s-cool.co.uk

Ok I lied, school is not cool. To be honest it's boring, tedious and mind-numbingly dull. The same goes for revision. Who wants to be stuck in the house revising, when you could be doing more interesting things.

Having said all this, the fact is that without good grades, you stand no chance what so ever, of going to college, or university, and pursing your dream career.

Basically what I'm saying is that revision, is a must if you want to make the grade.
We should consider ourselves lucky, you know, out parents had to be content with pouring over hard-backed textbooks. But we have access to the web, which can actually make our revision that little bit more bearable, and at times more exciting.

There are tons of revision sites on the web, some are excellent, some are good, and others are a waste of space.
I tend to stick to two revision sites, one being gcse.com, which ironically isn't listed on here. The other is S-cool, which is my firm favourite.
Read on, and you will discover, exactly what S-cool has to offer.

Technically S-cool is a revision site, however, there is much more to this site than meets the eye.

GCSE's.
-------

If you are taking your GCSE's this summer or winter, I'm sure you will find their revision tips invaluable. S-cool covers, Maths, Biology, Physics, English, Geography, Chemistry and PE.

Each subject is explored in depth, as an example, if your clicked on Biology you would be presented with the following concepts, (Enzymes, Cells, Respiration, Photosynthesis, Heart and Circulation, Nerves and Hormones, Nutrition, Defence against disease, Homeostasis, Drugs, Genes and Genetics, Evolution, Fertilisation, Environment and Plant Growth). Not every concept is covered, but a fairly good chunk of it is.

Say you wanted to know more about Enzymes, there are four steps you will need to go through. Firstly, S-cool asks you whether you know what enzymes are, what they do, and optimal conditions. If you are not sure about these topics, you would proceed to step two, which gives you detailed information on the above, after you've digested the information, you then proceed to step three, which is revision questions.

Sadly, these are not available yet. The last step, is revision summary, this page sums up what you have just learnt. These notes are there for you to print out, so make sure you print them out!
All the GCSE's topics work in the way I have just described, and no subject has revision questions yet, but I'm sure something will be sorted out soon.

A Level.
--------

In my opinion, the quality of A Level material on this site is outstanding. It covers, Maths, Biology, Physics, English Literature, Geography, Chemistry, Business Studies, Art, History, Economics, French, Psychology and Sociology.

The layout is the same as the GCSE's, but the big difference is that concepts and ideas are covered more in depth, and there are questions for you to practice your knowledge on.

There are also some handy formula sheets for you to print out, and some sound revision and exam advice.
The great thing about S-cool is that everything is worded in plain, simple, uncomplicated language, which thus makes it easier for you to understand an unfamiliar area. I would highly recommend the Maths section, especially if you are just starting on the AS, there are some really helpful sections on sequences, and co-ordinate geometry, which will give you an head start in your course.

Careers.
--------

S-cool doesn't just revolve around revision. There is an extremely detailed section on careers. There is advice on what subjects to take, whether that be at GCSE, A Level, or Degree Level.
Say for example, you wanted to be a doctor, this site will tell you exactly what subjects you should be taking. Even if you don't know what you want to do, there is a career quiz; when you've completed this, it will tell you what career options may be right for you.

I filled the questionnaire in, even though I know what I want to be. My goal is to be a mathematician. The quiz said a career, as a dentist may be right for me, this is not far from the truth, as I was considered a career along these lines.

There is information on summer jobs, which are mainly with Marks and Spencer, and Renishaw. There are links to companies that offer sponsorships, these are Laing, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and Arthur Anderson, and also information on sandwich placements.

If that weren't enough, S-cool gives you advice on how to write up a favourable CV, and there is some excellent advice on how to cope with interviews, to ensure you get the job.

Discussion Groups.
------------------

S-cool even have their own discussion board, here you can chat to like minded people about a variety of topics, such as Universities, Subjects, Revision, Careers, and problems such as Anorexia, bullying and Dyslexia.

Most of the people on the board seem to be all right, however, you do get the idiot's, who like to boast how they easily got an A in a subject and never revised at all. This is in reply to someone who is having difficulty in that subject. However, if you ignore these types, there is actually some very valuable and useful information to be found.

Links.
------

Although this site is good, there is bound to be something you can't find. That's why S-cool has provided a list of the best educational sites, in each subject. There is also links to Careers, Educational Resources, Charities, Reference and University sites.
The University links are a great way of finding the right university. If you click on the link, and then select a region, it will give you a list of the Universities in that area, if you click on a University it will take you directly to their homepage.

Entertainment.
--------------

If you are bored, and are not sure what's going on in your area. You must check out this section. It's so easy to use, simply pick a category from the drop down menu, either Live Music, Club Nights, Comedy/theatre or Cinema. Then enter you postcode or town, and Hey Presto, you will be presented with a list of events in your area.

Get The Latest On.
-------------------

This is my favourite section on the S-cool site, because it has information on all sorts of things. You can analyse your handwriting, get help on buying your first car, obtain advice on opening a student bank account; there is advice on serious issues such as anorexia and dyslexia. There is sound advice on choosing A levels, interview skills, going to university and revision tips.

My favourite bit in this section is It'll be alright on the day, basically it says that strange things can happen to our brains, when we are under pressure, and it gives lots of examples of exam howlers.

For example, "Queen Elizabeth is the longest Queen. She sat on a thorn for 63 years. She was a moral woman who practised virtue. Her death was the final which ended her reign."
We wouldn't make this type of mistake, would we?

Conclusion.
-----------

To sum things up I would say that S-cool is an excellent site for revision. They have got something that other revision sites haven't. That is they don’t COMPLICATE things, if something is explained to you without the jargon, it much easier to understand, and thus you will perform better in the exam.

If this weren't enough, there is a wealth of information, on topics, that concern all students, and they have even thrown in some entertainment. If you look around, you will not find better than this site.
If you are doing exams, I would highly recommend you take a look at this site, and I guarantee you will find something of interest.

GOOD LUCK to everyone who is sitting their exams!