Critical Investigation Checklist

  

BEFORE you proceed with planning your Linked Production, you must do a Critical Investigation 'health check.'

Basically, is your research paper fit for purpose?  Assess your current proposal by addressing the following warnings, and then self assess your idea using the checklist.

DO NOT start your thought process with "I want to make a..."

This is a classic mistake students make, which leaves them blind-sighted for the long term point of the whole assessment.  The link between their research and production midway through September is weak or non-existent, meaning they can not get into the high level bands.

You MUST have real word, existing texts at the core of your research investigation...

These real world texts are your absolute starting point.  As above, do not start with "I want to make a..." & go from there.  Start with "These are two media texts I find interesting, and this is what I am going to investigate."

Ensure your question title follows the preferred format...

AQA have provided a list of desired questions, and we have provided it to you.  Ensure your question follows this format.  Take one and rewrite it if necessary.  Boring and often repeated questions will be rejected.  Questions that cover no new ground will be rejected.  Questions that do not allow for investigation will be rejected.

Check list:

• Does it allow students to explore the 5 Key Concepts? (form, audience, institution, representation,

• Does it negotiate an issue and/or debate?

• Is it contemporary?

• Is there a list of text(s)?

• Does it go beyond MEST3 topic areas?

• Is it synoptic?

• Does it answer the question ‘why’ rather than ‘how’?

• Does it encourage independent research and critical autonomy?

• Is it truly individual?

• Does it avoid the cliché – (women in the media, etc.)?

• Would it end up just being a list of facts?