Make genre theory engaging with this creative and interactive “Genre Cake” worksheet - a fun, visual way for students to explore the codes and conventions of media genres.

Perfect for GCSE Media Studies, this A4 worksheet invites students to treat genre like a recipe: identifying the key ingredients (conventions) and how much of each they need to include in a media product to suit a particular genre.

Students will:

• Select a genre (e.g. horror, sci-fi, rom-com)

• List conventions like setting, character types, music, iconography, themes, narrative structures and tone

• Decide on quantities for each element (e.g. “2 parts suspense, 1 part jump scare”)

• Colour and decorate their genre cake to visually reflect their choices

Extension Task:

• Students can also create a Hybrid Genre Cake, combining two genres (e.g. horror-comedy or sci-fi-action) and adjusting their “ingredients” accordingly - great for critical thinking and genre comparison!

Ideal for:

• Revision of media language and genre theory

• Induction lessons or creative homework

• Extension/enrichment activities

• All exam boards (Eduqas, AQA, OCR)  

Flexible:

• Black-and-white format for easy printing and colouring

• Encourages creative and visual learning

• Suitable for GCSE but flexible enough for KS3 or A Level entry tasks

• Flexible - can be used digitally (via note-taking app) or as a printable worksheet (PNG)

What’s Included: 1 x Genre Cake worksheet with extension task