What do I need to know or be able to do before taking this course?
The course builds on the knowledge and understanding of the 360 GCSE Science programme. It is expected that students will have achieved a GCSE Grade B in both GCSE Science and GCSE Additional Science or equivalent. It will be very helpful to have at least a grade B in GCSE Mathematics as numeracy and mathematical skills are important in physics.

Communication is also important in physics so you will need to be able to communicate effectively, be able to research and critically think about problems. You will learn theory and develop relevant practical skills throughout the course.

What will I learn on this A level course?
A level physics aims for students to:

• sustain and develop their enjoyment of, and interest in, physics.
• develop essential knowledge and understanding in physics.
• develop the skills needed for the use of this knowledge and understanding in new and changing situations where appropriate.
• develop an understanding of the link between theory and experiment.
• appreciate how physics has developed and is used in present day society.
• show how physics links with social, philosophical, economic, industrial and environmental matters.
• recognise the quantitative nature of physics.
• understand how mathematical expressions relate to physical principles.
• bring together knowledge of ways in which different areas of physics relate to each other.
• study how scientific models develop. What kind of student is this qualification suitable for?

A level physics is suitable for students who:

• have an interest in, and enjoy physics.
• want to find out about how things in the physical world work.
• enjoy applying their mind to solving problems.
• enjoy carrying out investigations by the application of imaginative, logical thinking.
• want to use physics to support other qualifications or progress onto further studies or employment.

AS physics is also suitable for students who:

• want to go on to the full A level.
• want grounding in a relevant worthwhile qualification of recognised value.
• want to broaden their educational experience before making a decision about which A levels to take.
• are taking A levels in the other Sciences and/or Mathematics or other relevant courses such as Design and Technology and want to take another course that will support their studies.

What examinations will I have to take to get my qualification?
The AS is a qualification in its own right. You study three units in the AS. The full A level is made up from the AS level and three more units. You will take Unit 4 in January of the Upper Sixth and Unit 5 and Unit 6 in May / June of the Upper Sixth.

This table shows you the examinations you will take and the % each unit is worth of either the AS or the A level:

What is in the units?
AS
AS is short for Advanced Subsidiary. This is the first half of the A level course. It is a stepping-stone to the full A level qualification. You can take just the AS on its own, if you and your teacher agree that this is best for you. You can even decide at the end of the AS course whether to continue to take the full A level qualification. You will study three units in the AS each made up of several topics:

Topic 1: Mechanics
This unit leads on from KS4 studies and covers rectilinear motion, forces, energy and power.
Topic 2: Materials
This topic covers flow of liquids, viscosity, Stokes’ Law, properties of materials, Hooke’s
Law, Young modulus and elastic strain energy.

Unit 2 – Physics at Work
Topic 1: Waves
This topic covers the properties of different types of waves, including standing (stationary) waves. Refraction, polarisation and diffraction are also included.
Topic 2: DC Electricity
This topic covers the definitions of various electrical quantities, e.g. current and resistance, Ohm’s law and non-ohmic materials, potential dividers, emf and internal resistance of cells, and negative temperature coefficient thermistors.
Topic 3: Nature of light
This topic covers the wave/particle nature of light and quantum phenomena.

Unit 3 – Exploring Physics (Written alternative to practical test)
Students will develop experimental skills, and a knowledge and understanding of experimental techniques, by carrying out a range of practical experiments and investigations. This unit is assessed by means of a written examination paper. The assessment covers planning an experiment, analysing data and drawing conclusions. What is in the units?

A Level
The full A level qualification is made up of the AS units plus three more units which are studied at a higher level. You don’t necessarily have to take the full A level qualification; you can still get a certificate just for the AS, and your teacher will advise you on what is best. If you do decide to take the second half of the course it will cover the three units described below.

Unit 4 – Physics on the Move
This unit covers further mechanics, electric and magnetic fields and particle physics

• Topic 1: Further Mechanics
  This topic covers momentum and circular motion.
• Topic 2: Electric and Magnetic Fields
  This topic covers Coulomb’s law, capacitors, magnetic flux density and the laws of electromagnetic induction.
• Topic 3: Particle Physics
  This topic covers atomic structure, particle accelerators, and the standard quark-lepton model, enabling students to describe the behaviour of matter on a subatomic scale. The topic is the subject of current research, involving the acceleration and detection of highenergy particles.

Unit 5 – Physics from Creation to Collapse
This unit covers thermal energy, nuclear decay, oscillations, and astrophysics and cosmology.

• Topic 1: Thermal energy
  This topic covers specific heat capacity, internal energy and the ideal gas equation.
• Topic 2: Nuclear Decay
  This topic covers Radioactive decay
• Topic 3: Oscillations
  This topic covers Simple Harmonic Motion and Damping

Unit 6 – Experimental Physics (Written alternative to practical test)
Students will further develop experimental skills and the knowledge and understanding of experimental techniques that they acquired at AS level by carrying out a range of practical experiments and investigations while they study Units 4 and 5. This unit is assessed by means of a written examination paper. How can I develop my full range of skills by doing this qualification?

As well as studying A level Physics, this course will enable you to develop some important skills. These skills will be essential to you whatever you go on to do afterwards.

Examples of Skills Development in Physics Communication

• Taking part in discussions about investigations or issues
• Preparing written documents for your practical work
• Researching from books, CD-ROMs and the Internet Application of number
• Planning to collect results from your experiments and investigations and analysing and presenting them in a suitable way
• Carrying out calculations on the data collected in experiments and investigations
• Interpreting the results from experiments and seeing how this relates to your plan Information technology
• Researching from CD-ROMs and the Internet
• Using word processing software to present written reports and prepare presentations about an investigation or an issue you have researched
• Plan and design a spreadsheet to support your experiments, be able to select a suitable graphical format to show trends and patterns in your data Working with others
• Discussing an investigation or a presentation within a small group. This can then be presented to the whole class.
• Deciding who does what in the group and successfully completing the task by working co-operatively
• Reviewing the task and agreeing ways that you could have co-operated even better in your group.

Improving own learning and performance

• Setting targets with a timetable to improve your learning or skills
• Seek support and use different ways of learning
• Monitoring the marks awarded for your work and taking action to improve them Problem solving
• Planning an investigation into some aspect of physics to answer a question
• Working out at least two different ways to solve a problem
• Carrying out one of your plans and consider how well it is going so far
• Deciding how to evaluate your plan.

What could I go on to do at the end of my course?
Physics leads on to a wide range of courses and careers. You could go on to use Physics to support other qualifications or progress onto further studies or employment. This could be:

• from a Higher National programme (HNC & HND) to degree level;
• courses ranging from Physics, the Sciences, Medicine to Engineering;
• Chemical Engineering and related programmes;
• employment in the area of radiography, and biotechnology as possible examples. In fact Physics is recognised as an entry qualification for a wide range of Higher Education courses and employment.

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