Reviews Of Exam Revision Sites...

A Levels.

This site had varied content available for revision, the site itself didn't contain revision material (i.e. revision notes or example questions / self-tests). However, the site contained useful links to areas relating to each different topic from a subject. Much of the site was inactive (still being research, or so claimed) and so was unusable. There were various sections, advertised or soon to be added, for more general information relating to A-levels (e.g. Oxbridge stuff, revision courses, and post a-level information, GAP and Year In Industry). It was rather difficult to assess the site content as much of it was unavailable.

BBC Revision.

This site contained a lot more information and material to help revision, mainly for GCSE students and before (not really aimed at post-16 education). Revision notes were available for different topic areas and online-tests could be completed and then instantly marked upon request (I thought the online tests were an especially good idea, as it gave instant feedback on whether you could answer the questions or not, I just about managed the GCSE maths questions!). It also offered email assistance from teachers, which again would be very useful for students who want a particular topic explaining. The information was easy to get to, and the revision notes and tests were clear and easy to understand (As I would expect from a public service institution! -erm?).

Channel 4 Learning.

This site was again, well designed and easy to use, however much of the content was aimed at supporting the Channel 4 Schools series and so would not be applicable to people who hadn't seen the TV programs. The content was a little awkward to access (I had to go through lots of stages to find the relevant areas). The content was aimed at pre A-level standards (as TV programs are), and I would think a little obscure, as it was related to the TV listings a little too much. There were loads of plugs for merchandise as well, not really the best for instant revision material.

Freeserve Revision.

I found Freeserve Revision very useful, it covered a wide range of age groups (including A level), although only a few subjects were covered in the A-level section (Maths, Physics, Chemistry & Biology). The material available for them was what students look for in revision material (topics needed listed, and information on the topics easily available). It had useful material on all the subjects covered, as well as practise papers to download and complete (with answers available as well). The pages were clearly laid out and it was easy to understand (I used this site for some revision, I think its good). The whole site, or at least the areas I looked at, seemed to function and were all active, one up on quite a few of its competitors.

Kevin's Playroom.

I thought that this site was relatively poor, the content on the site was pretty lax, it really just contained links to topics areas (probably listed from a syllabus). Although clearly set out, the site didn't attempt to link its topics for the subjects and there was no addition help (e.g. practise papers). The site would be useful as a research aid as it contains loads of links to related sites (so you could go and find out information yourself), but as a revision aid, not really much use.

Dr Maths.

This was American site aimed at K-12 students (ie; 'Kindergarten to 12th grade' - or 5 to 18 year olds in Britain). The site basically was a large message board, where students left questions to be answered, the answers were then sent back to the student. The site contained a large archive of previously asked questions, which could be searched to find articles on particular subjects. The site was simple to use, and had an uncomplicated interface, nothing fancy, but it didn't need to be.

S-Cool Revision.

As with many of the other sites, S-Cool has just been launched, and so I found that many of the areas of the site were unavailable, as they hadn't been constructed yet. The site contained both revision lists and notes and practise papers for a limited number of subjects (Business Studies, Biology, Maths, Physics & English Lit.), but the notes available were well-structured revision notes. The practise practice papers were unavailable. The site was easy to use, with easy to navigate pages between different topics areas for particular subjects. The site also contained a discussion board, for students to post queries on, and then others provide help. This seemed a very good idea, although many of the comments on the board weren't just questions as 'help me' statements.