Latest news with #WaqarMalik
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Overloaded UK teens turn to TikTok ‘fortune tellers' for exam tips; teachers aren't convinced
LONDON, Aug 15 — Posing as a fortune teller on his YouTube channel, former teacher Waqar Malik tells thousands of followers that he can predict this year's exam questions. He is among online study influencers gaining popularity among stressed British teenagers in search of exam success. But educators and examiners are concerned some pupils are relying too much on online advice. Malik posts videos on TikTok and YouTube forecasting questions on classic English literature for the UK GCSE school exam taken at 16. Last year 'I predicted the entire paper,' he says on his popular 'Mr Everything English' channel. Malik, who says he is a former assistant head teacher, notes that he is just making an 'educated guess', but educators remain concerned. Screenshot of UK-based tutor Waqar Malik whose 'Mr Everything English' posts on YouTube and TikTok has become a go-to for students preparing for their GCSE exams. 'If you are a 15- or 16- year-old doing your GCSEs and you've got somebody in your phone who's telling you 'this is what the English exam is going to be about'... that is so appealing,' said Sarah Brownsword, an assistant professor in education at the University of East Anglia. After British pupils sat their exams in May, some complained that Malik's predictions were wrong. 'Never listening to you again bro,' one wrote, while others said they were 'cooked' (done for) and would have to work in a fast food restaurant. With GCSE results set to be released on August 21, one exam board, AQA, has warned of 'increasing reliance on certain online revision channels'. 'Clearly this is an important source of revision and support for students,' it said. But the examiners want 'your interpretation of the texts you have studied, not some stranger's views on social media'. 'Looking for help' Students are overloaded, school leaders say. 'With so much content to cover and revise in every subject it can be completely overwhelming,' Sarah Hannafin, head of policy for the school leaders' union NAHT, told AFP. 'And so it is unsurprising that young people are looking for anything to help them to cope.' Malik, whose prediction video has been viewed on YouTube 290,000 times, did not respond to a request for comment. Brownsword praised TikTok, where she posts grammar videos for student teachers, saying: 'You can learn about anything and watch videos about absolutely anything'. Teachers have always flagged questions that could come up, she said, but predicting exam questions online is 'really tricky'. 'But I think there's a real difference between doing that and doing it on such a scale, when you've got thousands or tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of followers online.' Other content creators defended such videos, however. 'Those kind of videos were never to mislead,' said Tilly Taylor, a university student posting TikTok videos with candid revision advice to 100,000 followers. 'I make it very clear in my videos that these are predictions,' based on past papers and examiners' reports, said Taylor, who appeals to younger viewers with her fashionable eye makeup. Other content creators sell predicted papers 'all the time,' Taylor said, but 'I don't think it's right.' Other educational influencers were more in favour. 'If you're marketing it as a predicted paper, that's completely fine... you just can't say guaranteed paper,' said Ishaan Bhimjiyani, 20, who has over 400,000 TikTok followers. He promoted a site offering an English predicted paper for £1.99 ($2.70) with a 'history of 60-70 percent accuracy'. 'It took off' Predicted papers allow you to 'check whether you're actually prepared for the exam', said Jen, a creator and former teacher who posts as Primrose Kitten and declined to give her surname. Her site charges £4.99 for an English predicted paper and includes a video on phrasing to score top marks. Bhimjiyani, who went to a private school, started posting on TikTok at 16, saying he was 'documenting my journey, posting about how I revise'. 'And then it kind of took off.' He founded an educational influencer agency, Tap Lab, that now represents over 100 bloggers in their mid-teens to mid-20s. Influencers earn most from paid promotions – for recruiters or beauty or technology brands – which must be labelled as such, he said. Bhimjiyani made £5,000 with his first such video. Taylor said she recently promoted student accommodation. No one explained 'how do you actually revise', Taylor said of her school years. So she turned to YouTube for ideas. 'I wanted to help someone like myself,' she said, 'who couldn't necessarily afford to go to private school or have private tuition.' — AFP
Straits Times
4 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
Stressed UK teens seek influencers' help for exams success
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Online study influencers are gaining popularity among stressed British teenagers in search of exam success. LONDON - Posing as a fortune teller on his YouTube channel, former teacher Waqar Malik tells thousands of followers that he can predict this year's exam questions. He is among online study influencers gaining popularity among stressed British teenagers in search of exam success. But educators and examiners are concerned some pupils are relying too much on online advice. Mr Malik posts videos on TikTok and YouTube forecasting questions on classic English literature for the UK GCSE school exam taken at 16. In 2024 'I predicted the entire paper,' he said on his popular Mr Everything English channel. Mr Malik, who says he is a former assistant head teacher, noted that he was just making an 'educated guess', but educators remain concerned. 