Extended response and synopticity

Overview

Sustaining an argument, drawing the four areas together, and using close study products as evidence rather than description.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What does the specification require of extended responses?

   Model answer

   That students write at length in answer to some questions, developing a sustained argument rather than offering brief or listed points.

2. 2

   What does synopticity mean in this specification?

   Model answer

   The ability to draw together knowledge, skills and understanding from across the whole course rather than treating each area separately.

3. 3

   Why does an extended response need a line of argument rather than a series of observations?

   Model answer

   Because credit is given for developing and sustaining a position, so accumulated points that do not build towards a conclusion score less than an argued case.

4. 4

   How can a student demonstrate synopticity in an answer about media language?

   Model answer

   By connecting the analysis to the industry conditions that shaped the product, the audience it addresses and the contexts bearing on it, rather than confining the answer to textual features.

5. 5

   Why is the relationship between the four areas of the framework important for synoptic answers?

   Model answer

   Because industry decisions shape representation, representation shapes audience response, and audience expectation shapes media language, so the areas explain one another.

6. 6

   How should theory be used in an extended response?

   Model answer

   As a tool for analysing the product in question, applied to specific detail, rather than summarised for its own sake.

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