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OCR B Physics G494 June 11th 2014 Unit 4

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Reply 340
Avatar for Cerdic
Cerdic
OP
18
Original post by Mutleybm1996
I have 228 ums from AS and really need to boost that mid B up to an A...is that possible do you reckon?


Yep. I'd probably retake some stuff though. Are you retaking anything?
Original post by Cerdic
Yep. I'd probably retake some stuff though. Are you retaking anything?


G491: 63/90
G492: 111/150
G493: 54/60

I was planning to retake G491
Reply 342
Avatar for jaetpa
jaetpa
1
Original post by Mutleybm1996
G491: 63/90
G492: 111/150
G493: 54/60

I was planning to retake G491


I wouldn't say it's harder overall, I'd say that some topics are maybe easier, but some topics will make up for it with the amount of time and attention they require. That said, treat it as if you were doing it a couple of years back with January exams, try and get on top of G494 by then, that's the annoying one. 495 is more about detail, much in the same way 492 is - be consistent in your learning and don't try to leave it to the last minute, because there almost certainly will be things that take time to just...click.
Original post by jaetpa
I wouldn't say it's harder overall, I'd say that some topics are maybe easier, but some topics will make up for it with the amount of time and attention they require. That said, treat it as if you were doing it a couple of years back with January exams, try and get on top of G494 by then, that's the annoying one. 495 is more about detail, much in the same way 492 is - be consistent in your learning and don't try to leave it to the last minute, because there almost certainly will be things that take time to just...click.


Would you say it's easier to get an A at AS or A2? Which module would you recommend i retake, I'm pretty pressed for time this year.


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Reply 344
Avatar for Cerdic
Cerdic
OP
18
Original post by Mutleybm1996
Would you say it's easier to get an A at AS or A2? Which module would you recommend i retake, I'm pretty pressed for time this year.


Posted from TSR Mobile


The content at A2 is objectively harder, but most people (I don't have the stats) get the same grade at A2 as they did at AS.
Reply 345
Avatar for jaetpa
jaetpa
1
Original post by Cerdic
The content at A2 is objectively harder, but most people (I don't have the stats) get the same grade at A2 as they did at AS.


Myself being one of them. I have to say, for the most part, I found the A2 content less interesting and actually probably did less revision from external sources. However I did take doing past papers more seriously; if anything they should be treated as a playground in which to practise your skills, and not an indicator of what types of question come up regularly. My advice to any A-Level Physics student has to be:


•

LEARN THE EQUATIONS AND FORMULAE - Seriously, having to look in a formula booklet is a waste of your time and you'll regret it if you don't finish.

•

Dimensional analysis - sometimes you'll want to use a formula and then realise the units of your answer aren't what you're looking for. If you know how the different units are interrelated, it opens up a multitude of routes you can take to get to your answer.

•

Leave learning definitions and explanations until last - these will most certainly come up, but hey, you won't have to remember them for as long.

•

Each question part will often refer to a previous part - they would probably be different questions otherwise.

•

If you're getting stuck, don't be afraid to be pedantic - some questions are excessively wordy and will require you to simply discard some of it to see what they're getting at. Others will require you to actually process the definition of each individual word in your head before you can even start trying to work out the answer.



This final tip should come with a 'use with care' label; don't worry about not finishing the paper. If you think you can do a question, try and do it at the time, and don't think "I'll come back to it 'cause I can do it later" because I guarantee there'll be cases where it doesn't work out. Only skip a question if you definitely feel like you can't do it at the time. I did my papers in order, and it worked out for me - they're supposedly written in a certain order for a reason anyway.

With all that said, it's really just a matter of re-arranging equations, isn't it? :wink:
Original post by Cerdic
The content at A2 is objectively harder, but most people (I don't have the stats) get the same grade at A2 as they did at AS.


Original post by jaetpa
Myself being one of them. I have to say, for the most part, I found the A2 content less interesting and actually probably did less revision from external sources. However I did take doing past papers more seriously; if anything they should be treated as a playground in which to practise your skills, and not an indicator of what types of question come up regularly. My advice to any A-Level Physics student has to be:


•

LEARN THE EQUATIONS AND FORMULAE - Seriously, having to look in a formula booklet is a waste of your time and you'll regret it if you don't finish.

•

Dimensional analysis - sometimes you'll want to use a formula and then realise the units of your answer aren't what you're looking for. If you know how the different units are interrelated, it opens up a multitude of routes you can take to get to your answer.

•

Leave learning definitions and explanations until last - these will most certainly come up, but hey, you won't have to remember them for as long.

•

Each question part will often refer to a previous part - they would probably be different questions otherwise.

•

If you're getting stuck, don't be afraid to be pedantic - some questions are excessively wordy and will require you to simply discard some of it to see what they're getting at. Others will require you to actually process the definition of each individual word in your head before you can even start trying to work out the answer.



This final tip should come with a 'use with care' label; don't worry about not finishing the paper. If you think you can do a question, try and do it at the time, and don't think "I'll come back to it 'cause I can do it later" because I guarantee there'll be cases where it doesn't work out. Only skip a question if you definitely feel like you can't do it at the time. I did my papers in order, and it worked out for me - they're supposedly written in a certain order for a reason anyway.

With all that said, it's really just a matter of re-arranging equations, isn't it? :wink:


Do either of you happen to know if someone posted the paper earlier on, or where i may go about getting a copy of the 2014 paper?
My teacher is new and said she'd look on the OCR hub for a copy for me...that was weeks ago and she said she'd ask the head of physics how to do it.
Does anyone know if it's online anywhere?

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