Sow at Easter, reap in autumn

Few young people learn the results of their mock GCSE or A-level exams without some degree of apprehension. Often their concern, and that of their parents, is not whether their grades will get them into a university, but whether they will be good enough to get on to the course of their choice at a highly rated university, and thus pursue their real ambitions.

A third of school-leavers in England and Wales and 40 per cent in Scotland now continue into higher education. Competition for places on the more popular courses and in the more highly rated institutions is fierce, and the grades needed to guarantee a place may be higher than those published in the prospectus, if the course is oversubscribed.

Most students admit, albeit reluctantly, that they should do some serious revision during the Easter holidays. If they are bright, well-organised, hard-working and ambitious, and if they have kept up to date with their work at school, they should have no difficulty in revising effectively on their own.

On the other hand, some students may have fallen behind through absence, or have found aspects of a subject hard to grasp. Staff changes or the absence of a teacher can have led to disruption: the syllabus may not have been covered. Other students are poor at seeing where they have slipped up, or have a poor exam technique. The problem then can be knowing how to make the most effective use of the Easter revision time.

Intensive Easter revision courses are run by many private tutorial colleges for less than the cost of a skiing trip. These should be seen as a supplement to revision work provided by the school, not as an substitute, and they normally take only one to two weeks, depending on the number of subjects.

It is not recommended that students undertake revision courses for more than four GCSE or two A-level subjects. The courses are very intensive. Moreover, students must also complete any revision work set by their own schools.

Courses vary in length. One week for a single A-level subject and about half that for a GCSE subject is typical. At Mander Portman Woodward (MPW) for example - which runs Easter courses in Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge and London - GCSE students work five half-days of four hours each (mornings or afternoons) while A-level students work five eight-hour days.

The only major departure from this pattern of intensive short courses is the unique, evenings-only programme offered by Cambridge Tutors of Croydon in Surrey. This is spread over six weeks. Students work two-and- a-quarter hours a week, spread over two evenings, for each A-level or GCSE subject (GCSE courses are run by Cambridge Tutors in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and French).

Most Easter courses are professionally run, but there are a few unscrupulous operators who offer a poor service. It is best to choose a college that is accredited by the British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education (BAC) or is a member of the Conference for Independent Further Education (CIFE).

What criteria should be applied when choosing a course? First, class size. Some colleges have classes of 80 or more - far too many. Personal attention is important if revision is to be effective. Members of CIFE are unlikely to have more than 12 in a class. Cambridge Tutors, for instance, limit class size to 10, MPW to a maximum of eight).

Ideally, courses should be specific to the syllabus being undertaken. In many cases this is impractical (although MPW offer syllabus-specific courses in London). English A-level students, for example, may work on scores of different texts; historians may cover a wide variety of periods. However, the sciences, mathematics, geography and economics have a large common element. It is worth finding out exactly what will be covered.

Students should be given examination practice, and their answers discussed in order to develop their examination technique.

What will an Easter revision course cost? Fees vary, but are usually based on the number of hours' tuition provided. A single A-level course at a CIFE member college, with around 40 hours' tuition, may cost pounds 400- pounds 550. GCSE subjects involving around 20 hours' tuition cost pounds 200-pounds 275.

Do Easter revision courses offer value for money? If you intend to go to university, the classes are small, and the teachers experienced and well-prepared, the answer has to be, yes. Most graduate employers now discriminate between degree courses and different universities. If improving GCSE and A-level results gets you on to a highly-rated course, the career investment will have been well worth while.