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2026 VCE Media exam: What to learn from last year's mistakes
Hi all, in preparation for the upcoming exam, here's what to learn from last year's mistakes.
These are the 2025 questions I would redo first.
Section A, Q10: average 2.9/6; scored zero 7%; full marks 4%.
Section B, Q2: average 7.9/15; scored zero 3%; full marks 0.7%.
Section A, Q7: average 2.2/4; scored zero 4%; full marks 8%.
Section B, Q1: average 8.5/15; scored zero 3%; full marks 1%.
Section A, Q9: average 2.9/5; scored zero 4%; full marks 9%.
VCAA's figures are rounded. These are question averages, not study scores.
1. Section A Q10: Name what the institution actually does
Where students went wrong
Students gave broad comments about globalisation without explaining a practice used by a named globalised media institution.
What they should have done
Choose a real practice and explain how it affects audiences. For example, a platform using viewing history to recommend content can make particular texts more visible and encourage continued viewing. Identify the platform, the information used, the mechanism and its effect. Saying Netflix is global does not explain a practice.
2. Section A Q7: Feedback has to change the production
Where students went wrong
Some answers collected feedback after distribution. Others said they would ask people whether they liked the work, without explaining what would happen next.
What they should have done
Use post-production feedback while changes are still possible. For a rough cut, ask members of the intended audience whether they understand a character’s motivation at a particular moment. If the edit makes that unclear, adjust shot order or duration and test it again. Explain the link between the feedback, the editing decision and the intended audience response.
3. Section A Q9: A theory is not evidence that influence occurred
Where students went wrong
Answers relied on personal anecdotes, old examples or a theory presented as proof of a contemporary influence.
What they should have done
Give a specific contemporary case: the media text or campaign, its audience, the response being claimed and the evidence for that response. Separate exposure from a demonstrated change in behaviour or attitude. View counts can show reach, but they do not by themselves establish that everyone was persuaded. Use the evidence to explain the extent of influence.
4. Section B Q1: Analyse two sequences closely
Where students went wrong
Students summarised the whole narrative, added too many scenes, or discussed codes and narrative conventions separately without explaining how they worked together.
What they should have done
Pick two precise sequences and examine how the selected codes and conventions construct meaning together. For instance, restricted narration can withhold information while framing and sound direct suspicion towards a character. Identify what the audience knows at that moment and how the construction shapes their interpretation. A list of close-ups and music needs that explanation.
5. Section B Q2: Answer the regulation debate in the prompt
Where students went wrong
Responses became personal opinions about social media or repeated regulation facts without engaging with the supplied comments about age restrictions.
What they should have done
Use the comments to establish the issue, then explain the relevant stakeholders’ interests and the practical problem of regulation. For example, a regulator may seek enforceable age restrictions while a platform must decide how to verify age and manage users’ information. Discuss the tension and the limits of implementation using your studied evidence. Do not replace the question with a general essay about whether social media is good or bad.
Source: VCAA 2025 Media examination report: source. Averages and percentages above are VCAA's published, rounded figures; the explanations are my paraphrases.
Use the VCE Media hub and past papers and examiner reports alongside this.
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