Course Content:

Year 1 Units:

• Skills of planning, implementing, analysis and evaluation

• Physical quantities and units; Scalars and vectors; Measurements

• Motion; Forces in action; Work, energy and power; Materials; Newton’s laws of motion and momentum

• Charge and current; Energy, power and resistance; Electrical circuits; Waves; Quantum physics

 

Year 2 Units:

• All of the AS Units

• Thermal physics; Circular motion; Oscillations; Gravitational fields; Astrophysics

• Capacitors; Electric fields; Electromagnetism; Nuclear and particle physics; Medical imaging

 

 

First Year Assessment

 

Paper 1: Breadth in physics

Contributes 50% to the final AS grade

Written examination lasts 1 hour 30 minutes

Multiple choice and structured questions

 

Paper 2: Depth in physics

Contributes 50% to the final AS grade

Written examination lasts 1 hour 30 minutes

Structured and extended response questions

 

Second Year Assessment

 

Paper 1: Modelling physics

Contributes 37% to the A level grade

Written examination lasts 2 hours 15 minutes

Multiple choice and structured questions

 

Paper 2: Exploring physics

Contributes 37% to the A level grade

Written examination lasts 2 hours 15 minutes

Multiple choice and structured questions

 

Paper 3: Unified physics

Contributes 26% to the A level grade

Written examination lasts 1 hour 30 minutes

Structured and extended response questions

 

Non-exam assessment: Practical endorsement for physics

Teacher assessment of practical skills relevant to physics

 

Progression into careers via:

Physics allows progression onto a wide variety of degree courses both within the field of Science and in other areas such as law and accounting. The critical thinking skills developed in the subject are highly desired by both universities and prospective employers. The diversity of the skills and concepts developed allows students to choose an academic or applied path to their career, or even a combination of the two.

Some examples of possible careers include: medicine, radiography, dentistry, forensic science, engineering, teaching, law, environmental studies, oceanography, marine studies, geophysics, employment in the petroleum industry, research in physics, renewable energy solutions, nuclear physics, ministry of defence, mineral prospecting

 

Length of Course:

A-level : 2 years

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Examination Board:

OCR

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Periods Per Week:

5 x 1 hour lessons