LNF Cymru Literacy and numeracy for Wales

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GCSE Digital Media and Film

Digital Media and Film is a high literacy GCSE: learners analyse film, game and news texts including an unseen extract, write comparative and evaluative answers, research and write a Welsh industry case study, script productions and keep a reflective log. Numeracy is light and never calculated in the examination, limited to reading audience and success figures and handling timings for editing, trailers and release schedules. The single biggest thing Key Stage 3 should build is analytical writing about moving image, where pupils name a technique precisely and explain its effect on an audience.

First taught
September 2026
Amount of literacy work
High
Amount of numeracy work
Low
Specification
Open the WJEC specification (PDF)
How this GCSE is assessed
  • Unit 1: Exploring key concepts and issues: On-screen examination 1 hour 30 minutes, 60 marks, 30%
  • Unit 2: Distribution and exhibition strategies of digital media and film industries in Wales: Non-examination assessment, portfolio based, 18 hours, 72 marks, 30%
  • Unit 3: Creating digital media and film content: Non-examination assessment, assignment based, no time restriction, 96 marks, 40%

Skills that use Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context

  1. Comparing and evaluating films in extended answers

    Assessed: In the exam

    Learners compare their pair of set films, one Welsh and one global, and analyse and evaluate how contexts, representations and narrative devices shape meaning. The examination includes extended answers, so learners need to organise a sustained, evaluative argument.

    Literacy: Understanding, response and analysis, Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context, Connectives and syntax

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils complete a Venn diagram comparing the openings of two animated films, then turn it into one paragraph using comparative connectives such as whereas and similarly.
    Year 8
    Pupils write a two-paragraph comparison of how a Welsh setting and a non-Welsh setting are represented in two film clips, linking each point to a named shot.
    Year 9
    Pupils plan and write a 30-minute comparative essay on how two short films use binary oppositions and endings, reaching a judgement about which is more effective.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Section 1.1.5, page 13

    “Learners should be able to compare the pair of films selected from the list of films set for study”
    Progression step 3

    • I can collate and make connections, e.g. prioritising, categorising, between information and ideas from different sources including digital and audio-visual texts.

    • I can use paragraphs and make links between them.

    • I can use an increasing range of connectives to organise my ideas in sentences, paragraphs and whole texts.

    Progression step 4

    • I can compare and contrast themes and issues across a range of texts including digital and audio-visual texts.

    • I can organise and construct my writing effectively, connecting and developing my ideas for a range of different contexts.

    • I can use a range of connectives specifically when organising my ideas in whole texts for different purposes.

    Progression step 5

    • I can confidently compare and contrast themes and ideas in a range of texts, including digital and audio-visual texts, exploring how they vary in purpose and effect.

    • I can organise writing in an appropriate form, ensuring content is detailed within and between paragraphs or sections, developing and sustaining ideas coherently.

  2. Researching a Welsh production company case study

    Assessed: In coursework (non-examination assessment, NEA)

    Unit 2 requires independent research into two products from a company based in Wales, examining genre, production, finance, distribution and exhibition, and evaluating their success. Learners must select, synthesise and reference information from industry sources in a written portfolio.

    Literacy: Understanding, response and analysis, Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils use S4C's website to find three facts about one Welsh children's programme and record each with its source in a simple research table.
    Year 8
    Pupils research how one Welsh-made television series was produced and write a short fact file under the headings producer, finance and where it was shown.
    Year 9
    Pupils write a one-page mini case study on a product from a Welsh company such as Bad Wolf, using at least three referenced sources to judge why it succeeded.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Section 3.2, Unit 2: Overview, page 27

    “producing a case study exploring the success of two products produced by a company in Wales”
    Progression step 3

    • I can make use of reference/digital sources to select, summarise and synthesise information, referencing as appropriate.

    • I can collate and make connections, e.g. prioritising, categorising, between information and ideas from different sources including digital and audio-visual texts.

    Progression step 4

    • I can research a wide range of reference and digital sources to develop a full understanding of a topic or issue.

    • I can summarise, synthesise and analyse information to gain in-depth understanding, e.g. of causes, consequences, patterns, using different sources.

    Progression step 5

    • I can independently research a wide range of sources to develop an understanding of an increasingly complex topic or issue.

    • I can use printed and digital texts to search selectively, assessing the reliability, significance and accuracy of what I find.

    • I can write extended pieces which include detailed evidence and information for different purposes and audiences within and across different disciplines.

  3. Writing for a target audience: mission statement, tagline and justification

    Assessed: In coursework (non-examination assessment, NEA)

    Learners propose a new production company with a mission statement, tagline and target audience, then write distribution and exhibition strategies and justify their choices and intended impact. This needs concise persuasive writing alongside clear reasoned justification.

