S3 Physics:
Reporting Window 2

Level delivery in Physics

Physics Units in S3 cover content from Fourth Level Experiences & Outcomes along with some content appropriate to National 5 level, allowing students the opportunity to be further challenged.

Units Covered Across the Year

Waves

Learners who complete this unit will have covered Experiences and Outcomes from the Forces, Electricity and Waves: Vibrations and Waves Organiser in the topics of Sound and Light.

The Sound topic focuses on interpreting sound waves, including the manipulation of frequency/wavelength and amplitude, and measuring the speed of sound (including the use of two relationships to calculate the speed of a wave).

The Light topic focuses on refraction of light and the properties of the electromagnetic spectrum beyond the visible.

Space

Learners who complete this unit will have covered Experiences and Outcomes from the Planet Earth: Space Organiser in the topics of Telescopes, Space Exploration and Cosmology.

The Telescopes topic builds on the knowledge learned in the Light topic of the Waves unit; focusing on how we use the different types telescope are used to observe different types of light and why it is important to use all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum to observe the Universe.

The Space Exploration topic looks at how we can explore the Universe – both manned and unmanned missions – including the potential risks and benefits of exploring in this manner.

The Cosmology topic looks at the evolution of the Universe. The life cycle of stars are studied – including birth and death – and the evidence that supports our current understanding of the expansion and birth of the universe (the Big Bang theory).

Electricity

Learners who complete this unit will have covered Experiences and Outcomes from the Forces, Electricity and Waves: Electricity Organiser in the topics of Generating Electricity, Electric Charge and Fields and Practical Electrical Circuits.

The Generating Electricity topic looks at how electrical current is produced from a changing magnetic field and how we then transport this energy; further consolidating the connection between electricity and magnetism.

The Electric Charge and Field topic looks at how electric charges can be manipulated with electric fields and introduces the (official) definitions of current and voltage.

The Practical Electrical Circuits topic re-visits series and parallel circuits, moving on to mixed/combined circuits and introducing the resistor rules. Ohm’s Law is investigated and analysed and circuit theory (appropriate for N4/N5) is visited.

Pupils coping with the majority of the Physics work being set should be able to achieve at least Fourth C in this subject.

S4 Recommendation:

Pupils currently working at Fourth C and above would be recommended for N5 Physics.  N5 SfW Energy may be a preferable choice for those operating at Fourth D as all content is assessed on an ongoing basis and there is no final examination.  Those working at Third level would be recommended for the Level 4 NPA in Science and Health.

Working Level and Working Grade descriptions for S3 Physics:

Fourth+: Pupils working beyond fourth level at this stage of their school journey are performing at a higher level than the majority of their peers. The grading from A to D reflects how well they are performing within this advanced level. Please note that a grade D at this level is a higher grade than an A at Fourth level. 

Fourth A: A pupil achieving this will be making excellent progress across all their assessments (averaging 70% or more). They will be consistently demonstrating that they understand the key concepts studied in the course and are able to apply their knowledge and understanding to unknown situations at a high level. Their skills in calculation and problem-solving style questions are exceptional. They will also have demonstrated a consistently high standard in interpreting and analysing data and use this to provide extended explanations of physical phenomena. 

Fourth B: A pupil achieving this will be making very good progress across all their assessments (averaging 60-69%). They will occasionally be demonstrating that they understand the key concepts studied in the course and are able to apply their knowledge and understanding to unknown situations at a good level. Their skills in calculation and problem-solving style questions are excellent. They will also have demonstrated a high standard in interpreting and analysing data and use this to sometimes provide extended explanations of physical phenomena. 

Fourth C: A pupil achieving this will be making good progress across all their assessments (averaging 50-59%). They can demonstrate that they understand some of the key concepts studied in the course and are able to apply their knowledge and understanding to unknown situations at an appropriate level. Their skills in calculation and problem-solving style questions are good. They will also have demonstrated an acceptable standard in interpreting and analysing data and use this to occasionally provide extended explanations of physical phenomena. 

Fourth D: A pupil achieving this will be making some progress across all their assessments (averaging 40-49%). They can demonstrate that they understand a few of the key concepts studied in the course and can occasionally apply their knowledge and understanding to unknown situations at an appropriate level. Their skills in calculation and problem-solving style questions are limited. They will also have demonstrated a limited standard in interpreting and analysing data but can very occasionally provide extended explanations of physical phenomena. 

Third A-D: A pupil achieving this will be making limited progress across all their assessments (averaging less than 40%). They struggle to demonstrate that they understand key concepts studied in the course and rarely apply their knowledge and understanding to unknown situations at an appropriate level. They find calculation and problem-solving style questions a great challenge. They have demonstrated a very poor standard in interpreting and analysing data, rarely able to provide extended explanations of physical phenomena.