'If you are a 15- or 16- year-old doing your GCSEs and you've got somebody in your phone who's telling you 'this is what the English exam is going to be about'... that is so appealing,' said Ms Sarah Brownsword, an assistant professor in education at the University of East Anglia. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k for abetting former minister Iswaran in obstructing course of justice Life How do household bomb shelters in Singapore really work? Singapore Sengkang-Punggol LRT line resumes full service 4 hours after power fault halts trains Asia Johor authorities seize four Singapore-registered vehicles over illegal e-hailing Singapore Owners call for stronger management rules in ageing condos, but seek to avoid being overburdened Asia Japan's PM Ishiba mentions wartime 'regret', toeing right-wing line After British pupils sat their exams in May, some complained that Mr Malik's predictions were wrong. 'Never listening to you again bro,' one wrote, while others said they were 'cooked' (done for) and would have to work in a fast food restaurant. With GCSE results set to be released on Aug 21, one exam board, AQA, has warned of 'increasing reliance on certain online revision channels'. 'Clearly this is an important source of revision and support for students,' it said. But the examiners want 'your interpretation of the texts you have studied, not some stranger's views on social media'. 'Looking for help' Students are overloaded, school leaders said. 'With so much content to cover and revise in every subject it can be completely overwhelming,' Ms Sarah Hannafin, head of policy for the school leaders' union NAHT, told AFP. 'And so it is unsurprising that young people are looking for anything to help them to cope.' Mr Malik, whose prediction video has been viewed on YouTube 290,000 times, did not respond to a request for comment. Ms Brownsword praised TikTok, where she posts grammar videos for student teachers, and said: 'You can learn about anything and watch videos about absolutely anything'. Teachers have always flagged questions that could come up, she said, but predicting exam questions online is 'really tricky'. 'But I think there's a real difference between doing that and doing it on such a scale, when you've got thousands or tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of followers online.' Other content creators defended such videos, however. 'Those kind of videos were never to mislead,' said Ms Tilly Taylor, a university student posting TikTok videos with candid revision advice to 100,000 followers. 'I make it very clear in my videos that these are predictions,' based on past papers and examiners' reports, said Ms Taylor, who appeals to younger viewers with her fashionable eye makeup. Other content creators sell predicted papers 'all the time,' Ms Taylor said, but 'I don't think it's right.' Other educational influencers were more in favour. 'If you're marketing it as a predicted paper, that's completely fine... you just can't say guaranteed paper,' said Mr Ishaan Bhimjiyani, 20, who has over 400,000 TikTok followers. He promoted a site offering an English predicted paper for £1.99 (S$3.47) with a 'history of 60-70 per cent accuracy'. 'It took off' Predicted papers allow you to 'check whether you're actually prepared for the exam', said Ms Jen, a creator and former teacher who posts as Primrose Kitten and declined to give her surname. Her site charges £4.99 for an English predicted paper and includes a video on phrasing to score top marks. Mr Bhimjiyani, who went to a private school, started posting on TikTok at 16, saying he was 'documenting my journey, posting about how I revise'. 'And then it kind of took off.' He founded an educational influencer agency, Tap Lab, that now represents over 100 bloggers in their mid-teens to mid-20s. Influencers earn most from paid promotions – for recruiters or beauty or technology brands –- which must be labelled as such, he said. Mr Bhimjiyani made £5,000 with his first such video. Taylor said she recently promoted student accommodation. No one explained 'how do you actually revise', Taylor said of her school years. So she turned to YouTube for ideas. 'I wanted to help someone like myself,' she said, 'who couldn't necessarily afford to go to private school or have private tuition.' AFP
Arab News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Stressed UK teens seek influencers' help for exams success
LONDON: Posing as a fortune teller on his YouTube channel, former teacher Waqar Malik tells thousands of followers that he can predict this year's exam questions. He is among online study influencers gaining popularity among stressed British teenagers in search of exam success. But educators and examiners are concerned some pupils are relying too much on online advice. Malik posts videos on TikTok and YouTube forecasting questions on classic English literature for the UK GCSE school exam taken at 16. Last year 'I predicted the entire paper,' he says on his popular 'Mr Everything English' channel. Malik, who says he is a former assistant head teacher, notes that he is just making an 'educated guess,' but educators remain concerned. 'If you are a 15- or 16- year-old doing your GCSEs and you've got somebody in your phone who's telling you 'this is what the English exam is going to be about'... that is so appealing,' said Sarah Brownsword, an assistant professor in education at the University of East Anglia. After British pupils sat their exams in May, some complained that Malik's predictions were wrong. 'Never listening to you again bro,' one wrote, while others said they were 'cooked' (done for) and would have to work in a fast food restaurant. With GCSE results set to be released on August 21, one exam board, AQA, has warned of 'increasing reliance on certain online revision channels.' 'Clearly this is an important source of revision and support for students,' it said. But the examiners want 'your interpretation of the texts you have studied, not some stranger's views on social media.' Students are overloaded, school leaders say. 