Abstract

This study critically examines the pedagogical disparity between Vision 3’s grammar instruction and the cognitive and metacognitive demands of Iran’s national English examinations (2022–2025), assessing its efficacy in preparing students for high-stakes assessments pivotal to Konkoor outcomes. Hypothesizing Vision 3 prioritizes lower-order cognitive tasks and faces systemic barriers, the study uses a mixed-methods design. Quantitative content analysis, guided by Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, evaluated 620 grammar items across six topics (passive voice, tag questions, relative clauses, conditional sentences Type II, passive voice with modals, past perfect tense), followed by interviews with 20 students and 10 teachers. Findings reveal Vision 3’s focus on lower-order skills (68% Understanding/Applying, 15% metacognitive prompts) and mechanical tasks (72%), contrasting with exams’ emphasis on higher-order skills (65% Analyzing/Evaluating, 60% metacognitive prompts) and analytical tasks (68%). Stakeholders reported Vision 3 as inadequate, necessitating metacognitive strategies (e.g., self-testing, online resources). Systemic constraints—rushed syllabi, holiday disruptions, and progression-driven policies—exacerbate inequities for state school students. These results challenge Vision 3’s alignment with exam demands, violating curriculum coherence and scaffolding principles. The study advocates curriculum reforms integrating analytical tasks and metacognitive scaffolding to enhance exam preparedness and educational equity in Iran’s EFL context.