Resources for young people in Years 12 and 13

This is a directory of free, online, subject-specific learning resources for young people in Years 12 and 13, from a wide variety of academic departments at UCL.

They can support your school studies and preparation for exams, as well as beginning to introduce you to new topics and university-level study. 

How to use this page:

• To make it easy to find relevant resources, everything is grouped by A-Level subject.
• Some resources can apply to lots of different topics so maybe appear multiple times in different sections.
• Scroll down to the subject you are interested in for a list of resources, with short descriptions and a link to where you can find them online.
• Some resources also have an accompanying PDF worksheet you can download.

Keep in mind that some resources might introduce you to new topics, challenging ideas, and academic debate and discussion. Engaging with this type of material can help you develop important critical analysis skills. Where resources reference any particularly sensitive themes, this information is provided alongside the link to the external content.

General Support

UCL Study Prep

This course is free and open to all students in Years 12 and 13 regardless of where you go to school/college or which universities you have applied to study at. It is recommended that you take 4-5 hours to complete UCL Study Prep but this does not have to be done all at once. 

Anthropology

• The UCL Anthropology news and events page
• 'Studying Anthropology at UCL' - a YouTube film with 4 undergraduates 
• 'Tell me about Anthropology' - A YouTube video with an academic from the department

Classics

• The UCL Classics department outreach webpage containing a range resources related to Classical Civilisations

Geography

@UCLgeography

• 'Research Interests at UCL Geography' - YouTube films about UCL Geography made by Anpu (Anparasan Sivakumaran), vlogger, Londoner, and course graduate
• Geography Department News Feed - Updates from the Department, often research related

History

@UCLHistory 

• 'Virtual bookshelf' of recent publications by staff in the History of Art department
• History of Art departmental post-graduate journal, which publishes latest research by current PhD students
• History departmental summer reading and listening list for A Level students preparing for university 

• Jazz Music in the Cultural Cold War – A worksheet based around an online lecture recording, with questions and further suggested reading

  Jazz Music in the Cultural Cold War – A worksheet based around an online lecture recording, with questions and further suggested reading
  (PDF)
  • An online lecture exploring how jazz music was leveraged by the USA and the USSR at different points in the Cold War. Lecture online.

  • Extra reading that is particularly relevant to modules on the Cold War, USSR, and USA in the mid-twentieth century

    Extra reading that is particularly relevant to modules on the Cold War, USSR, and USA in the mid-twentieth century
     (PDF)

• The Enlightenment, the British Museum, and the British Empire – A worksheet based around an online lecture recording, with questions and further suggested reading

  The Enlightenment, the British Museum, and the British Empire – A worksheet based around an online lecture recording, with questions and further suggested reading
  (PDF)
  • An online lecture that is particularly relevant to modules on the British Empire in the early nineteenth century; the Enlightenment, gender history, history of race. Lecture online.

• Women in the miners’ strike – A worksheet based around an online lecture recording, with questions and further suggested reading 

  Women in the miners’ strike – A worksheet based around an online lecture recording, with questions and further suggested reading 
  (PDF)
  • An online lecture that is particularly relevant to modules on postwar Britain, Margaret Thatcher, and women’s history. Lecture online.

• Continental Europe and the Eighteenth-Century British Empire - A worksheet based around an online lecture recording, with questions and further suggested reading

  Continental Europe and the Eighteenth-Century British Empire - A worksheet based around an online lecture recording, with questions and further suggested reading
  (PDF)
  • An online lecture asking what contributions Europe made to the British Empire in the eighteenth century. Lecture online.

• The American Revolution - A worksheet based around an online discussion recording, with questions and further suggested reading

  The American Revolution - A worksheet based around an online discussion recording, with questions and further suggested reading
  (PDF)
  • 'A Monologue for Two' interview discussing the American Revolution and its impact on Britain. Interview online.

• The Trial of Oscar Wilde, who was put on trial for 'gross indecency' in 1895 due to his relationships with other men - A worksheet based around an online lecture recording, with questions and further suggested reading

  The Trial of Oscar Wilde, who was put on trial for 'gross indecency' in 1895 due to his relationships with other men - A worksheet based around an online lecture recording, with questions and further suggested reading
  (PDF)
  • An introductory lecture setting out the background of the legal situation at the time, and discussing Wilde's trial. Lecture online.