    Literacy: Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context, Vocabulary, spelling, grammar

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils invent a tagline of no more than eight words for a class film and explain in one sentence who it is aimed at.
    Year 8
    Pupils write a three-sentence mission statement for an imaginary Aberdare film company and swap with a partner to check it states purpose, goals and values.
    Year 9
    Pupils plan a local screening event for a short film and write a paragraph justifying the venue, date and poster design for their chosen audience.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, Section 2.1.3, page 21

    “justify the chosen strategies, including the intended impact of the strategies”
    Progression step 3

    • I can adapt my writing style and structure to suit the audience, purpose and context, e.g. suitable balance between facts and viewpoints, a precise conclusion.

    • I can make appropriate choices about vocabulary, idiomatic language and syntax in order to express myself with fluency and clarity for different audiences and purposes.

    Progression step 4

    • I can adapt my writing style, choosing and using the best structures for different contexts and purposes, e.g. to successfully describe, explain, persuade, discuss.

    • I can write about my thoughts, feelings and opinions, using a range of techniques, e.g. emotive language, hyperbole, choice of pronouns (you, we), to show impact.

    Progression step 5

    • I can summarise confidently, adapting style and form for the reader or intended audience and purpose for writing.

    • I can select and use appropriate strategies to plan and develop my writing for a challenging range of different purposes and audiences.

  4. Scripting screenplays and cutscenes

    Assessed: In coursework (non-examination assessment, NEA)

    Unit 3 options include an extract from a screenplay or a script for a cutscene, and all learners plan through scripts and storyboards. Learners must write in script conventions, with dialogue and stage directions that embed genre, representation and narrative devices.

    Literacy: Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context, Punctuation, Connectives and syntax

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils rewrite a short scene from a class novel as a one-page screenplay, setting out scene headings, character names and dialogue correctly.
    Year 8
    Pupils script a 60-second video game cutscene that introduces a hero and a villain, using punctuation such as ellipses and dashes in dialogue to control pace.
    Year 9
    Pupils write a two-page screenplay opening in a set genre, including an inciting incident, then storyboard six key shots from it.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 3, Section 3.1.2, page 23

    “extract from a screenplay”
    Progression step 3

    • I can use and adapt different structures within my writing, e.g. reporting an event, investigation or experiment.

    • I can use a range of punctuation accurately (including apostrophe for possession) to clarify and expand meaning.

    Progression step 4

    • I can adapt my writing style, choosing and using the best structures for different contexts and purposes, e.g. to successfully describe, explain, persuade, discuss.

    • I can use the full range of punctuation accurately (including colons, semicolons and parenthesis) to clarify, organise and expand meaning.

    Progression step 5

    • I can show sustained awareness of different readers by selecting from a range of styles and structures, and adapting my use of language confidently.

    • I can use the full range of punctuation in order to vary pace, clarify meaning, avoid ambiguity and create deliberate effects.

  5. Keeping a reflective log

    Assessed: In coursework (non-examination assessment, NEA)

    Learners produce a reflective log that analyses and evaluates their own work across pre-production, production and post-production, including refinements and appeal to the target audience. Assessment Objective 3 (reflect, analyse and evaluate) carries 30% of the qualification.

    Literacy: Proofreading, editing and improving, Planning and organising for different purposes, audiences and context

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    After filming a short sequence, pupils write three sentences on what worked, what did not and what they would change next time.
    Year 8
    Pupils keep a dated log across a poster project, recording each design change and the feedback that led to it.
    Year 9
    Pupils write a 300-word evaluation of their group teaser, judging how well it meets genre conventions and appeals to its audience, then redraft it after peer feedback.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 3, Section 3.1.3, page 24

    “reflect on, analyse and evaluate their own work throughout the production process”
    Progression step 3

    • I can reflect on, edit and redraft to improve the quality of my expression, and use a range of strategies to ensure greater clarity.

    • I can explore different ways to plan, draft and present my work appropriately.

    Progression step 4

    • I can improve writing through independent review and redrafting.

    • I can select and use appropriate strategies to plan and develop my writing for different purposes and audiences.

    Progression step 5

    • I can improve the content, structure and accuracy of my writing through critical reflection, review and editing, responding constructively to feedback.

    • I can write with maturity about my thoughts, feelings and opinions in increasingly challenging and contentious contexts.

Good to know

Links with other GCSEs

At Key Stage 3 this reading and writing work overlaps closely with English film and media units, and the news reliability work links to Humanities and Digital Technology, so a shared analytical paragraph frame across departments would help.

Source: WJEC GCSE Digital Media and Film specification, teaching from 2026, for award from 2028, Version 2, September 2026.