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.

Awarding body
WJEC
Level
Level 1 and Level 2
First taught
September 2026
Amount of literacy work
High
Amount of numeracy work
Low
Specification
Open the specification
How this qualification 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 Understanding, response and analysis

  1. Analysing film and video game language

    Assessed: In the exam

    Learners must identify and analyse how mise-en-scène, editing, sound and cinematography construct meaning in set films, a studied video game and an unseen extract in the on-screen examination. This is close reading of moving image texts, using inference to explain effect on audiences.

    Literacy: Understanding, response and analysis, Reading strategies, Listening for meaning

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils watch the first two minutes of a family film twice and annotate three stills, writing one sentence each on what the costume, colour or lighting tells us about a character.
    Year 8
    Pupils analyse a one-minute unseen clip from a Welsh film, explaining in a point, evidence, explain paragraph how one camera angle and one sound choice create tension.
    Year 9
    Pupils answer a timed, exam-style question on an unseen trailer, analysing how editing pace, diegetic and non-diegetic sound and mise-en-scène build meaning for the audience.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Section 1.1.1, page 12

    “how to identify and analyse various aspects of film language and how they help construct meaning”
    Progression step 3

    • I can read closely, identifying and noting features of texts, e.g. introduction, sequence, illustrations, formality, key vocabulary.

    • I can infer ideas which are not explicitly stated, e.g. writer’s viewpoints or attitudes.

    Progression step 4

    • I can gain a full understanding of texts using inference, deduction and analysis.

    • I can understand and analyse general meaning and implied ideas.

    Progression step 5

    • I can analyse and respond to texts and sub-texts, confidently understanding, interpreting and evaluating meaning.

    • I can read closely, analysing the content, language and impact of texts to deepen my understanding.

    • I can employ a range of strategies to understand, predict and evaluate meaning and implied ideas in a wide range of situations.

  2. 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.

  3. Judging reliability in online news and social media

    Assessed: In the exam

    Learners study fake news, misinformation, citizen journalism and how the same news event is represented across digital platforms. They must read digital texts critically, separating fact and evidence from bias and judging reliability.

    Literacy: Understanding, response and analysis, Reading strategies

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils sort statements from a mocked-up post about a local event into fact, opinion and rumour and explain which clue gave each away.
    Year 8
    Pupils compare how a BBC Cymru Wales article and a user post report the same news story, highlighting loaded words and listing what each leaves out.
    Year 9
    Pupils track one current news event across a news website, a broadcast clip and a citizen journalist post, and write a short verdict on which is most reliable and why.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, Section 1.3.2, page 16

    “what misinformation is and how it spreads on social media”
    Progression step 3

    • I can distinguish between facts, theories and opinions.

    • I can use inference and deduction to understand the text, and can consider the reliability of what I read.

    Progression step 4

    • I can distinguish between facts/evidence and bias/arguments.

    • I can evaluate the usefulness and reliability of texts.

    Progression step 5

    • I can understand and explore in detail how texts may be interpreted, distinguishing between facts/evidence and bias/arguments.

    • I can confidently evaluate the purpose, impact and reliability of texts.

  4. 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.

  5. Performing voiceovers, adverts and presenter pieces

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

    The audio-visual or audio production options include an influencer extract and a radio or podcast audio advert, which need scripted speech delivered with clear expression for a target audience. Collaboration and giving and receiving feedback are also named learning experiences.

    Literacy: Clarity and vocabulary, Understanding, response and analysis

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils read a film trailer voiceover script aloud in pairs, marking where to pause and which words to stress, then record it.
    Year 8
    Pupils record a 30-second podcast advert for a school film club, adapting tone and vocabulary for Year 6 listeners.
    Year 9
    Pupils present a one-minute pitch for a new streaming series in role as a presenter, then take two questions from the class.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

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

    “radio/podcast audio advert”
    Progression step 3

    • I can speak clearly, recognising the appropriate language for different audiences and purposes, and varying my expression, vocabulary, tone and gestures to engage the audience.

    • I can read a wide range of texts aloud with expression, varying intonation, voice and pace.

    Progression step 4

    • I can speak clearly, selecting and adapting my language appropriately for a range of audiences and purposes, conveying meaning effectively to the audience.

    • I can convey meaning convincingly in a range of contexts so that the audience is fully engaged.

    Progression step 5

    • I can speak fluently and confidently, using a range of techniques, expressions and gestures.

    • I can present ideas and issues to meet the demands of different audiences.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

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.