[kidoo]

(Original post by lsaul95)
Hi,

I know I'm taking Chem, Bio and Psychology, and I've been contemplating doing Physics at A level too,
can any of you who are studying it tell me what it's like, what to expect and how difficult you found it?

Thank you in advance!

Unit 1 is a breeze if you put in the effort and have even a slight passion for the subject, just like all other subjects it is the introductory bridging unit and about 60% of the content is similar to GCSE courses stuff with added detail.

However I can't say the same for unit 2, I'm with Edexcel and circuits are pretty straight forward however waves can be a pain sometimes.

Research conducted by Durham university found Physics to be the hardest A level, I wouldnt have agreed with them when I was doing unit 1 but with the current content and having seen some stuff in store for A2 I see where they are coming from.

[lsaul95]

(Original post by oh_1993)
On the whole I think it is a great subject but I have to do practical assessments worth 20% of the grade which is a bummer and dragged my grade down loads at AS. I see you are not planning to take AS Maths which it goes very well with (nearly everyone taking AS Physics takes AS Maths), but I don't think that will hinder you too much. There isn't really any Maths beyond higher tier GCSE level in the AS (just graphs, rearranging equations, multiplying, dividing, standard form kind of stuff and a bit of easy A2 Maths in the A2). This is on my exam board (OCR A) anyway.

The A2 is a lot more interesting that the AS. At the moment we are doing about quarks, particles inside protons and electrons and we will do about the structure and evolution of stars and the fate of the universe towards the end of the course.

If you get a B or higher in GCSE Maths then you will probably be fine with the Maths in Physics.
Here is a link to past papers etc. so you can see what A-Level Physics is like, it seems a lot easier when you get started.

http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications...s_a/documents/

Hope you make the right decision.

Thank you for your insight, it has been very helpful
The exam board I will be studying is OCR too, maths isn't my strong point unfortunately (hence why, I'm not taking it at AS level), so I'm a little concerned as to whether I should be taking it or not. I had a look through the textbook that I would be using and I understand how to do some things, like SI prefixes using standard form and basic unit, (volume of a sphere is 4piR^3/3, what is the volume of a sphere if the diameter is 4mm... After a read through, I can do that, surprisingly). But there are other things in the book like estimated physical quantities, (estimate the mass of an elephant, give your answer in SI units)... Even after a thorough read through of the page and methods given on the example, I have literally no idea where to begin in answering this question haha! That could be not being taught it though, so I'm not giving up just yet
Thanks again for your comment, it sounds hard but very interesting!

(Original post by Architecture-er)
Well my teacher was ****, so I learnt the entire course from the textbook

I found it incredibly interesting, electricity is a bit boring but there's plenty of Mechanics (easy if you're doing Maths A-level) and atomic physics etc.

Thanks for taking the time to post
From what I can see on this post, it does seem very interesting, I'm just concerned about the maths. It's not that I'm not capable, if I was shown how to do something I could grasp it and apply it, it just looks so startling at first glance haha!

(Original post by areebmazhar)
It's a really good A-level and for the most part interesting. I also find that there's some people who get full marks in exams and others who get U's there's not many students in between, particularly in the AS year. Although the practical coursework does tend to be quite difficult

Thanks for posting
Ahh, well If I take it, I hope I am one of those that get full marks... I can dream right? :')

(Original post by Damask-)
I took AQA double science at GCSE and got 2 A*s but found it pretty challenging because I didn't have that much experience of practical lab work. I think it depends a lot on the teachers you have, but it's been fun, and is definitely heaps more interesting than it is at GCSE.

Thanks, I got an A at GCSE Physics, I never thought it would be a simple transaction though. But I do find it quite interesting, as said, my only concern is the mathematics, but I think I'll take the risk

(Original post by Muppet Science)
I'm doing AS at the moment. In my experience it varies a lot. Unit 2 saw me bored out of my mind but Unit 1 is a lot more interesting.

It varies, one lesson I can go from bored stupid to excited schoolboy - we were doing flame tests for example and saw emission spectra too - so cool. But other things like circuit rules I found duller than dull.

At the end of the day it is a well respected subject and improves my odds of getting into med school - so I like it

You're going for med school too? Nice one, I wish you the best of luck
It is an interesting subject, so I hope I can grasp it and get the best grades If I decide to take it.
Thanks for your post.

(Original post by Muppet Science)
As previous poster said the maths isn't massively difficult - I'm not doing maths AS and am in the top 5 of my class.

