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MEDIA.CODES · GLENEAGLES SECONDARY COLLEGE
Practice Exam — Scaffolded
Year 10 Media · Media Strikes Back · End-of-Year Revision
2026 · Semester 1
50 marks
Name
Class
Date

Instructions to students

How this scaffolded paper helps you Blue boxes are context clues — a nudge in the right direction. Red boxes are sentence stems — sentence starters to get you going. The real exam will not have these, so as the week goes on, try to use them less and less. They are training wheels, not the bike.
Quick reference · keep this in view
Exposure triangleAperture (f-stop · how wide) · Shutter speed (time · freeze/blur) · ISO (sensitivity · noise)
Three codesSymbolic (setting, colour, costume, acting) · Technical (camera, editing, audio, lighting) · Written (text on screen)
COCA paragraphContention · Observation · Connotation · Audience
ConvergenceCollision (Strangers on a Train) · Reveal (Argo) · Deadline (Star Wars)
Continuity rulesScreen direction (180°) · Matching movement · Cut on action

Reading time is for reading only — plan your extended answers in your head before you write.

SECTION A · Photography 11 marks
Answer all questions in the space provided.
1The exposure triangle has three components. They control how much light reaches the camera sensor.
(a)List the three components of the exposure triangle. (3 marks)
Wordbankapertureshutter speedISO
Sentence stemThe three components are ____________, ____________ and ____________.
(b)A student photographs a cyclist speeding past. The photo comes out as a blurry streak. Identify which component the student should change to make the photo sharp. (1 mark)
(c)State whether the student should make this component faster or slower. (1 mark)
Context clueBlur caused by movement is fixed by the setting that controls time (how long the shutter is open).
2A student takes a photograph at a dim evening market. The photograph is too dark.
(a)Identify which component of the exposure triangle the student should raise to make the photograph brighter. (1 mark)
(b)Describe ONE negative effect of pushing this setting too high. (2 marks)
Sentence stemsOne negative effect is ____________. This happens because ____________.
Context clueThink about what noise / grain does to the look and sharpness of an image.
3Choose the correct word to complete each statement.
Choose fromapertureshutter speedISO
(a)The setting that controls how sensitive the sensor is to light is ____________. (1 mark)
(b)The setting that controls how long light enters the camera is ____________. (1 mark)
(c)The setting that controls how wide the lens opens is ____________. (1 mark)
SECTION B · Represent 23 marks
When asked for an example, you may use any episode, film or scene we have studied this semester.
4Match each example to the correct type of code.
Choose fromsymbolictechnicalwritten
(a)A hero dressed in bright white: ____________ code. (1)
(b)A newspaper headline reading “GUILTY” shown on screen: ____________ code. (1)
(c)A slow-motion shot of a character turning: ____________ code. (1)
(d)Heavy rain during a sad goodbye scene: ____________ code. (1)
5A film director wants the audience to instantly trust a new character the moment they appear. Describe how the director could use ONE symbolic code AND ONE technical code together to position the audience to read this character as trustworthy. (5 marks)
In your answer: identify the symbolic and technical code · describe how each is used · explain how each makes the character look trustworthy.
Sentence stems
  • The director could use the symbolic code of ____________ by ____________.
  • This connotes ____________, positioning the audience to ____________.
  • They could combine this with the technical code of ____________, which ____________.
Context clueTrustworthy is the opposite of “dangerous”. Think warm / high-key lighting, open body language, eye-level framing, soft colours.
6Producers of A Current Affair can make the same person look like a villain or a victim. Describe how the technical codes of camera AND editing could be used together to make a person look like a sympathetic “Battler” (victim). (5 marks)
Sentence stems
  • The camera could ____________ (e.g. an eye-level shot in their home).
  • The editing could ____________ (e.g. slow, gentle cuts; soft music).
  • Together this positions the audience to feel ____________.
Context clue · Battler conventionshome setting · soft lighting · family photos in shot · slow paced cuts · gentle music.
7A Current Affair segments share common features the audience expects to see. These features are called conventions.
(a)List TWO conventions of an A Current Affair segment. (2 marks)
Context clue · conventions you could usevoiceover narration · doorstop (ambush) interview · surveillance handheld footage · dramatic music sting · captions / lower-thirds · B-roll of evidence.
(b)Choose ONE convention from your answer. Describe how this convention helps the audience understand the story. (2 marks)
Sentence stemThe convention of ____________ helps the audience by ____________.
8Read the description below of an opening to an A Current Affair segment.
StimulusThe segment opens with a handheld shot following a man hurrying through a car park at night. A dramatic music sting plays. A caption reads “CAUGHT ON CAMERA”.
(a)Identify TWO technical codes used in this scene. (2 marks)
Context clueTechnical codes here include camera (handheld), sound / music (the sting), lighting (night) and editing.
(b)Choose ONE code from your answer. Describe how this code positions the audience as the segment begins. (3 marks)
Sentence stemsThe ____________ positions the audience to ____________. This makes them expect ____________.
SECTION C · Action 16 marks
When asked to choose a sequence, choose from the sequences listed in the question.
9You have studied action sequences that cross-cut between two threads of action. Choose ONE sequence you have studied:
• the cross-cut from Strangers on a Train  •  the tarmac sequence from Argo  •  the trench run from Star Wars.
(a)Identify the type of convergence in your chosen sequence: collision, reveal, or deadline. (1 mark)
Context clueStrangers on a Train = collision  ·  Argo = reveal  ·  Star Wars = deadline.
(b)Describe how cross-cutting is used in this sequence to build tension. (3 marks)
Sentence stems
  • Cross-cutting alternates between ____________ and ____________.
  • As the sequence builds, the cuts ____________ (get shorter / faster).
  • This makes the audience ____________ as the threads race to converge.
(c)Identify ONE other technical code used in this sequence. (1 mark)
(d)Describe how this technical code helps build tension. (3 marks)
Sentence stemThe ____________ is used to ____________, which builds tension by ____________.
10A fight scene cuts together two shots of a punch. In the first shot the fist is swinging upward. In the second shot the fist is already coming back down, without finishing the upward swing.
(a)Identify the continuity-editing principle that has been broken in this cut. (1 mark)
Context clueThink about whether the movement matches across the two shots — does the punch continue at the same speed and direction?
(b)Explain how this break would affect the audience’s experience of the fight. (3 marks)
Sentence stemsThe audience would ____________. This breaks ____________, so ____________.
11In an action sequence, editors use specific techniques so each cut feels smooth and clear. Examples: screen direction, matching movement, cut on action.
(a)Choose ONE technique. Identify the technique you have chosen. (1 mark)
(b)Describe how this technique helps the audience follow the action smoothly. (3 marks)
Sentence stem____________ helps the audience by ____________, so the action feels ____________.

End of practice exam · 50 marks. Swap papers or self-mark with the marking guide, then bring your questions to the debrief lesson.