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About the course:
About the course:
Exam Board: Pearson
Subject contact: Christopher Clark
Physics is a challenging but very interesting course for those students who love Science and want to explore it to a much higher level. In summary, Physics is the study of how everything works. It has close links with Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology. The Physics course is very practical with lots of opportunities to carry out experiments and investigations. You will also learn to work as part of a team.
It is excellent preparation for anyone looking for a career in Science or Engineering. However, the skills acquired in studying Physics are also useful in a much wider range of careers.
Physics Advanced Level is highly respected by both universities and employers.
Units of study:
Units of study:
Component 1
Component 1
Paper 1: Advanced Physics I
Mechanics – mathematics of motion, vectors,projectiles, forces, Newton’s Laws of motion, emery, power and efficiency
Electric Circuits – current, charge, potential
difference, resistance, solving circuit problems, resistivity, power, potential dividers, electromotive force and current flow in microscopic terms
Further Mechanics
Electric and Magnetic Fields
Nuclear and Particle Physics
Assessment is by a paper lasting 1 hour 45 minutes consisting of 90 marks. This is 30% of the A Level.
Component 2
Component 2
Paper 2: Advanced Physics II
Materials – density, upthrust, Hooke’s Law, stress, strain, Young Modulus and strain energy.
Waves and particle nature of light – wave definitions, interference, standing waves, diffraction, refractive index, critical angle, lenses, polarisation, pulse-echo techniques, photoelectric effect, Einstein’s equation, atomic line spectra.
Thermodynamics
Space
Nuclear Radiation
Gravitational Fields
Oscillations
Assessment is by a paper lasting 1 hour 45 minutes consisting of 90 marks. This is 30% of the A Level.
Component 3
Component 3
Paper 3: General and Practical Principles in Physics
Draws on any topics in the specification
Synoptic questions
Conceptual and theoretical understanding of experimental methods
Assessment is by a paper lasting 2 hours 30 minutes consisting of 120 marks. This is 40% of the A Level.
Students also complete a series of practicals to secure the Science Practical Endorsement.
Our Physics department has a strong track record for students securing excellent outcomes and many progress into Physics or Engineering degrees as their next step.
In summer 2025 we saw students make +0.89 progress in terms of value added, this means our students achieve nearly a grade higher than expected for their starting points. You can expect the same specialist support during your A Level Physics journey as you work towards your Post 18 plans.
Examples of degrees:
Examples of degrees:
Isaac has just started at the University of Bristol - Studying Physics with Study Abroad in a Modern Language.
JJ has just started at the University of Surrey - Studying Physics with Astronomy.
We subscribe to Unifrog, the one stop careers platform, for all our students so they can explore where studying subjects at A Level can take them!
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