📚 2026 CAIE A-Level Media Studies: Exam Changes and Trends | 2026年CAIE A-Level媒体研究：考试变化与趋势
As we approach 2026, the CAIE A-Level Media Studies (9607) syllabus is poised for its next major update, reflecting the rapidly evolving media landscape. This article unpacks the anticipated exam changes, content shifts, and assessment trends that Year 13 students need to master.
随着2026年的临近，CAIE A-Level媒体研究（9607）大纲即将迎来新一轮重大更新，以反映快速变化的媒体格局。本文将解析预计的考试变化、内容调整和评估趋势，这些是Year 13学生必须掌握的关键。
1. Introduction to the 2026 Syllabus Update | 2026年大纲更新简介
The current 9607 syllabus (2023–2025) has provided a strong foundation, but the 2026–2028 specification introduces key revisions to ensure relevance. The update responds to the dominance of streaming, social media, and participatory culture, reshaping both exam content and the Non-Exam Assessment (NEA).
现行9607大纲（2023–2025年）奠定了坚实基础，但2026–2028年方案引入了关键修订以保持时效性。此次更新回应了流媒体、社交媒体和参与式文化的主导地位，重塑了考试内容与非考试评估（NEA）。
Students will still engage with media language, representation, industries, and audiences, but new compulsory media forms and cross-media case studies will be introduced. A greater emphasis on global media systems and ethical dilemmas around AI-generated content is also expected.
学生仍将学习媒体语言、再现、产业和受众，但将引入新的必考媒介形式和跨媒体案例研究。预计也会更加重视全球媒体系统以及围绕人工智能生成内容的伦理困境。
2. New Media Forms and Compulsory Products | 新媒介形式与必考产品
Under the 2026 syllabus, video games, podcasts, and online influencer content are likely to become compulsory study areas, replacing some legacy print products. This shift acknowledges that young audiences consume media primarily through digital and interactive platforms.
根据2026年大纲，电子游戏、播客和网络红人内容很可能成为必修学习领域，取代部分传统印刷产品。这一转变承认了年轻受众主要通过数字和互动平台消费媒体。
For example, an in-depth analysis of a AAA video game’s narrative, marketing, and audience engagement will replace older film case studies. Podcasts will be examined as a form of intimate, on-demand audio media, requiring students to apply theories of sound and storytelling.
例如，对一款3A级电子游戏的叙事、营销和受众参与的深入分析将取代旧的电影案例研究。播客将被视为一种亲密、按需的音频媒体形式进行考察，要求学生运用声音和叙事理论。
Teachers should encourage learners to compare the user engagement models of Spotify podcasts versus traditional radio, fostering critical thinking about audience interaction and the personalisation of content.
教师应鼓励学习者比较Spotify播客与传统广播的用户参与模式，培养对受众互动和内容个性化方面的批判性思维。
3. The Rise of Participatory and Algorithmic Culture | 参与式与算法文化的兴起
The 2026 exams will place heavier focus on how algorithms shape media consumption. Students must analyse TikTok’s recommendation engine and its impact on personalised content feeds, applying concepts from Jenkins, Shirky, and Hall.
2026年考试将更加侧重算法如何塑造媒体消费。学生必须分析TikTok的推荐引擎及其对个性化内容推送的影响，运用詹金斯、舍基和霍尔的概念。
Media fandom, user-generated content, and the blurring line between producer and consumer (‘prosumer’) will be key exam topics. Candidates should be ready to discuss how participatory culture challenges traditional media gatekeeping and copyright norms.
媒体粉丝社群、用户生成内容以及生产者与消费者之间界限的模糊（’产销者’）将是关键的考试主题。考生应准备讨论参与式文化如何挑战传统的媒体把关和版权规范。
The concept of ‘context collapse’ in networked publics, where multiple social circles converge on a single platform, will appear in case studies about Twitter/X controversies and YouTube’s comment moderation systems.
网络公众中’语境崩解’的概念——即多重社交圈汇聚于单一平台——将出现在关于Twitter/X争议和YouTube评论审核系统的案例研究中。
4. Cross-Media Convergence and Synergy | 跨媒体融合与协同效应
Examiners will expect sophisticated analysis of cross-media campaigns. A single media brand now extends across film, streaming, social media, merchandise, and theme parks. The 2026 syllabus formalises this by requiring students to study a ‘significant cross-media platform’ as a set product.
考官将期望对跨媒体宣传活动进行深入分析。如今，单一媒体品牌会延伸至电影、流媒体、社交媒体、周边商品和主题公园。2026年大纲正式将此纳入，要求学生研究一个’重要的跨媒体平台’作为指定产品。
For instance, a case study on how Disney leverages synergy between Disney+ series, cinema releases, and experiences will demand application of Curran and Seaton’s theories on ownership and Hesmondhalgh on cultural industries.
