📚 AS CIE Media Studies: 2026 Exam Changes and Trends | AS CIE 媒体研究：2026年考试变化与趋势
The Cambridge International AS Level Media Studies (9607) examination moves into its second year under the refreshed 2024-2026 syllabus, and the 2026 sitting promises to test a matured understanding of contemporary media. With updated Close Study Products, a sharpened theoretical lens, and a marked shift towards digital convergence and global contexts, students must adapt their revision to emerging patterns. This article unpacks the key exam changes, identifies where candidates typically lose marks, and highlights the trends that will define top-grade answers in 2026.
剑桥国际AS媒体研究（9607）考试进入更新版2024-2026考纲的第二年，2026年考季将检验考生对当代媒体的成熟理解。随着深度研究产品更新、理论视角精细化，以及向数字融合和全球语境的显著转向，学生必须调整复习策略以应对新趋势。本文拆解关键考试变化，指出考生常见的失分点，并突显将决定2026年高分解题的趋势。
1. Introduction to the 2024-2026 Syllabus Update | 2024-2026 考纲更新简介
The current Media Studies syllabus (9607) was refreshed for first examination in 2024, and its architecture remains intact for 2026. Cambridge introduced a new set of Close Study Products (CSPs), refined the list of theoretical perspectives, and recalibrated assessment objectives to reward critical evaluation over description. Crucially, the 2026 examiners will have already assessed one cohort (2024-2025), meaning mark schemes are more stabilised and grade boundaries now reflect the demands of the new content.
当前的媒体研究考纲（9607）为2024年首次考试而更新，其结构将保持至2026年。剑桥引入了一组新的深度研究产品（CSPs），细化了理论视角清单，并重新校准评估目标以奖励批判性评价而非描述。关键的是，2026年考官已评估过一轮（2024-2025年），这意味着评分方案更加稳定，分数线现在反映了新内容的要求。
2. New Close Study Products (CSPs) and Media Forms | 新的深度研究产品与媒体形式
The most tangible change is the replacement of several older CSPs with digital-first and globally diverse texts. Video games such as ‘Fortnite’ and ‘Pokémon Go’ now appear alongside online newspapers like ‘The Guardian’ website and podcasts such as ‘The Daily’. These choices compel candidates to engage with algorithmic culture, user-generated content, and transmedia storytelling. In 2026, a purely textual reading will no longer suffice; students must incorporate institutional and technological perspectives.
最显著的变化是多个旧CSP被数字优先且全球多样化的文本取代。’Fortnite’和’Pokémon Go’等电子游戏，与《卫报》网站等在线报纸以及’The Daily’等播客一同出现。这些选择迫使考生接触算法文化、用户生成内容和跨媒体叙事。在2026年，纯粹的文本解读已不足够；学生必须融入制度和技术的视角。
| Media Form | Example CSP (Previous Cycle) | Example CSP (2024-2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Video Games | ‘The Sims FreePlay’ | ‘Fortnite’ / ‘Pokémon Go’ |
| Online News | ‘The Daily Mail’ (print) | ‘The Guardian’ website |
| Radio/Podcast | ‘BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show’ | ‘The Daily’ podcast |
| Online/Social | ‘Zoella’ blog | ‘Marcus Rashford’ social campaign |
Familiarity with gaming mechanics, podcast narrative structures, and the visual language of digital news platforms will be essential for the 2026 exam. Candidates should build case study files that capture not only textual codes but also audience reception data and industry context.
熟悉游戏机制、播客叙事结构和数字新闻平台的视觉语言对2026年考试至关重要。考生应构建不仅捕获文本代码，还包含受众接收数据和产业背景的案例研究档案。
3. Refined Theoretical Framework | 精细化的理论框架
Classical theorists such as Roland Barthes (semiotics), Tzvetan Todorov (narratology), and Stuart Hall (representation and reception) remain core pillars. However, the 2024-2026 syllabus elevates contemporary voices to analyse digital disruption. David Gauntlett’s work on identity as a fluid, creative project, and Bolter and Grusin’s ‘remediation’ theory are now regularly applied to CSPs. In 2026, exam questions increasingly invite candidates to synthesise multiple theories, for example using both Henry Jenkins’ participatory culture and bell hooks’ intersectional feminism to dissect an online fan community.
