Physics

Level 3 Pathway - In order to enrol onto our Level 3 courses, students must have achieved a minimum of 5 grade 4s at GCSE Level across 4 different subject areas; this should ideally include a Grade 4 for English Language and Mathematics.

It is important that students also pay attention to any individual subject entry requirements.

It may be that a small number of students are recommended to sit AS qualifications at the end of Year 12 in order to inform decisions about progression into Year 13, however these AS examinations are standalone and do not contribute to the overall A Level qualification.

Why?

Physics is a broad, creative subject involving experiments, observations, theory and mathematics, computing, technology, materials and information theory. Physics seeks to answer fundamental questions about what, how and why things are as they are. It is concerned with observing, understanding and making predictions about the world around us and man-made systems. Physics drives development in areas such as chemistry, computing, engineering, materials science, mathematics, medicine, the life sciences and meteorology. The qualification is highly valued and students go on to study a wide range of subjects at university or to train for a diverse range of careers.

A Level course structure

Year 1 students will study the following modules:

Section 1: Measurements and their errors

Section 2: Particles and radiation- including particles, electromagnetic radiation and quantum phenomena

Section 3: Waves- including progressive and stationary waves, refraction, diffraction and interference

Section 4: Mechanics- including materials, force, energy and momentum

Section 5: Electricity- including current, voltage and resistance

Year 2 students will study the following modules:

Section 6: Further mechanics and thermal physics- including periodic motion and thermal physics

Section 7: Fields and their consequences- including gravitational fields, electric fields, magnetic fields and capacitance

Section 8: Nuclear physics- including radioactivity

Section 9: Astrophysics- including telescopes, classification of stars and cosmology

A-level assessment: three exam papers, all assessing module 1 to 6 content.

Paper 1- Includes sections 1-5 and 6.1. This paper is 2 hours, 85 marks and worth 34% of A Level

Paper 2- Includes sections 6.2, 7 and 8. This paper is 2 hours, 85 marks and worth 34% of A Level

Paper 3- Practical skills, data analysis and section 9. This paper is 2 hours, 80 marks and worth 32% of A-Level

Student’s practical skills will be teacher assessed but does not affect the overall grade.

Extended Learning

Each topic has homework booklets made of exam questions to be completed by the end of each section to show progress and to identify areas for improvement. Students need to spend a significant amount of time on extended learning and support is offered at lunchtime, during study periods and after school.

Grade 6/6 GCSE Combined Science or Grade 6 GCSE Physics plus, ideally, Grade 6 GCSE Mathematics. Students not meeting these criteria may be accepted after interview