例如，关于迪士尼如何利用Disney+剧集、影院上映与体验之间的协同效应的案例研究，将要求运用柯伦和西顿的所有权理论以及赫斯蒙德哈尔的文化产业理论。
Students will also need to deconstruct the promotional strategies of franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, tracing how trailer releases tie into social media hype and fan-generated paratexts.
学生还需要解构漫威电影宇宙等系列的推广策略，追踪预告片发布如何与社交媒体热议及粉丝生成的副文本关联。
5. Shifting Terrain of Media Representation | 媒体再现的变迁领域
Diversity, inclusion, and stereotype subversion are already central, but 2026 pushes further into intersectionality and global representation. Products from Global South media producers will be placed alongside Western texts to challenge Eurocentric perspectives.
多样性、包容性与刻板印象颠覆已处于核心位置，但2026年进一步向交叉性与全球再现推进。来自全球南方媒体生产者的产品将与西方文本并列，以挑战欧洲中心视角。
Students must be able to apply theories of representation (e.g., bell hooks, Stuart Hall, Gauntlett) to analyse how media constructs race, gender, and class across different cultural contexts. The examination may include unseen texts from Korean cinema or Latin American streaming series.
学生必须能够运用再现理论（如贝尔·胡克斯、斯图亚特·霍尔、冈特莱特）分析媒体如何在不同文化语境中建构种族、性别和阶级。考试可能包括韩国电影或拉丁美洲流媒体剧集的陌生文本。
Encoding/decoding models will be revisited through the lens of globalised media flows, asking why a K-pop video might be read oppositionally in one cultural setting while being negotiated in another.
编码/解码模型将通过全球化媒体流动的视角重新审视，探讨为何一个K-pop视频在一种文化环境中会被对抗性解读，而在另一种中会被协商性解读。
6. Regulation, Ethics and Misinformation | 监管、伦理与假信息
The digital age brings complex regulatory challenges. The 2026 specification will test students’ understanding of how platform governance, fact-checking, and AI moderation are replacing state censorship in many contexts.
数字时代带来了复杂的监管挑战。2026年方案将考察学生对平台治理、事实核查和人工智能审核如何在许多语境中取代国家审查的理解。
Case studies will likely include Meta’s Oversight Board and the EU’s Digital Services Act. Ethical debates around deepfakes, sponsored content on Instagram, and data privacy form new fertile ground for essay questions requiring students to propose responsible solutions.
案例研究可能包括Meta的监督委员会和欧盟《数字服务法案》。围绕深度伪造、Instagram赞助内容以及数据隐私的伦理辩论，构成了论文题目的新沃土，要求学生提出负责任的解决方案。
There will also be an emphasis on misinformation ecosystems, examining why health hoaxes on WhatsApp proliferate and how the BBC’s Verify initiative attempts to rebuild trust through transparent journalistic processes.
还将侧重假信息生态系统，研究为何WhatsApp上的健康骗局会大量传播，以及BBC的Verify项目如何试图通过透明的新闻流程重建信任。
7. Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) Overhaul | 非考试评估（NEA）重大改革
The creative production component is expected to undergo the most radical change. Instead of a single magazine cover or music video, the 2026 NEA may require a cross-media campaign covering at least two platforms.
创意制作部分预计将经历最彻底的变革。2026年的NEA可能不再要求单一的杂志封面或音乐视频，而是要求一个覆盖至少两个平台的跨媒体宣传活动。
Students might be asked to design a podcast episode and its accompanying social media promotion, or a teaser website for a new video game. Digital convergence must be evidenced, with reflective commentary demonstrating critical self-evaluation of production choices.
学生可能被要求设计一集播客及其配套的社交媒体推广，或一个关于新电子游戏的先导网站。必须体现数字融合，并附有反思性评论，展示对制作选择的批判性自我评估。
The marking criteria will also evolve to reward innovation in format and genuine audience engagement strategies, such as incorporating interactive elements or live streaming concepts into the production piece.
评分标准也将演变，以奖励形式创新和真实的受众参与策略，例如将互动元素或直播概念融入制作作品之中。
8. Assessment Objectives (AOs) and Weighting Adjustments | 评估目标（AOs）与权重调整
While the four AOs remain (AO1: Demonstrate knowledge, AO2: Apply knowledge, AO3: Evaluate, AO4: Create), their weighting in the written papers may shift. AO3 (Evaluate and analyse) could carry 40% of the total marks, up from the current 30%, rewarding critical judgement over recall.