'With so much content to cover and revise in every subject it can be completely overwhelming,' Sarah Hannafin, head of policy for the school leaders' union NAHT, told AFP. 'And so it is unsurprising that young people are looking for anything to help them to cope.' Malik, whose prediction video has been viewed on YouTube 290,000 times, did not respond to a request for comment. Brownsword praised TikTok, where she posts grammar videos for student teachers, saying: 'You can learn about anything and watch videos about absolutely anything.' Teachers have always flagged questions that could come up, she said, but predicting exam questions online is 'really tricky.' 'But I think there's a real difference between doing that and doing it on such a scale, when you've got thousands or tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of followers online.' Other content creators defended such videos, however. 'Those kinds of videos were never to mislead,' said Tilly Taylor, a university student posting TikTok videos with candid revision advice to 100,000 followers. 'I make it very clear in my videos that these are predictions,' based on past papers and examiners' reports, said Taylor, who appeals to younger viewers with her fashionable eye makeup. Other content creators sell predicted papers 'all the time,' Taylor said, but 'I don't think it's right.' Other educational influencers were more in favor. 'If you're marketing it as a predicted paper, that's completely fine... you just can't say guaranteed paper,' said Ishaan Bhimjiyani, 20, who has over 400,000 TikTok followers. He promoted a site offering an English predicted paper for £1.99 ($2.70) with a 'history of 60-70 percent accuracy.' Predicted papers allow you to 'check whether you're actually prepared for the exam,' said Jen, a creator and former teacher who posts as Primrose Kitten and declined to give her surname. Her site charges £4.99 for an English predicted paper and includes a video on phrasing to score top marks. Bhimjiyani, who went to a private school, started posting on TikTok at 16, saying he was 'documenting my journey, posting about how I revise.' 'And then it kind of took off.' He founded an educational influencer agency, Tap Lab, that now represents over 100 bloggers in their mid-teens to mid-20s. Influencers earn most from paid promotions – for recruiters or beauty or technology brands – which must be labelled as such, he said. Bhimjiyani made £5,000 with his first such video. Taylor said she recently promoted student accommodation. No one explained 'how do you actually revise,' Taylor said of her school years. So she turned to YouTube for ideas. 'I wanted to help someone like myself,' she said, 'who couldn't necessarily afford to go to private school or have private tuition.'
Mint
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Shehbaz Sharif ‘pakde gaye': Pakistani influencer exposes Pakistan PM's blatant lies about India
Pakistani influencer Waqar Malik has exposed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's blatant lies. In a social media video on May 16, the political analyst has categorically pointed out how the Pakistani PM told a fictional story about the India-Pakistan conflict. The video starts with a clip, where PM Shehbaz Sharif shares an early morning incident. After his Fajr (before sunrise) prayer, he went for a swim, keeping his secure phone close. During that time, Army Chief General Asif Munir called him to discuss the current situation. Munir said the enemy (read India) had been strongly responded to and now wanted a ceasefire. Sharif replied that this was a sign of success. The enemy had been hit hard and was now asking for peace. The Pakistani PM claims to have told the Army Chief that such a moment deserved respect 'Aapne dushman ko ek bharpoor thappad maara hai. Uska sar chakra gaya. Ab wo ceasefire par majboor hai. To aap bismillah karen, aur is ceasefire ke offer ko qaboor karen (You've given the enemy a strong slap. His head is spinning. Now he's being forced into a ceasefire. So go ahead, say Bismillah, and accept this ceasefire offer.),' says the Pak PM. Pakistani influencer Waqar Malik criticised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a sarcastic video. Malik says the PM agreed to a ceasefire with India during the early morning (Fajr) hours without consulting his cabinet or Parliament. 'Ab ye pakde gaye hain. Inka sara khel pakda gaya hai dono chalakon ke. Chalak banda chalaaki me kuch na kuch galti karta hai. Aur hum to baithe huye hain inki galtiyan pakadne ke liye (Now, they've been caught. The whole game of both the cunning ones has been exposed. A clever person always makes some mistakes while being too smart. And, we're sitting right here, waiting to catch their mistakes), the Pakistani influencer says. Malik pointed out that, in Shahbaz Sharif's version, India had attacked Sindh and Punjab 12 hours after the ceasefire was agreed upon. Malik also blamed the prime minister's decision for the loss of Pakistani soldiers, including a squadron leader and several airmen. He suggested that the lack of a military response was linked to the PM's hasty decision. He mocked the government for not thinking strategically and asked why India would attack if it had asked for a ceasefire. 'Use basic common sense,' he urged. 'Can this be true? If we said yes to a ceasefire early in the morning, why would India attack in the evening? If India itself requested the ceasefire, why would they attack?' Waqar Malik asks. Half an hour after that, US President Donald Trump spoke about the ceasefire, he points out. 'Which means the ceasefire offer did not come from India. It came from a Trump representative. Someone from the US ordered Asif Munir to put an end to the war. And, we agreed,' he says. Waqar Malik says Pakistan used the weakest missile available and failed to do any harm to India.
