CIPS L6M4 Future Strategic Challenges of the Profession

About this course

UPDATED FOR THE 2026–2029 CIPS SYLLABUS

L6M4: Future Strategic Challenges is very different from the other modules you'll study at CIPS Level 6. There is no CIPS study guide full of theories, models and definitions to learn. Instead, L6M4 is an open research assessment. You have a fixed syllabus, and before each exam series CIPS releases a theme which you need to research.

This can make L6M4 confusing. You're given the syllabus, but nobody really explains what it means, what you need to know or how it could be assessed.

That's where this course comes in.

Think of L6M4 as having two parts:

The syllabus is constant → the video course teaches you the syllabus.

The exam theme changes → the Resource Pack helps you apply your theme to the syllabus.

Understanding the syllabus

In the video course, I'll take you through the L6M4 syllabus and break down each of the criteria you could be assessed against. We'll look at what the wording actually means, what you need to understand and how the different areas could relate to an exam question.

This is important because one of the biggest mistakes you can make in L6M4 is researching your theme without properly understanding how it connects to the syllabus.

Preparing for your exam theme

Every exam series has a different theme. When a new theme is released, I'll update the course with a dedicated Resource Pack containing:

• Research to give you a head start

• Useful statistics, facts and examples for the exam

• Links to articles and research I recommend reading

• Summaries of key findings

• My notes on how the theme could connect to different parts of the syllabus

• Practice questions covering all of the Learning Outcomes

The Resource Pack doesn't replace your own research — this is a research module, after all! Instead, it points you in the right direction, helps you identify what's relevant and shows you how to connect your research back to the syllabus.

What videos are included?

1. Introduction to L6M4 – How the exam works and what CIPS expects from you.

2. Understanding the syllabus – A detailed walkthrough of the criteria and what you actually need to understand.

3. Themes and research – How to research your theme, connect it to the syllabus and use that research effectively in the exam.

4. Using AI to support your studies – How AI can help with your research and revision, and the mistakes you need to avoid.

The videos stay relevant because the syllabus stays the same, while the Resource Pack changes with each exam theme.

There’s also a downloadable template to help you organise your revision and a Q&A function to ask me any additional questions you may have.

I studied L6M4 myself as part of my journey to MCIPS, so I know how strange this module can feel when you first start it. This course is essentially the explanation I wish someone had given me — what the syllabus actually means, how the theme fits into it and, most importantly, what you're supposed to be doing to prepare for the exam.