The Best Resources To Boost Your GCSE Grades

Whether you are entering into your first year of GCSE’s or are doing some additional research for your undergraduate dissertation, study resources are vital to maximising your grade potential. But with the advent of the internet and computing power increasing ten-fold each year, it can be increasingly difficult to know where to look, to find the perfect, tailored study support.

Online Study Resources | The best of the best

BBC Bitesize

BBC Bitesize feels like it has been around since the dawn of time. It has been an everlasting tool used by a generation or 2 of students. It is a free online study support resource designed from the ground up to help students of all ages to learn, revise and complete homework. From the ages of 5 to 16+ bitesize covers a wide range of school subjects. 

All of the guides and information around topics are written by teachers or subject experts and follow the UK national curriculum. Bitesize is one of the main platforms used by homeschooling parents with a catalogue of hundreds of lessons available to download.

The website is simple to navigate with all resources available to you within a few clicks. With dedicated sections for Primary, KS3, GCSE and post 16+ to help break up the complexity of the topics and prevent those at the GCSE level from picking up irrelevant topics as an example.

Bitesize also has extensive support networks for students to use. No matter what stage of life you are at, moving to secondary school, starting a new relationship or feeling stressed and overworked, they have a number of stories from people who have been through similar to help support you through a possibly turbulent time. They also provide careers support that is not offered available.

The only issue with Bitesize is that it's what we call 'asynchronous' learning - which is pre-prepared material that doesn't react to your understanding. Whilst it's free, if you don't understand some content, you need to actively go and find additional resources to improve your understanding.

It can work incredibly well when combined with a tool such as Sherpa. First, read through the BBC bitesize page for a particular topic, for example a GCSE Maths topic. Once you've done that, you can then run through any parts you don't understand with a GCSE maths tutor from Sherpa. To save money, you can always have one-off or flexible lessons when you come across some content you don't understand well.

Sherpa Online

Sometimes, you might just need an extra bit of guidance in order to fully comprehend and understand a topic. Other times, you may need that additional help to learn the foundations of a subject to progress with your studies. Whatever it may be, Sherpa Online is as comprehensive as it gets. They boast a huge catalogue of Qualified UK teachers and professional tutors all available at a moments notice to help you with your studies.

With an intuitive online classroom and booking system. Getting the tailored help you need from the comfort of your own home from qualified professionals has never been easier. Whether you need help revising for an upcoming maths exam or you want to learn the ins and outs of microwaves from a GCSE physics tutor, there is a Sherpa tutor for you. 

Alison Learning Paths

3,500+ online courses being taken by 21 million learners are incredibly strong numbers. Alison is one of the world’s largest free learning platforms for skills training and niche education. Up-skilling is the primary aspiration of the platform, to enable positive social change, create opportunity and promote equality in a higher skill society.

Not only do they provide the courses but also certificates on completion. These certificates can be used to bolster a CV and increase employability. Their most popular courses include Food Safety and Hygiene, GDPR and First Aid. Previously, if you wanted to receive a qualification in any of these disciplines you would have been required to attend in-person seminars which were inaccessible to a large majority. The ability to conduct these sessions from the comfort of school or home can only be a positive.

CodeAcademy

Codeacademy is free, simple to use and has a large volume of top-quality courses. They have helped over 24 million students learn to code and improve their skill levels by providing a free learning experience for beginners and intermediates alike.

The courses follow a structured curriculum and can help you learn a new skill every day. With quizzes each step of the way, you can evaluate the progress you have made consistently so you never fall behind. The only downside is that there is no instructor support, there is a limited sense of community so you have to fend for yourself but if you can look past that, Codeacademy will work wonders for you.

In a similar way to how you can use BBC Bitesize, you can supplement your learning on Codecademy with flexible lessons with a Computer Science Tutor on Sherpa. We offer both GCSE Computer Science Tutors and A-Level Computer Science Tutors.