Year 1 Course Content
Unit 1 and 2
- Development of Practical Skills
- Quantities, Units and Measurements
Unit 3 – Forces and Motion
- Motion
- Forces in Action
- Work, Energy and Power
- Materials
- Laws of Motion and Momentum
Unit 4 – Electrons, Waves and Photons
- Change and Current
- Energy, Power and Resistance
- Electrical Circuits
- Waves
- Quantum Physics
Year 2 Course Content
Unit 5 – Newtonian World and Astrophysics
- Thermal Physics
- Ideal Gases
- Circular Motion
- Oscillations
- Gravitational Fields
- Stars
- Cosmology
Unit 6 – Particles and Medical Physics
- Capacitance
- Electric Fields
- Magnetic Fields
- Particle Physics
- Radioactivity
- Nuclear Physics
- Medical Physics
Assessment
Paper 1
- 37% of A Level
- 100 marks
- Duration: 2 Hours 15mins
- Areas examined: Units 1, 2, 3 and 5
Paper 2
- 37% of A Level
- 100 marks
- Duration: 2 Hours 15mins
- Areas examined: Units 1, 2, 4 and 6
Paper 3
- 26% of A Level
- 70 marks
- Duration: 1 Hour 30mins
- Areas examined: All units (1-6)
Practical Endorsement
Practical work drives the studies and developments of physics; as such, we ensure that all A-level physics students have the opportunity to test and experiment with their ideas. The OCR practical endorsement is independent of the A level physics qualification and is teacher assessed through specific practical experiments, throughout year 12 and 13. Students applying to top universities for science-based degrees will require this additional qualification. Hayesfield has a 100% record of providing students with the opportunity to gain this qualification.
Marking and Feedback
Feedback and improvement tasks will be given after each marked piece of work, including assessments. Students will use self- and peer-assessment of their work through the use of out green and purple pens. Teachers will indicate what work will and will not be marked in order to give the students a clear idea of what is expected of them.
Students will be set weekly questions that will assess and test the student’s knowledge of topics that they have studied previously, in addition their normal homework.
Setting in A Level Physics
As this is an Option block there is not setting for physics and all students at all levels work within the same groups. This is supported through careful differentiated delivery of the curriculum.
Homework
- Homework is set in line with the school policy. The normal length of homework should be a minimum of 4 hours per week, usually 2 hours of homework set by each of their class teachers
- Homework typically includes flipped learning to support pre-learning before lessons, practice exam questions, consolidation homework, creative tasks and wider reading
Supporting your Son or Daughter in A Level Physics
Make sure your son or daughter has a quiet place to work.
Ensure they have the correct equipment for lessons; A4 files and paper plus pens, notes, filing materials and a scientific calculator. The physics team will provide a structure of how their folders should be organised, however it will be up to the students to keep their folders up to date.
Encourage them to explore around the subject by buying suitable magazines such as New Scientist, watching Science based documentaries on television or visiting Science-based places of interest such as the Rutherford-Appleton labs, Science Museum or We the Curious.
Revision and Support Materials
OCR A Level Physics
https://ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-and-a-level/physics-a-h156-h556-from-2015
Clips and other activities to support your learning of A Level Physics
https://www.alevelphysicsonline.com
Many questions to test you understanding of Physics
https://isaacphysics.org
