IT WILL soon be time for youngsters studying for GCSE and A-level exams to hit the books in earnest.

But getting down to the serious business of revision need not be a nightmare, as youngsters from Huntington School have been finding out.

Kathryn Ramsay, 17, is studying for A-levels in sociology, media studies and general studies and, like many of her classmates, she has attended revision sessions organised by staff at Huntington during lunchtimes and after school.

She said the sessions gave students extra time to clarify and understand areas of the curriculum they may not have grasped completely in class.

"I am finding that time management is the most important thing," said Kathryn, "The important thing is, if you have got work to do, try not to leave it until the night before and put it off, and study sessions help with that."

Her friend Gemma Douglas, 18, is sitting A-levels in media studies, English literature, chemistry and general studies. Gemma said she had found different revision techniques worked better for different subjects. She said science subjects such as chemistry required a lot of book-learning at home, whereas group revision sessions could be extremely useful in arts subjects.

English teacher Jane Collins said the school revision sessions usually lasted about an hour and took place at lunchtime, after school or if the student needed or requested them.

"There is a two-way relationship with students where they can and do come and ask for help with revision.

"We do what we can to promote responsibility for learning, and students understand they can come to any of us and ask for help if there is a need."

Towards the start of GCSE examinations in May, timetabled lessons are geared towards revision and teaching youngsters revision skills.

Alex Briggs and Alex Forbes, both 15, and Arianne Dickens, 16, are all taking eight GCSEs, but each has adopted different approaches to their revision.

Arianne said revising in groups with her friends helped her and she also used the BBC bitesize website which broke down subjects into more manageable chunks.

She said: "You get quite a lot of help with revision at school on what you need to revise, and if you revise with friends you can play off each other's strong points."

Alex Briggs said: "If you read through your work and make proper detailed notes, you can get through it more easily. You need to experiment and find out what the best way is for revising for you."

Meanwhile, Year 11 at Joseph Rowntree School held a revision skills day last week arranged by assistant head teacher Andrew Janes. This included various workshops and activities and visiting speakers were available to youngsters in the library and the school hall. The whole year was "off timetable" for the duration of the school day.

Handy revision websites

www.bbc.co.uk/education/schools/revision - Bitesize revision notes and self tests for most subjects at all levels.

www.schoolzone.co.uk - Has many links to revision sites.

www.schoolsnet.com - More than 100 revision units with

comprehensive content, revision tips, glossary and self-mark tests.

www.homeworkhigh.com - English, maths, science, geography and French. Ask the experts questions or delve through the library to find out the answers.

www.topmarks.co.uk - Lots of links for pupils, parents and teachers on many subjects.

www.sparknotes.com - Crib notes on novels and poetry.

www.absoluteshakespeare.com - Essays, notes and quotes from the Bard.

Updated: 10:25 Wednesday, February 23, 2005