On AQA there is some trigonometry, algebra (EVERYWHERE) and just re-arranging and changing units stuff. It's not much worse than chemistry tbh and on AQA they give you a formula sheet with most of the formulae anyway

Thank you for your insight, your post has been very re-assuring, I thought the lack of taking AS maths would hinder my performance if I did take Physics AS, but as you are a living example, I guess if I put my head down and work at it I will be able to do it just as well as anybody else, if not better
Thanks again!

(Original post by soutioirsim)
Physics A-level is very interesting. A2 is harder than AS but then at the same time alot more interesting.

And I really wouldn't worry too much about practical work. Yes it does count for 20% but that obviously means that 80% is still theory!! I was **** at practicals during A-level and I still am at uni but if you put in a little bit of extra preparation you can make it not too damaging.

The Edexcel Physics A-level course is basically learning the theory and then a little bit of applying it to real life situations which I believe is a good way of teaching it.

Thanks for your post!
I'm not too worried about the practical side, I think If I understand how everything should be done, etc, I can follow it precisely and offer an in depth analysis of the outcomes. I hope that's all you have to do anyway, otherwise I'm screwed haha
The Edexcel course sounds a lot better than the other exam boards I have seen, If only my college offered that :/
Thanks again

(Original post by dulciemae)
Whatever the subject, if you actually enjoy it, you'll more often than not be better at it.

Very true, I enjoyed it at GCSE, it was mostly interesting, definitely challenging but satisfying. That's what I'm looking for!

(Original post by TheNightmare)
AS Physics is good, interesting topics. A2 physics has even more interesting topics, especially the option topic from unit 5 for example Astrophysics is just cool. But A2 Physics is ****ing hard compared to AS. GCSE's are nothing compared to A-Level Physics.

It all sounds really interesting, you guys are making me thirst for more haha!
I knew the jump from GCSE to A level physics would be astronomical, so I don't expect it to be anything like its predecessor Whatever I take I plan on putting all my effort into, at least an hour of independent study per subject a day, I'm hoping that will be enough to get me good grades, if not... I fear for my social life :P
Thanks for your post!

(Original post by LETSJaM)
It is a BIG jump up from GCSE physics. I did separate science and found physics at GCSE quite easy. But A-Level physics is MUCH harder. However you can do it if you work very hard.

<3 x

I plan to work my arse off in everything I do, I have already been working through the text books for Chemistry and Biology and find them pretty easy to understand, I'm hoping when I look at the Physics one properly I won't shatter into a million pieces :')
Thanks for your post x

(Original post by Artymess)
AS physics separates the men from the boys. Imagine opening the gates of hell, surrounded by your classmates - only so many of you will survive the horrors and hellfire, making it to A2

A2 is surprisingly easy however. Quite interesting, and after surviving the unholy apocalypse of AS, you'll breeze though it - a weathered and grizzled physicist.

Fantastic! I imagine that being said on the set of 300... THIS. IS. PHYSICS!
haha, all in all, it sounds very challenging, I'm always up for a challenge. Unless it involves snakes, **** that.

(Original post by pbsjohnz)
Heres a link of a past paper from 2008. Its from the board CIE. Just take a look at how hard physics is at a levels... http://www.xtremepapers.com/CIE/Inte...2_w08_qp_4.pdf

Thanks, it all looks very mathematical, a slight worry, but I'm sure if I got taught the correct methods I could apply it easily
Thanks for your post and link, it was very helpful in seeing what to expect.

(Original post by whooshpaddy)
My experience of Edexcel A level physics...

AS total walk in the park
A2 Oh my god kill me now

Walks in the park? I could do that. :P
Thanks for your post

(Original post by Oh my Ms. Coffey)
Hard. Especially OCR.

****. My exam board is OCR. My hope of doing well at Physics AS is slowly shattering. :')

[lsaul95]

(Original post by kidoo)
Unit 1 is a breeze if you put in the effort and have even a slight passion for the subject, just like all other subjects it is the introductory bridging unit and about 60% of the content is similar to GCSE courses stuff with added detail.

However I can't say the same for unit 2, I'm with Edexcel and circuits are pretty straight forward however waves can be a pain sometimes.

Research conducted by Durham university found Physics to be the hardest A level, I wouldnt have agreed with them when I was doing unit 1 but with the current content and having seen some stuff in store for A2 I see where they are coming from.