尽管四个评估目标保持不变（AO1：展示知识，AO2：应用知识，AO3：评估，AO4：创作），但它们在笔试中的权重可能会调整。AO3（评估与分析）可能占总分的40%，高于目前的30%，更侧重于批判性判断而非记忆。
Furthermore, Paper 1 (Media Messages) may incorporate more unseen analysis, while Paper 2 (Media Ecosystems) becomes a deep-dive essay paper with longer, synoptic questions that require linking multiple theoretical perspectives.
此外，Paper 1（媒体信息）可能纳入更多陌生文本分析，而Paper 2（媒体生态系统）将成为深度论述卷，包含更长的综合性问题，要求联系多种理论观点。
Time management strategies will need recalibration; the 2026 Paper 2 could feature two 30-mark essays instead of the traditional four-part structure, placing a premium on sustained analytical argumentation.
时间管理策略需要重新调整；2026年的Paper 2可能设置两道30分的论述题，取代传统的四部分结构，从而更加重视持续的分析论证。
9. Key Theoretical Framework Updates | 关键理论框架更新
The core theorists (Todorov, Levi-Strauss, Barthes, Hall, etc.) stay, but new voices like Ruha Benjamin on race and technology, and Sarah Banet-Weiser on brands and authenticity, are likely to be added to the prescribed list.
核心理论家（托多罗夫、列维-斯特劳斯、巴特、霍尔等）保留，但新的声音如鲁哈·本杰明（种族与技术）和萨拉·班特-维瑟（品牌与真实性）可能会被添加到指定名单中。
Students will also need to engage with post-digital theory, exploring how the digital has become so embedded in everyday life that it is no longer a separate sphere. This challenges binary thinking around ‘online vs offline’ media.
学生还需要接触后数字理论，探索数字如何如此深度嵌入日常生活而不再是一个独立领域。这挑战了关于’线上与线下’媒体的二元思维。
In addition, the political economy of platforms will be examined through the lens of Smicek’s ‘platform capitalism’, linking economic models to issues of data extraction and precarious creative labour.
此外，平台的政治经济学将通过斯尔尼切克的’平台资本主义’视角进行考察，将经济模式与数据提取和脆弱的创造性劳动问题联系起来。
10. Comparative Analysis and Unseen Preparation | 比较分析与陌生文本准备
Expect an increased number of comparative questions in both examination papers. In 2026, you may be asked to compare a 1990s magazine advert with a contemporary Instagram carousel, discussing shifts in representation and visual coding.
预计两篇试卷中的比较性问题都会增多。2026年，你可能需要比较一则20世纪90年代的杂志广告与当代Instagram轮播图，讨论再现与视觉编码的变迁。
To prepare, practice timed analysis of unfamiliar media—old films, viral tweets, virtual reality experiences—using a structured framework (institution, language, ideology). Develop the skill of pattern spotting across different historical periods and digital platforms.
为准备，需计时分析不熟悉的媒体——老电影、病毒式推文、虚拟现实体验——使用结构化框架（机构、语言、意识形态）。培养在不同历史时期和数字平台中发现模式的技能。
Creating a personal anthology of contrasting media texts, annotated with key terms and applied theories, will help build the analytical fluency required for unseen timed essays.
创建一部附有关键术语和应用理论注释的对比媒体文本个人选集，将有助于培养限时陌生文本论文所需的分析流畅度。
11. Trends in Media Ownership and Production | 媒体所有权与生产趋势
The 2026 spec deepens the exploration of monopoly and platformisation. Students must understand how Amazon’s ownership of MGM and Twitch creates vertical integration, shaping access to content and labour conditions for creators.
2026年方案深化了对垄断与平台化的探索。学生必须理解亚马逊对米高梅和Twitch的所有权如何形成垂直整合，塑造内容获取与创作者的劳动条件。
Independent production and public service broadcasting (PSB) remain crucial counterpoints. You should be able to articulate the value of PSB in an era of algorithmically driven entertainment, using the BBC as a case study and discussing its digital transformation via BBC Sounds and iPlayer.
独立制作与公共服务广播（PSB）仍然是关键的对照。你应能阐述在算法驱动娱乐时代公共服务广播的价值，以BBC为案例研究，并讨论其通过BBC Sounds和iPlayer进行的数字化转型。
New production models are also emerging; consider how Netflix’s shift from licensing to in-house original content affects diversity of suppliers, and what this means for risk-taking in storytelling.
新的制作模式也在涌现；思考一下Netflix从授权转向
Published by TutorHao | Year 13 媒体 Revision Series | aleveler.com
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