PUBLISHED ONOctober 18, 2024 4:40 AMByBhavya RawatNumerous students in Singapore recently left hundreds of angry comments on a YouTube video after they mistook it to be the source of their "difficult" examination.
The passage in question was part of the O-level English Language listening comprehension (LC) paper held on Wednesday (Oct 16) and talked about a woman named Alicia Hopwood who went hiking in the Appalachian trail in the US.
It also shared other similarities with a video posted by the YouTuber, who goes by the username Alicia in the Mountains, in June.
According to the students, the voice reading the passage did not enunciate well and spoke too fast. As a result, they found that particular portion of the examination very difficult and lost valuable marks.
This led some of them to take their frustrations out on Alicia by leaving angry and threatening comments.
One student wrote in Mandarin: "Don't let me find you."
"You trekked [up] a mountain and caused thousands of students pain. Don't trek in Singapore, you might get hunted," commented another student.
Another comment read: "Eh Alicia, you don't know how to talk slow is it? First language also like that."
Other students offered apologies and encouragement to the YouTuber, stating they understood that she was not to blame.
One commented: "Hi, Alicia. I'm a student from Singapore, and I love your videos. Keep doing what you're doing."
"I know some of us may feel frustrated by the LC section, but let's not hate on a random woman for simply showcasing her hobbies."
"On behalf of my fellow students, I am so sorry that you had to go through this chaos, Alicia," wrote another student.
Another comment read: "Alicia, please don't listen to all the hate comments you're getting right now! none of this is your fault."
In response, the hiking content creator thanked those who explained the matter to her and offered their apologies.
She then clarified that the passage, which appeared to be inspired by her content, had not been voiced by her.
"I originally thought my video or audio was used, but it sounds like it was a voice actor who happened to tell a story of an Appalachian Trail hiker who shares the first name as me (Hopwood is not my surname)," she wrote.
"I don't take the mean comments or threats personally and can understand how stressful and difficult exams are. I am sorry this particular voiceover that was similar to my story was difficult."
"I'd love to visit Singapore at some point in the future, so I hope you give me some grace and let me come!"
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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com