Thank you for your post
I will definitely be putting in the effort, at LEAST, an hour of independent study per subject a night

Hardest A level? :| At least it is good to know what I'm letting myself in for :') I don't want to be dropping anything at AS level, so hopefully I will be able to grasp it and get at least a C, even though I'm aiming for an A, obviously

Thanks again

[oh_1993]

(Original post by lsaul95)
Thank you for your post
I will definitely be putting in the effort, at LEAST, an hour of independent study per subject a night

Hardest A level? :| At least it is good to know what I'm letting myself in for :') I don't want to be dropping anything at AS level, so hopefully I will be able to grasp it and get at least a C, even though I'm aiming for an A, obviously

Thanks again

It sounds like you are very dedicated if you intend to study for 1 hour a subject a night. I think very few people do that much (for the sciences and maths anyway). Keep that up and you could be looking at some top grades!

[lsaul95]

(Original post by oh_1993)
It sounds like you are very dedicated if you intend to study for 1 hour a subject a night. I think very few people do that much (for the sciences and maths anyway). Keep that up and you could be looking at some top grades!

Definitely, I want the best grades and I know how much work I need to put in to get them! It's surprisingly easy to keep up once you get into the habit too!
Thanks

[iyanaomi]

(Original post by Waqar.)
I did AS physics with OCR B and it is terrible. It's not the common type of physics. It's got electronics and signalling and then a bit of proper physics at the end of the last AS exam. The textbook is also useless. It has no relavant info and just rambles on about rubbish. If your school is doing physics with OCR B then don't bother with it.

I fully agree with this. I'm currently in my second year doing Maths, Further Maths and Physics (OCR B). I'm achieving two A*s in my Maths and Further Maths yet I am STRUGGLING to get a B in Physics. I'm resitting all four modules in Summer to try and scrape as many marks as possible for an A. A Level Physics is a giant leap from GCSE, that's an important warning. I got 9 A*s at GCSE but I know I underestimated the amount of work I would have to put into A Level Physics.

[lsaul95]

(Original post by iyanaomi)
I fully agree with this. I'm currently in my second year doing Maths, Further Maths and Physics (OCR B). I'm achieving two A*s in my Maths and Further Maths yet I am STRUGGLING to get a B in Physics. I'm resitting all four modules in Summer to try and scrape as many marks as possible for an A. A Level Physics is a giant leap from GCSE, that's an important warning. I got 9 A*s at GCSE but I know I underestimated the amount of work I would have to put into A Level Physics.

Thanks, your comments are definitely making me re-think my choice. I have no idea what else I could take if I didn't take Physics. The only options that are possible are environmental studies or philosophy. I don't know if environmental studies is seen as a strong a level for university so I don't want to risk it, and I don't know if I'll enjoy philosophy, or if I'll just get bogged down because of the extensive amount of essay work.

Decisions, decisions. :/

[lsaul95]

(Original post by Waqar.)
I did AS physics with OCR B and it is terrible. It's not the common type of physics. It's got electronics and signalling and then a bit of proper physics at the end of the last AS exam. The textbook is also useless. It has no relavant info and just rambles on about rubbish. If your school is doing physics with OCR B then don't bother with it.

Sorry, I didn't see your post before.
Ah crap. I know the exam board is OCR, but not sure if it's OCR B There are 2 units. Unit 1 Mechanics (G481) and Unit 2 Electrons, waves and photons (G482).

Should I be worried?! haha

[acceptingme]

(Original post by lsaul95)
Sorry, I didn't see your post before.
Ah crap. I know the exam board is OCR, but not sure if it's OCR B There are 2 units. Unit 1 Mechanics (G481) and Unit 2 Electrons, waves and photons (G482).

Should I be worried?! haha

You're OCR A. Same as me. Unit 2 is easy I think - I think it's easy stuff because it just builds upon GCSE however I do get bored easily by electricity making it hard for me to engage. I do find it my most interesting A Level and as long as you do the work your fine. Past papers really help.

[lsaul95]

(Original post by acceptingme)
You're OCR A. Same as me. Unit 2 is easy I think - I think it's easy stuff because it just builds upon GCSE however I do get bored easily by electricity making it hard for me to engage. I do find it my most interesting A Level and as long as you do the work your fine. Past papers really help.

Ahh nice one, thanks a lot Same board? so you wouldn't mind helping me get that A then hehe ;D I have a question about estimating physical quantities... Where do I begin with 'estimate the physical quantity of the mass of an elephant, using basic unit and SI prefixes'? :|

[4mar_ar5en4l]

I did double applied science at GCSE and I found it utter nonsense. I didn't actually learn any meaningful science. But I found that it was hard at first because prior understanding was assumed, however because it was so interesting and enjoyable I got to grips with it and I'm doing pretty well

With AQA A as the board, and I'm in AS atm.
Also it will help if you're decent at maths.

