The CCEA GCE Journalism in the Media and Communications Industry specification is unique in the UK, giving students the opportunity to develop advanced journalistic skills through hands-on learning in the craft of writing and presenting on a range of digital platforms.

Students develop the knowledge, understanding and skills required to work in the field of journalism and gain the opportunity to apply themselves in a variety of roles, including researcher, photographer and subeditor.

Students develop advanced study skills and engage with key concepts in preparation for their examination, including featured essay topics such as law, regulation and ethics and citizen journalism.

This specification is available at two levels: AS and A2. Students can take the AS units plus the A2 units for a full GCE A level qualification. They can also choose to take the AS course as a stand-alone qualification.

In the AS units, students learn to apply their writing skills in tasks such as hard news, subediting and PR.

Students who continue to A2 extend their study to a wider range of journalistic platforms, including additional and more advanced analysis of ideology, representation and values.

The specification has four units:

• Unit AS 1: Journalism in Print
• Unit AS 2: Print Portfolio
• Unit A2 1: Cross-Platform Journalism and Digital Interactivity
• Unit A2 2: Online Print and Broadcast Feature Portfolio.