Getting Easter revision right

Good grades are more important than ever

With more graduates competing for fewer jobs, getting into a good university will make a real difference later on, and admissions requirements for those top courses are going up every year. High grades at GCSE are important too because they play a major part in deciding who good universities make offers to in the first place.

Easter is crucial revision time

For good results, exam revision needs to start early. However, fitting in a hefty revision programme during term time is not at all easy. Going to class and doing 'routine' home-works take a great chunk out of the day, even if the work is exam preparation. Personal revision has to be fitted in on top, and that makes for long hours and much general stress.

The savvy student reduces the impact in three main ways. One is by making revision as efficient as possible, another is by dove-tailing personal revision with their teachers' own programme of exam work, and the third is by using the Easter break to get the revision process fully under way.

The Easter holidays offer both opportunity and challenge. It should be possible to put in five to seven hours a day for a ten day period. Putting in that sort of effort can make a huge difference - the amount of work covered is valuable and so too is the effect on morale and momentum. It is so much easier to cope with the final term if the process is already well under control before it starts.

Sticking to revision through a holiday is never easy and needs thought and support: thought in planning time to get the work done and support from family to make it as stress-free as possible. It pays to work out a plan before the holidays start. Not only does a clear programme make it easier to keep going, but a timetable of work (and leisure) up on the kitchen wall can work wonders for parental anxiety, which can so often manifest itself in encouragement which the student perceives as nagging !

An Easter Revision course can help

An Easter Revision Course can be an effective way to kick-start the whole process, providing structure, revision, exam practice and support in one handy package. Revision Courses have grown considerably in popularity over the past ten years, for good reason - they work, and at between £350 and £500 for a week (around £120 more if residential), they are affordable. Most students who take them are already up to pass standard and are looking towards As and Bs rather than scraping through.

Although an Easter Revision Course cannot convert five terms of neglect into a grade A (and any college which offers guaranteed improvements should be approached with caution), it can make a major difference. There is no secret to how this is done. Intensive work in a small group, focusing squarely on exams and lead by an enthusiastic and experienced teacher can fill important gaps, develop exam awareness, and will give plenty of past-paper practice and feedback on what examiners want.

Above all, it will get the revision process firmly under way and establish a real feeling of momentum and confidence. In the words of one student aiming at a place to read medicine. 'I was worried about Biology, always my weakest subject. The course was incredibly useful. It really got me excited about my subject and gave me the push to get the A I needed.'

Choosing a good Easter Revision course

The best courses are run by people who have direct experience of exam-orientated short courses. This is why choosing a college which belongs to CIFE makes good sense, not just because of the guarantee offered by membership of a professional organisation with rigorous codes of conduct, but also because CIFE colleges have long experience of intensive and successful student-centred exam teaching. Easter courses work, and by shopping around it should be possible to find one which provides just the right environment for success

Choosing a good Easter Revision course involves asking the right questions. Two key ones are ‘What will this course actually provide ?' and ‘Who teaches it ?'. Although students are likely to come from a variety of schools and will have differing needs, a good course should be able to deal effectively with individual differences. Find out which syllabus and options are covered. Ask about the extent to which the course is ‘tailor made' to the participants, and about how course time is split between teaching, exam practice and work with each student individually.

Ask about the staff: some organisations rely upon teachers recruited from outside while others use their own staff. Visit the college if you can to meet the people who will be teaching you so that you can see whether you are going to get on with them. If you are considering a residential course, find out about supervision: hard work during the day is unlikely if the evenings turn into one big party!