Links for Students
This page is just a collections of links to educational websites which may be of use to AS and A2 level students as well as those studying for GCSEs and IGCSEs. Also there are links which are of general educational interest
Exam Boards
The following links will take you to the exam board home pages.
The exam board websites do have a lot of very useful information on them; however, it is not that easy to find. We currently have a guide to syllabuses and we are working on guides to mark schemes and examiners reports.
To read the syllabuses you will need Acrobat Reader installed on your computer – if you are not sure if you have it click on this link – test pdf – if it doesn’t open then you will need to install Adobe Reader – click on this link: Adobe Reader X and follow this instructions.
Xtreme Papers
A huge collection of past papers going back further than the exam boards websites. It is important to note that the older papers will be written for old syllabuses and the syllabuses almost certainly will have changed. So the older papers are useful, but you must check your syllabus to see which questions are relevant.
Click here for Xtreme Papers
The Student World Study Abroad Fair
Definitely worth signing up for if you are considering University entrance in 2012 and you are considering a non-UK university. It’s free. It’s on the 17th March 2012 and is held at the The Emirates Stadium, London, N5 1BU.
For further information go to: The Student World website
BBC
One of the world’s largest websites which amongst you will find educational news and some educational resources. The educational resources cover all ages.
Click here for BBC home page
The Khan Academy
This is a fantastic site – nearly 3,000 genuinely useful video explaining pretty much anything from French Invasion of Russia through to Quadratic Equations. Everything is free and there is no advertising that I can see. If you are stuck with your homework you may well find the solution here.
Click here for the Khan Academy home page
TED
Another brilliant site – though much less helpful with homework. It is packing with very well presented and thoughtful videos. Below are a couple of my favourites:
Schools Kill Creativity – Sir Ken Robinson on the virtues of being wrong…
Five Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do – Gever Tulley why it is a good idea to play with fire
Click here for the TED home page
The New Scientist
Weekly publication – essential for those studying for A level sciences who are aiming at top universities. Some of the site is accessible to all, some only to subscribers. Oxford International College students have access to the paper version in the student common room.
Click here for The New Scientist home page
The Economist
Weekly publication – essential for those studying for A level in Economics and related subjects who are aiming at top universities. Some of the site is accessible to all, some only to subscribers. Oxford International College students have access to the paper version in the student common room.
Click here for The Economist home page
Freakonomics
If you are familiar with the book you will love this site. If you have ever wondered about cheating teachers, bizarre baby names, self-dealing Realtors, and crack-selling mama’s boys then this site will be of interest to you. Potentially useful to Economics and Social Science students.
Click here for Freakonomics home page
The Financial Times
A daily newspaper aimed the finance and business sectors. A limit of 30 free pages per week is probably enough to keep of key business and finance news. Should be of interest to Business Studies students and those studying related subjects.
Click here for The Financial Times
NASA
A great site for those interested in space exploration – essential reading if you are considering astrophysics or are hoping to study physics at a top university.
Click here for the NASA home page
The Richard Dawkins Foundation
An acquired taste – if you are interested in rationalism and arguments against the existence of God then this site will interest you. Their mission statement is as follows: “is to support scientific education, critical thinking and evidence-based understanding of the natural world in the quest to overcome religious fundamentalism, superstition, intolerance and suffering.”
Click here for The Richard Dawkins Foundation
Daily Information
Primarily aimed at the University’s students this is a great source of local information. Anything from restaurants to cinema listings. As a student in Oxford this is the best place to find out what’s going on.
lick here for Daily Information
The Student Room
The UK’s largest student orientate forum site – somewhere to chat with thousands of other students. If you search for “oxcoll” we appear a few times.
Click here for The Student Room home page
RSA Animate
Yet more thought provoking material, this time in animated form. A couple of my favourites below:
Changing Education Paradigms - Sir Ken Robinson in cartoon form this time.
The Internet in Society: Empowering or Censoring Citizens?
Evgeny Morozov presents an alternative take on 'cyber-utopianism'
Click here for the RSA home page
Illusion of the Year
To be honest this site is of no real educational value other than to remind you of how easily your senses can be fooled. In a similar vein it is worth looking at the Sleights of Mind website’s videos.
Click here for Illusion of the Year
Click here for the Sleights of Mind video
St. Giles Fair
In early September every year (since 1624) St. Giles Fair comes to Oxford. The fair is in town for just two days – usually the first Monday and Tuesday in September.
Click here for further information about St. Giles Fair
Oxford Study Tours
This company arranges trips from Oxford to Paris, Amsterdam, and lots of other places. Price from £150 (some may be cheaper). The tours are aimed at international visitors.
Click here for Oxford Study Tours
YouTube
OK you might be used to finding videos of cute kittens or teenage boys skateboarding into brick walls. However, there are often surprisingly useful video on, for example, proof of Pythagoras’s theorem and other educationally valuable clips.
Click here for YouTube
Wikipedia
Often Wikipedia can give a good overview of a topic. However, proceed with caution, a Wikipedia cut-and-essay is blindingly obvious to every teacher and tutor! Also Wikipedia is not always 100% accurate.
Click here for Wikipedia
Study Skills
The following links will take you to some study skills pages.
A Level Syllabuses Quick Finder: covers the most popular subjects and exam boards, also helps with finding exam papers, mark schemes, etc.
Exam Timing Calculator: calculates the time you should spend on each question, given the length of the exam and the marks per question. This is a beta version and we are aware of issues with some Mac operating systems.
The Education Wizard: more useful educational stuff - currently this site is at the prototype stage.
A Level Grades: A page intended to help you understand why your A level module(s) may not have turned out as you had hoped.
Resitting A Levels Guide: brief guide regarding the practicalities of resitting A levels. Strictly speaking not really study skills – but useful nevertheless.
Essay writing: a short guide on YouTube by Tim Wilson of Zontul Films Ltd
Plato’s cave analysis: if you are doing Plato’s the Sun, the line and the cave this is another fine video by Zontul Films Ltd.