罗兰·巴特（符号学）、茨维坦·托多罗夫（叙事学）和斯图尔特·霍尔（再现与接收）等经典理论家仍是核心支柱。然而，2024-2026 考纲提升了当代声音以分析数字颠覆。大卫·冈特利特关于身份作为流动性创意项目的研究，以及博尔特和格鲁辛的’再媒介化’理论现在经常应用于CSP。在2026年，考题越来越要求考生综合多种理论，例如同时运用亨利·詹金斯的参与式文化和贝尔·胡克斯的交织性女权主义来剖析一个在线粉丝社群。
Baudrillard’s concepts of hyperreality and simulacra have also gained traction with the inclusion of virtual gamescapes and AI-generated media. Applicants must avoid merely defining theories; they need to operationalise them, showing how a chosen theory illuminates a specific moment in a media product.
随着虚拟游戏场景和AI生成媒体的纳入，鲍德里亚的超真实和拟像概念也获得了关注。考生必须避免仅仅定义理论；他们需要实践运用，展示所选理论如何阐明媒体产品中的特定时刻。
4. Shifting Assessment Objectives: Evaluation is King | 评估目标偏移：评价为王
Although AO1 (Knowledge and understanding), AO2 (Analysis and interpretation), and AO3 (Judgment and evaluation) persist, the 2026 mark schemes visibly reward AO3. Examiner reports from the early 2024-2025 sittings show that candidates who list features or describe theories without making a sustained evaluative argument remain in the lower mark bands. Questions now routinely carry commands like ‘Evaluate the significance of digital convergence in…’ or ‘To what extent do audiences shape the meaning of…’.
尽管AO1（知识与理解）、AO2（分析与解读）和AO3（判断与评价）继续存在，但2026年评分方案明显奖励AO3。2024-2025年初期考季的考官报告显示，那些罗列特征或描述理论却未形成持续评价性论证的考生仍处于较低分数段。如今，问题常规附有’评价数字融合在……中的重要性’或’在多大程度上受众塑造了……的意义’等指令。
The weighting appears to demand roughly 40-45% of marks for evaluation, compared to an earlier 30% in previous cycles. To answer effectively, candidates should structure each paragraph around a mini-judgment, weighing competing factors (e.g., economic vs. creative control) before reaching a conclusion.
评分权重似乎要求评价占约40-45%的分数，而此前周期约为30%。为有效应答，考生应围绕一个微型判断构建每个段落，在得出结论前权衡竞争因素（如经济控制 vs. 创意控制）。
5. Media Ecology: A Systems-Level Approach | 媒体生态学：系统层面的方法
A defining trend for 2026 is the expectation that students move beyond isolated text analysis to a media-ecology mindset. This means recognising the interconnectedness of platforms, technologies, institutions, and audiences. For instance, when analysing an online newspaper, candidates should discuss how the platform’s algorithmic curation, its ownership by a conglomerate, its reliance on programmatic advertising, and the audience’s second-screening habits all co-construct meaning.
2026年的一个标志性趋势是期望学生超越孤立的文本分析，转向媒体生态学思维。这意味着认识到平台、技术、机构和受众的相互关联。例如，在分析在线报纸时，考生应讨论平台的算法策展、所属集团的拥有权、对程序化广告的依赖以及受众的第二屏幕习惯如何共同构建意义。
By 2026, high-scoring scripts will routinely map the ‘circuit of culture’ (production, consumption, regulation, identity, representation) for each CSP. Students who can trace how a platform’s terms of service (regulation) shape user expression (identity) and content (representation) will demonstrate the systemic insight examiners seek.
到了2026年，高分答卷将常规地为每个CSP绘制’文化循环’（生产、消费、监管、身份、再现）。能够追溯平台服务条款（监管）如何塑造用户表达（身份）和内容（再现）的学生将展现出考官所寻求的系统性洞察。
6. Digital Convergence and Cross-Platform Narratives | 数字融合与跨平台叙事
Convergence is not a new concept, but its depth of treatment in the 2026 exams will be greater. Candidates must be prepared to discuss transmedia storytelling in detail: how a film franchise extends its narrative across a mobile game, a TikTok campaign, and an interactive website. The updated CSPs like ‘Fortnite’ exemplify cultural convergence, where live in-game concerts and cross-brand character skins blur genres and industries.
