Physics

Assessment

The Physics course is assessed by three exams, each of which lasts two hours. In the first of these, pupils study many of the core areas of Physics including mechanics, electricity, waves and materials as well as being introduced to more esoteric aspects such as particle and quantum physics. The second unit covers further mechanics, fields and nuclear physics. Paper 3 is about practical skills and data analysis as well as an optional topic, chosen individually depending on personal interests. Throughout the course, practical skills are developed such as experimental design, problem solving, processing data and evaluating their results including quantifying uncertainty. Pupils are required to achieve a level of practical competency that will have to be endorsed by their teacher to pass the course. 15% of the questions in the A Level examination will test practical skills.