Physics

Course summary

The OCR Physics A level is split into six modules which are designed to develop knowledge and skills over a two year course. The whole A level is examined by three externally set examinations at the end of the course. Practical skills are assessed within these examinations. There is an additional practical endorsement which is separate from, but linked to, the course. This will be assessed by 12 practical tasks spread through the whole course. Practical skills, the appropriate use of scientific terminology and units integral to the whole course will be co-taught with the modules containing theoretical content. In the Lower Sixth Form we look at classical mechanics based on Newton’s laws, building on the knowledge acquired at GCSE. This runs concurrently with a study of electrical and wave theory, which leads into quantum physics. The second year of the course sees us return to mechanics and develop new ideas about gravity, circular motion and ideal gases. The second module in this year looks at the behaviour of particles and electric charges, nuclear physics and medical imaging.