5th period · after the practice exam
Debrief.
We mark it together. Top-band answers, section by section, and the handful of fixes that turn a good script into a great one.
Have your marked practice exam in front of you
Before we start
Marks live in the command word
- List / State / Identify → the right word. Don’t over-write.
- Describe → name it and say how/what it does.
- Explain → describe it and land on the audience effect.
As we go, tick what you got and star what you’d add
Section A · Photography · 11 marks
Model answers
Q1–Q3- Aperture · shutter speed · ISO
- Blurry cyclist → shutter, faster
- Dark market → raise ISO
- Wordbank: ISO · shutter · aperture
The 2-mark “describe”High ISO adds noise/grain (1) — the image looks speckled and less sharp as the sensor amplifies the signal (2).
Common slip: writing one word for the 2-mark part. Name the effect, then describe it.
Section B · Represent · 23 marks
Model answers
Q4 · matchsymbolic · written · technical · symbolic
Q5 · trustworthySoft/light costume (symbolic) + high-key, eye-level shot (technical) → read as open & safe.
Q6 · BattlerEye-level in the home (camera) + slow cuts, soft music (editing) → sympathy.
Q7 · conventionsTwo of: voiceover · doorstop · surveillance handheld · sting · captions · B-roll. Then: function + effect.
Q8 · stimulusTwo technical codes (handheld / sting / night). Then position the audience to expect wrongdoing.
The Section B difference-maker
Every code answer is C·O·C·A
- CContention — name the code & your claim
- OObservation — what you see/hear
- CConnotation — what it means (the marks live here)
- AAudience — how it positions the viewer
Section C · Action · 16 marks
Model answers
Q9 · cross-cut (8)Convergence type (deadline/collision/reveal) → cross-cutting alternates threads, cuts get shorter, splits attention → urgency. Name one other code + its effect.
Q10–Q11Q10: punch = matching movement broken → jolt, lost momentum. Q11: cut on action hides the join → seamless.
Common slip: stopping at the technique. Always finish on the audience / the tension.
The fixes that win marks
Six common slips
- Naming a code but not explaining the effect
- Symbolic vs technical — say if it’s both
- COCA skipping Connotation (the “why”)
- Action answers that never reach the audience
- Mixing up screen direction & matching movement
- One word for a 3-mark question
Exam-day game plan
How to run the 105 minutes
- 15 min reading: read every question; plan the 5- & 8-mark answers in your head.
- Match effort to marks — roughly a mark a minute, more for the big ones.
- Underline the command word before you answer.
- Never leave a blank — a sensible attempt can score; nothing can’t.
Before the exam
Revise smart
media.codes/strikes-back
Run the drills for your weakest section, then write one answer for AI feedback.
You’ve done the work. Go and show it.