An interactive revision guide is giving A-Level students around the clock access to a subject tutor. The DVD, available in 10 subjects including the best-selling biology and chemistry, is intended to give sixth formers an equal chance to maximise their exam success, whether they can afford revision courses or not.
It has been developed by examiner and teacher, Joy Sandifer, and her partner, Ian Smith, a graphic designer, who live and work in Pembroke.
Joy's job as a teacher made her aware that many of her students learned a subject better when it was presented to them in a visual style.
"Some children find it difficult to learn from text books which might not be focused or directly relevant. There are revision books which explain but in my opinion they don't explain enough,' says Joy.
"My law students told me they learned the subject better because it was taught in a visual format, using role play and visual aids to emphasise points.'
Joy and Ian have used recent drama graduates from Cardiff's Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama to present the information in a conversational style. And they have scripted, filmed and edited most of the DVDs themselves, filming in locations including a call centre, shops and pubs to give personality to each subject.
The DVDs give students their own personal tutor, each delivering exam-focused material. They could breach the gaps and offer continuity to a student if their subject teacher is off work for a long period of time, says Joy.
It is gaps like these which she was able to spot when she marked for the examining boards, AQA, WJEC and OCR.
She could immediately tell whether the information that a particular class had been taught was the wrong information.
"You might have 45 children and you can tell that they are good but if they have been taught the wrong information then they can't achieve a good grade,' she said.
The content of the interactive revision guides has been written by experienced examiners. Joy wrote the content for the Media Studies guide herself because that is her area of expertise.
The DVDs, which are relevant to the first year of an A level course, are intended to give an equal chance to all students, particularly those whose parents don't have the resources to spend on revision courses.
Each DVD will be adapted to take into account changes in the National Curriculum. It has taken three years for the couple to complete the 10 subjects and they are now in the process of producing revision guides relevant to business studies and psychology.
They have focused on A-Levels because that is Joy's area of expertise. In the future they may look at producing material relevant to GSCEs. The advancement of the International Baccalaureate is something they are keeping a close eye on too.