• Towards a New Past - the Legacies of British Slave-ownership - A worksheet based around an online lecture recording, with questions and further suggested reading

  Towards a New Past - the Legacies of British Slave-ownership - A worksheet based around an online lecture recording, with questions and further suggested reading
  (PDF)
  • An online lecture exploring research on the 'Legacies of British Slave Ownership' project. Lecture online.

• 100 years On - The First World War in Historiography - A worksheet based around an online podcast recording, with questions and further suggested reading

  100 years On - The First World War in Historiography - A worksheet based around an online podcast recording, with questions and further suggested reading
  (PDF)
  • A podcast recording discussing how historical literature on the First World War has changed over the past five decades. Podcast online.

• Remembering the Silence - The Armistice of 1918 - A worksheet based around a radio programme recording, with questions and further suggested reading

  Remembering the Silence - The Armistice of 1918 - A worksheet based around a radio programme recording, with questions and further suggested reading
  (PDF)
  • An online recording of a radio programme discussing the terms of the armistice, along with reactions around Europe and long-term consequences of the end of the war. Recording online.

History of Art/Fine Art

@UCLHoA @SladeSchool

• 'Virtual bookshelf' of recent publications by staff in the History of Art department
• History of Art departmental post-graduate journal, which publishes latest research by current PhD students
• YouTube video of Prof Robert Mills lunch hour lecture 'The birds and the bees: animal sex in medieval art'
• YouTube video of short film describing the history of the department and its role in the formation of the discipline of Art History
• Past lecture recording by Liz Rideal, Professor of Fine Art - 'How to read paintings: A crash course in meaning and method'
• Past lecture recording by Jon Thomson, Professor of Fine Art - Inaugural Lecture
• Project blog - The Pigment Timeline Project
  • A collaborative, cross disciplinary research project currently being undertaken. The aim of the Pigment Timeline Project is to investigate and establish connections between all UCL departments that involve pigment and colour in any aspect of their research. 
• Project Blog - The Materials Research Project
  • The project aims to research and promote material knowledge and focuses on testing new ways to develop the relation between image and material, including the exploration of diverse cultural materials and methodologies.

• Project Publication - 'Colour & Poetry'

  Project Publication - 'Colour & Poetry'
  • This publication documents and celebrates Colour & Poetry: A Symposium, a cross and interdisciplinary two-day event held at Slade Research Centre to celebrate both International Colour Day and World Poetry Day. At the heart of the symposium was an exhibition, The Nomenclature of Colours (named after Werner's 1814 Nomenclature of Colours - a taxonomic guide to the colours of the natural world).
• Past Lectures - Slade Contemporary Art lectures
  • The Slade contemporary art lecture programme is a series of public lectures for Slade students. Artists, scientists and academics have presented their work and introduced students to their practice.   In 2019-2020, the series focused on looking at diverse art practices through the lens of performance, technology, activism and the environment. 

• Slade Summer School Foundation - Student Handbook

  Slade Summer School Foundation - Student Handbook
  • The booklet includes Methods and Materials Worksheets from the Slade Summer School Foundation, it encourages students to explore process and materials and opens up possibilities of the individuals' ideas about their own work. At the end of the document there is a comprehensive list for background reading. This handbook has been put together by the Slade Summer School staff.   
• Video by Lea Collet, Advance HE Fellow - 'Art What is Video Art?'

  • Supplementary workbook to accompany the video

    Supplementary workbook to accompany the video

Languages 

• The UCL Classics department outreach webpage containing a range resources related to Latin and Greek

Law

@UCLLaws 

• Law Department News Feed - Updates from the Department, often research related
• Law Department YouTube Channel – A range of videos including content from current staff and students and videos about current news topics and past lectures.

Maths

• The department has a series of problem solving videos on their YouTube channel and hopes to upload further content soon

Philosophy and Theology 

• The UCL Classics department outreach webpage containing a range resources related to Philosophy, Theology, and Classical Civilisations