least one double-page spread article.

Magazine Target Audiences

Katy Perry appears on this Elle magazine front cover.
Can you label the conventions of magazines using media language?

• Title
• Main Image
• Anchorage Text
• Sell Lines
• Date and Cover Price
• Website address
• Colour
• Font

You need to analyse two magazines which are designed to appeal to contrasting Target Audiences. Write up your analysis using the media terms you have been introduced to in class.

• Target Audience
• Language - Codes and Conventions of magazines
• Audience - Age, Gender, Occupation, Lifestyle
• Appeal

Draft Design Example by Hannah Franks

Hannah Franks' work is an example of a professional looking piece of work. This is her draft product. It is successful because she has used the conventions intelligently to suit her magazine genre and target audience perfectly.
This piece of work also highlights how important colour and font choice are in the design process. All three of these products link together as they are following an in-house style. In other words, it is easy to see how all the pages come from the same magazine. Well done Hannah!

Magazine Front Cover

Contents Page

Double Page Spread

Magazine Research Schedule

Kerrang Contents Page follows certain design conventions to appeal to the heavy rock fan. Comment on the language, images, font and language used to appeal to the target audience.

Task A Deconstruct a front cover. Label the conventions and explain how they are used to match the genre and suit the target audience. Deconstruct a double-page spread. Deconstruct a contents page. Task B Consider the colour palette being used by the magazine and comment on what impact this will have on the target audience. How will this change your design decision when creating your own magazine. Task C Consider the fonts being used. Comment on their design and how they reflect anything about the magazine’s style. Again, how will this change your design decisions.