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No, the title is, for the most part, not an exaggeration. As everyone who has to take English Language A levels this year knows, this is a new syllabus with new papers added where CIE has completely shrugged off their responsibility to provide study resources for the knowledge they'll expect.
Its not exactly unheard of for CIE to make teachers livid in their examiner reports when stating their disappointment at students that didn't study for a certain sub-topic that they never even explained was required(since my next paper is Chem, comparing MRI with X-rays is just one example that comes to mind) or had provided any sort of reasonable elaboration or sources for what exactly they were asking for.
In English Language 9093, this is the case. There are no books that are listed as recommended reading. There is no support booklet. There is no official hint from examiners or acknowledgement from CIE that perhaps people don't know what they should study or where they should study from.
For 9093's new Paper 3, this is forgivable. Maybe most of the format is a repeat of Paper 1 and asides from practice material, there's not much CIE could give anyway, since it tests our own comprehension abilities.
Paper 4, though, is a content based one where you need prior knowledge and good overview of study material. The problem is... we don't have any.
CIE explicitly mentions in the 9093 syllabus: "Each question will incorporate a short stimulus relating to the topic area. Candidates will be expected to refer to this and to their own wider reading and research in answering." Paper 4 includes 3 sub-topics with a number of relevant areas of study included in each. Many of the mentioned areas for study include things that can cover multiple comprehensive books individually. The level of detail as relevant to the syllabus is completely unknown. And in any case, we have absolutely no idea what resources to use in the first place.
Consider: the average amount we're expected to write in the other three papers is about (give or take) 500-900 words for every hour we're given(minus 15 minutes for reading). Logically, given the similar format, paper 4 is probably the same. The difference is, you're not allowed to make stuff up. That's 500-900 words of guesswork and students nervously wracking their brains to relate a range of things they read online to the given passage. All the while having no idea exactly HOW to present and structure their answers.
Content-based papers like world history or economics or sociology where students tried this approach would promptly be given a U and binned.
As of now, Paper 4 is 22 days away. CIE probably won't help us, but PLEASE lets help each other (Though I encourage you to email them. Link this post if its convenient, I really just want them to get a flood of emails. If nothing else, maybe they'll consider our legitimate complaint when grading our papers.)
If any of you have resources you've found useful that relate to the subject matter. SHARE THEM HERE. Seriously, we will all be extremely grateful. Dump everything you think is good and likely to help.
And if CIE really is led back to this thread, I want to say, we are not making excuses; we are all studying, and are going to use this thread to do so as well, despite your negligence and complete lack of responsibility with the syllabus you're offering, but we also want to protest how anxious you're making us, and the burden you're placing on students, especially private candidates with having to completely guess when studying.
This is a full quarter of our grade that most of us are going to flunk if our fears turn out to be true. Please take notice and respond in an official way.
Its not exactly unheard of for CIE to make teachers livid in their examiner reports when stating their disappointment at students that didn't study for a certain sub-topic that they never even explained was required(since my next paper is Chem, comparing MRI with X-rays is just one example that comes to mind) or had provided any sort of reasonable elaboration or sources for what exactly they were asking for.
In English Language 9093, this is the case. There are no books that are listed as recommended reading. There is no support booklet. There is no official hint from examiners or acknowledgement from CIE that perhaps people don't know what they should study or where they should study from.
For 9093's new Paper 3, this is forgivable. Maybe most of the format is a repeat of Paper 1 and asides from practice material, there's not much CIE could give anyway, since it tests our own comprehension abilities.
Paper 4, though, is a content based one where you need prior knowledge and good overview of study material. The problem is... we don't have any.
CIE explicitly mentions in the 9093 syllabus: "Each question will incorporate a short stimulus relating to the topic area. Candidates will be expected to refer to this and to their own wider reading and research in answering." Paper 4 includes 3 sub-topics with a number of relevant areas of study included in each. Many of the mentioned areas for study include things that can cover multiple comprehensive books individually. The level of detail as relevant to the syllabus is completely unknown. And in any case, we have absolutely no idea what resources to use in the first place.
Consider: the average amount we're expected to write in the other three papers is about (give or take) 500-900 words for every hour we're given(minus 15 minutes for reading). Logically, given the similar format, paper 4 is probably the same. The difference is, you're not allowed to make stuff up. That's 500-900 words of guesswork and students nervously wracking their brains to relate a range of things they read online to the given passage. All the while having no idea exactly HOW to present and structure their answers.
Content-based papers like world history or economics or sociology where students tried this approach would promptly be given a U and binned.
As of now, Paper 4 is 22 days away. CIE probably won't help us, but PLEASE lets help each other (Though I encourage you to email them. Link this post if its convenient, I really just want them to get a flood of emails. If nothing else, maybe they'll consider our legitimate complaint when grading our papers.)
If any of you have resources you've found useful that relate to the subject matter. SHARE THEM HERE. Seriously, we will all be extremely grateful. Dump everything you think is good and likely to help.
And if CIE really is led back to this thread, I want to say, we are not making excuses; we are all studying, and are going to use this thread to do so as well, despite your negligence and complete lack of responsibility with the syllabus you're offering, but we also want to protest how anxious you're making us, and the burden you're placing on students, especially private candidates with having to completely guess when studying.
This is a full quarter of our grade that most of us are going to flunk if our fears turn out to be true. Please take notice and respond in an official way.
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Just try and see if its possible, ok?