Practicing PEE Paragraphs for 12 Mark Questions
One of the main problems with 12 mark answers was the notion of evaluation.
In an attempt to encourage you to consider both sides of an argument, we are going to look at two texts from a past paper, as well as some more recent examples.
MEST3 2013 - Q3
Is the media able to challenge traditional representations of femininity? You should refer to other media products to support your answer.
Examiners Report...
Femininity as a social construction. Explored how femininity was a contested idea, with different views about what femininity is, and how they have changed over time...
Traditional media representations of Women…
- Women being represented as objects and sexualised that was used to attract audiences and sell products
- Women in secondary roles with little power in the product’s representation or in the narrative
- Women defined by their relationship to men, as mothers, partners etc.
The complex representation of femininity…
Higher level answers debated examples that suggested traditional representations were being challenged and examples that suggested they weren’t
There were lots of good up to date and topical examples to support points. The Olympics and BBC coverage was the most popular example. Historical TV dramas such as Downton Abbey and Call The Midwife, TV dramas such as Casualty and Holby City, plus a range of crime drama. Individual adverts such as the ASDA Christmas advert, the John Lewis advert used in the AS exam. Music videos, such as Rihanna and Beyonce. Celebrity and lifestyle magazines. Page 3 in The Sun and men’s magazines such as Zoo and FHM.
Higher level examples explored the contradictions in one text, for example action film heroines and video games. Theories that were successfully used were a range of feminist theories such as Mulvey, Butler etc. Good students also showed an understanding of the concept of feminism and could produce good answer without necessarily needing lots of theory.
Task 1
Identifying what ‘traditional representations of women’ are...
Traditional media representations of Women…
- Women being represented as objects and sexualised that was used to attract audiences and sell products
- Women in secondary roles with little power in the product’s representation or in the narrative
- Women defined by their relationship to men, as mothers, partners etc.
- List connotations often used to describe traditional representations of women…
- Provide as many examples from recent media texts as you can…
Task 2
Identifying what ‘countertype representations of women’ are...
- Higher level answers acknowledged the historically complex representation of femininity…
- They debated examples that suggested traditional representations were being challenged and examples that suggested they weren’t
- List the connotations often used to describe ‘countertype’ or atypical representations of women…
- Provide as many examples from recent media texts as you can…
- What is the danger in relying on these ‘new’ representations?
Task 3
PEE Paragraph responses to the question. Suggested structure…
The media is able to challenge traditional representations of femininity.
One example...
Another example...
Another example…
However, the media is not able to challenge traditional representations of femininity.
One example...
Another example...
Another example…