融合并非新概念，但在2026年考试中对其处理的深度将更大。考生必须准备详细讨论跨媒体叙事：一个电影系列如何将其叙事延伸至手机游戏、TikTok活动和互动网站。更新的CSP如’Fortnite’典范了文化融合，游戏内现场音乐会和跨界角色皮肤模糊了类型和产业界限。
In Component 2 essays, candidates should avoid treating platforms in isolation. A question on news might require a simultaneous analysis of the same story’s treatment on a newspaper website, a Twitter thread, and a push notification alert. 2026 trend analysis shows that answers that synchronise these readings and highlight the platform-specific affordances consistently reach the top mark band.
在Component 2的论文中，考生应避免孤立地处理平台。一道关于新闻的题目可能需要同时分析同一事件在报纸网站、推特帖子和推送通知警报中的处理方式。2026年趋势分析显示，能同步解读并突显平台特定可供性的答案始终达到最高分数段。
7. Globalisation, Cultural Context and Representation | 全球化、文化语境与再现
Cambridge’s selection of CSPs is intentionally global, enabling comparative analysis. The inclusion of products like Al-Jazeera English or a pan-African TV format encourages a postcolonial reading. In 2026, candidates should feel comfortable applying theorists such as Paul Gilroy (diaspora and double consciousness) or Edward Said (Orientalism) to unpack how Western and non-Western media construct ‘the other’.
剑桥对CSP的选择有意具有全球性，以便进行比较分析。纳入如半岛电视台英语频道或泛非电视格式等产品鼓励后殖民解读。在2026年，考生应能自如地运用保罗·吉尔罗伊（流散与双重意识）或爱德华·萨义德（东方主义）等理论家，来拆解西方和非西方媒体如何建构’他者’。
Moreover, representation of identity is shifting from a tick-box exercise to a nuanced discussion of intersectionality. Analysing a social media campaign like Marcus Rashford’s, candidates must consider how race, class, and celebrity intersect, and how the audience’s own positionality influences interpretation. Evidence from relevant audience studies (e.g., Stu Hall’s preferred/negotiated/ oppositional readings) will be needed to ground arguments.
此外，对身份的再现正从打勾式的练习转变为对交织性的细致讨论。在分析像马库斯·拉什福德这样的社交媒体活动时，考生必须考虑种族、阶级和名人身份如何交叉，以及受众自身的位置性如何影响解读。将需要来自相关受众研究（如霍尔的主导/协商/对抗式解读）的证据来支撑论证。
8. The Rise of AI, Deepfakes and Ethical Challenges | 人工智能、深度伪造与伦理挑战的兴起
A frontier topic that will strongly colour 2026 exam questions is the impact of generative artificial intelligence on media industries and truth. Exam boards are increasingly incorporating news articles about AI-generated imagery, synthetic influencers, and algorithmic journalism. Candidates need a firm grasp of media ethics frameworks, including regulatory bodies like IPSO and Ofcom, to debate issues of misinformation, consent, and authenticity.
将强烈影响2026年考题的一个前沿话题是生成式人工智能对媒体产业和真相的影响。考试局正越来越多地纳入关于AI生成图像、合成网红和算法新闻的文章。考生需要牢固掌握媒体伦理框架，包括IPSO和Ofcom等监管机构，以辩论虚假信息、同意和真实性问题。
When discussing online news CSPs, 2026 candidates should be ready to evaluate whether an AI-written news summary on a platform fulfils the public service remit or merely amplifies echo chambers. Linking Baudrillard’s hyperreality to deepfakes can demonstrate exceptionally high-level thinking. Familiarity with concepts like ‘homophily’, ‘filter bubbles’, and ‘engagement metrics’ will set answers apart.
在讨论在线新闻CSP时，2026年考生应准备好评价某个平台上的AI撰写新闻摘要是否履行了公共服务职责，还是仅仅放大了回音室效应。将鲍德里亚的超真实与深度伪造联系起来可以展示出极高水平的思维。熟悉’同质化’、’过滤气泡’和’参与度指标’等概念将使答案脱颖而出。
9. Exam Paper Structure and Command Words in 2026 | 2026年试卷结构与指令词
The basic structure of Component 2 (Media texts and contexts) remains an essay-based paper with three sections spanning media forms. However, the style of questions has matured. 2026 papers are likely to follow the 2024-2025 pattern of using more complex command words: ‘Evaluate’, ‘Assess the contribution’, and ‘Discuss the interplay’ replace simpler ‘Explain’ or ‘Describe’. This means every thesis statement must be debatable.
Component 2（媒体文本与语境）的基本结构仍是一份以论文为基础的试卷，包含三个涉及不同媒体形式的答题部分。然而，问题的
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