Set product update for GCSE Media Studies
24 June 2025
This update was first published on 20 February 2025. We can now confirm the GCSE Media Studies (J200/02) set product material for first teach September 2025.
In December 2024, Tortoise Media announced it had bought The Observer from The Guardian Media Group and The Scott Trust (GMG/Scott Trust).
As a set media product for our GCSE Media Studies J200/02: Music and News, we confirm the teaching arrangements below.
June 2026 exam series
For the June 2026 exam series, the unseen extracts will be taken from The Observer before its sale. We therefore recommend these students are familiar with the Observer’s media material whilst under its previous ownership, ‘GMG/Scott Trust’.
Candidates will still be credited for referring to the ownership of The Observer as ‘GMG/Scott Trust’ in the June 2026 assessments.
First teach September 2025
From first teach September 2025, we confirm teachers can use the materials from Tortoise Media for The Observer to teach the Music and News component (J200/02). First assessment will take place in June 2027 for this set product material.
Online set product links
Tortoise Media has launched a new website and social media feeds for The Observer. You can view the online set product at: https://observer.co.uk/.
The social and participatory set media products are available at:
To reflect the details above, we are updating the specification for GCSE Media Studies. We will provide a link to this as soon as it’s available.
If you have any queries about this update, please call our Customer Support Centre on 01223 553998 or email us at media@ocr.org.uk.
Qualification