Bitesize is a multiple media service running on the Internet, in print, and overnight on BBC Two television. It was launched last year.

According to research conducted by the University of Durham's Curriculum, Evaluation and Management Centre, GCSE students at Monkseaton Community High School in Newcastle who used it, performed much better in their exams than their peers who did not use the service.

At Monkseaton, students were given the Bitesize books and also had access to the TV programmes and the Website, www.bbc.co.uk/education/revision.

The researchers used value-added data from the Year Eleven Information System (Yellis) project in the 1997-98 school year to reach their conclusions. Yellis involves a vocabulary test, a mathematics test and a questionnaire to identify students' cultural abilities.

Better than expected

They compared the results achieved by students at Monkseaton with those of 40,000 other Year 10 pupils around the country. It showed that, on average, those Monkseaton students using Bitesize improved in every subject covered and, in almost every subject, did far better than expected.

French students achieved a grade higher than expected and in English language, maths and double award science, pupils were up half a grade. Students achieved on average a grade higher in geography than those who did not use the service, and more than half a grade in German.

The school's head teacher, Dr Paul Kelley, said: "Our students used the service without teacher supervision. Bitesize appealed to them because it includes TV programmes and the Internet.

"I think part of the service's success is that it doesn't try to do too much - it is realistic and presents the information in a way that students find accessible.

'Recommended'

"I think that if Bitesize was used right across the country, you would see results jump from a national average of 50% to 70%.

"I would definitely recommend every school in the country to try it for the 1999 GCSE exams. It works right across the ability range."

GCSE Bitesize revision focuses on the areas that examiners have highlighted as key stumbling blocks for students.

The Website offers users the chance to ask a teacher any questions about the exams and to get tips from students who did GCSEs last year.

Four new subjects - business studies, design & technology, RE and Spanish - have been added this year, in addition to English, maths, science, history, French, German and geography; a completely new service has been launched for the Scottish syllabus.