Every year, the Easter holiday is a massive opportunity for GCSE and A-level students all over the UK to get some extra, intense revision in preparation for their exams in May. Whilst some argue and say that the two-week long break should be spent relaxing as the teenagers are under enormous amounts of stress at this time, the general consensus seems to be that students should use this time to work in some independent study, away from school.

A worrying revision tip was put forward by Barnaby Lenon, the former head teacher of Harrow school. He suggests that students should be working at least 7 hours in a day throughout the entire holiday, totalling up to over 100 hours. According to him, students should work from 9am through to 6pm, with frequent breaks and a good night’s sleep.

“The best GCSE and A-level results don’t go to the cleverest students – they go to those who revised in the Easter holidays.” – Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council.

With the increased pressures of the new GCSEs, many students I spoke to feel disadvantaged due to not having enough lesson time or time to revisit previous topics. One said “I don’t like how difficult the exams have become. We spend much too much time being held up with hard topics we will probably never use in the real world, and miss out on things that can actually help us.” For students like her, having more than a regular school day worth of revision each day in their time off could benefit them and give their grades a substantial push.

Some people find their schools are opening during the fortnight to fit in some extra revision classes. “The real holiday comes after the exams.” A South London teacher stated.

It is around this time pupils around the country are finding themselves becoming aware of the reality of their time left at school. At this point, they should be buckling down and focusing on their priorities - the exams.

Yasmin Ammour - Norbury Manor BEC