Education Quandary

'My first two GCSE exams have been an absolute disaster. I knew that I had not done enough work, but I did not realise just how much I had not done. Is it too late now to do anything about it?'

HILARY'S ADVICE

Halfway through your exams is about as late as it gets to start worrying, so if there are any students reading this whose exams haven't yet started - get down to it now! Every minute you can put in between now and the time of your exam could make a difference.

But even if you are already in the throes, there are still things you can do to help - at least according to David Jaffa, the managing director of Sam Learning Ltd, which runs a website to help students with revision.

In fact, Jaffa claims that even a short burst of online revision will make a difference, pointing to a study of pupils in 11 secondary schools in Knowsley in the north west of England. This found that those who did just six hours of e-learning on his website got one extra GCSE, A*-C on average than those who didn't, while borderline pupils, and average and low-achieving boys did particularly well. In fact, says Jaffa, the results from this study show that schools in which half of all GCSE students do six hours of e-learning can expect an almost 6 per cent improvement in their five or more GCSE A*- C results.

Jaffa's website, www.samlearning.com, gives students past papers and allows them to mark their own answers, so that they can see exactly what they need to work on. It's a subscription site, but there are other free revision sites on the web, which also offer opportunities for practising exam-type questions.

So stop panicking, and get down to it. A concentrated burst of work in the day or two before your next exams, could make all the difference. Especially if you also keep in mind some of Jaffa's top exam-room tips, which include knowing that:

* In maths, there are marks for writing down your method, even if you get your answer wrong

* In science, there can be extra marks for writing down the unit of measurement you are using - write 5mm, instead of just 5

* In English comprehension, back up each of your points with a quote, since quotes equal points

* In English essays, read over your work and make some corrections - you'll get points for this

* And if you're not sure of an answer, guess. Examiners will often give marks if they feel you're on the right track, but they'll never give anything if you leave a large white space on the paper.

READERS' ADVICE

Last year, I also hadn't done any work for my GCSEs, but I found that once I made myself start, I could sit and do a lot, right up to the night before. GCSE is all about remembering stuff, especially in some subjects like biology and geography, so if you can just cram some of it into you brain at the last minute, you can still do quite well.

What you mustn't do is run around, phoning up all your friends, and telling them how much you haven't done, and winding yourself up into a complete state. I realised I was doing that and had to make myself stop. Just shut yourself in your bedroom and just get on with it - it'll all soon be over.

Jessie Markham, Bedfordshire

Parents have a role to play here. When my daughter was doing her GCSEs she had two friends who both told me that they envied how we made her get down to work. Our daughter thought we were being harsh on her, because between Easter and her exams we only allowed her to go out on Saturday nights and we also asked her to work without playing music or answering the phone, but both her friends said they wished their parents would do the same thing, because they found it impossible to get motivated on their own.

And the results bore this out. Our daughter did well in the exams, but her friends didn't, and have since struggled to find their feet, one at further education college, and one in a job.

SL Heighton, Chester

Even if your exam results are a disaster, it need not be the end of the world. These days there are always chances to take exams again. I tutor lots of students who are doing retakes because they want to improve their grades.

What would be a real disaster is if you fail to learn any lessons from the mess you have got yourself into this summer. Anyone can get things wrong once, but you have to be an idiot to get exactly the same thing wrong twice. The next time your exams come round, you need to remember just how you're feeling now, and promise yourself that you'll start working towards your exams earlier.

Gwen Howarth, Leeds

NEXT WEEK'S QUANDARY

I am a 21-year-old who graduated last year with a degree in dance and theatre performance. The job market is terrible in this field, and now I'm wondering what I can do with the degree I have. Do these kinds of degrees count for anything in the real world of 'proper' jobs?

Send your letters or quandaries to Hilary Wilce, to reach her by next Monday, 9 June, at The Independent, Education Desk, Second Floor, Independent House, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS; or fax 020-7005 2143; or send e-mails to h.wilce@btinternet.com. Please include details of your postal address. Readers whose letters are printed will receive a Berol Combi Pack containing a cartridge pen, handwriting pen and ink eraser.