[Larmas]

I have found that the A level Physics is a step up from GCSE in mathematical terms but otherwise the theoretical side of it is not too brain testing.

[acceptingme]

(Original post by lsaul95)
Ahh nice one, thanks a lot Same board? so you wouldn't mind helping me get that A then hehe ;D I have a question about estimating physical quantities... Where do I begin with 'estimate the physical quantity of the mass of an elephant, using basic unit and SI prefixes'? :|

I've never heard of SI prefixes.. When saying guess the mass of an elephant I'm assuming it just means it wants you to know what units of mass your supposed to write. It is always KG. I would just write something like 1000KG and it would be right - is it a one marker?

[geditor]

Mentally challenging at points.

[lsaul95]

(Original post by acceptingme)
I've never heard of SI prefixes.. When saying guess the mass of an elephant I'm assuming it just means it wants you to know what units of mass your supposed to write. It is always KG. I would just write something like 1000KG and it would be right - is it a one marker?

I must've got a totally different book :|
Here is the example -

Estimate the distance from London to Miami, Florida.

- Circumference of the Earth = 2piR = 2pi x 6.4 x10^6 = 4.0 x10^7m
Estimate that the Atlantic Ocean is 1/8 of whole circumference so:
London to Miami distance = 5x10^6m (5000km)

Yeah, it is just a one marker, but it wants the answer in basic unit, standard form. I understand standard form and stuff from GCSE maths, but I have no idea where to begin on working out the mass of an elephant. How am I supposed to show working?! All I could possibly do is guess :')

[acceptingme]

(Original post by lsaul95)
I must've got a totally different book :|
Here is the example -

Estimate the distance from London to Miami, Florida.

- Circumference of the Earth = 2piR = 2pi x 6.4 x10^6 = 4.0 x10^7m
Estimate that the Atlantic Ocean is 1/8 of whole circumference so:
London to Miami distance = 5x10^6m (5000km)

Yeah, it is just a one marker, but it wants the answer in basic unit, standard form. I understand standard form and stuff from GCSE maths, but I have no idea where to begin on working out the mass of an elephant. How am I supposed to show working?! All I could possibly do is guess :')

I can guarantee that's not your exam board. You aren't expected to know that - although you are expected to know standard form and units. Google OCR A AS, OCR CGP and past papers. That's it really - all I use.

[lsaul95]

(Original post by 4mar_ar5en4l)
I did double applied science at GCSE and I found it utter nonsense. I didn't actually learn any meaningful science. But I found that it was hard at first because prior understanding was assumed, however because it was so interesting and enjoyable I got to grips with it and I'm doing pretty well

With AQA A as the board, and I'm in AS atm.
Also it will help if you're decent at maths.

Thanks for your post, well I am decent at maths, not the best, but decent enough I would say, so I think I'm gonna give it a shot! Thanks again

(Original post by Larmas)
I have found that the A level Physics is a step up from GCSE in mathematical terms but otherwise the theoretical side of it is not too brain testing.

Thanks for this! Yeah, I will have to step my game up mathematically then

(Original post by geditor)
Mentally challenging at points.

It wouldn't be worth it if it wasnt

[21stcenturyphantom]

(Original post by Artymess)
AS physics separates the men from the boys. Imagine opening the gates of hell, surrounded by your classmates - only so many of you will survive the horrors and hellfire, making it to A2

A2 is surprisingly easy however. Quite interesting, and after surviving the unholy apocalypse of AS, you'll breeze though it - a weathered and grizzled physicist.

+rep for genuinely making me laugh out loud!

[whooshpaddy]

(Original post by oh_1993)
How?? The A2 is just full of equations and not much theory, so surely it is easier. I find A2 a lot easier than AS.

January's A2 Unit 4 contained 53 out of 80 marks for theory and explanation, the rest were for stating equations in long answers or doing calculations. (I counted them up on the mark scheme). I'm not sure whether it's the jump from AS to A2, the papers becoming more wordy, or what, but i'm finding it a complete nightmare!

[oh_1993]

(Original post by whooshpaddy)
January's A2 Unit 4 contained 53 out of 80 marks for theory and explanation, the rest were for stating equations in long answers or doing calculations. (I counted them up on the mark scheme). I'm not sure whether it's the jump from AS to A2, the papers becoming more wordy, or what, but i'm finding it a complete nightmare!

What exam board? I'm doing OCR A and there is certainly more maths in it or at least the maths is used more, i hate the random explanations..