Got an E in AQA physics mock, need help

I'm in Yr 13 rn and I've just got my mock results back. Really unhappy with what I've got in maths and computer science, getting a B in both (need an A) however a bigger problem is physics.

I've got an E in physics, with paper 3 dropping me by 2 grades because of how bad I did. I'd really really appreciate if you could share how I could improve this grade. I think my issue is bad teachers mixed in with me not bothering in the first half of year 12 and it's catching up to me.

In few words, I'd LOVE some help/resources/guidance on how to learn physics. I'm confident in my ability in maths to get an A, maybe A*, but I just don't understand why I'm so bad at physics compared to maths even though they are so similar. Please help 🙏🤣

Reply 1

TSR Jessica

19

Sorry you've not had any responses about this. :frown:

Are you sure you've posted in the right place? :smile:

Here's a link to our subject forum which should help get you more responses if you post there. :redface:

Reply 2

username6591444

4

Original post by freshh322

I'm in Yr 13 rn and I've just got my mock results back. Really unhappy with what I've got in maths and computer science, getting a B in both (need an A) however a bigger problem is physics.

I've got an E in physics, with paper 3 dropping me by 2 grades because of how bad I did. I'd really really appreciate if you could share how I could improve this grade. I think my issue is bad teachers mixed in with me not bothering in the first half of year 12 and it's catching up to me.

In few words, I'd LOVE some help/resources/guidance on how to learn physics. I'm confident in my ability in maths to get an A, maybe A*, but I just don't understand why I'm so bad at physics compared to maths even though they are so similar. Please help 🙏🤣

Try doing the following:

• Watch YouTube vids on A Level Physics Revision (A Level Physics Online and DrPhysicsA are examples of what I would watch)

• Do lots of exam questions from PMT or textbooks/revision guides (if you have one)

I am also struggling with Physics too but my strategy is to watch vids and answer Qs that are exam style. I don't copy notes from textbooks as they're a waste of time.

Reply 3

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Original post by freshh322

I'm in Yr 13 rn and I've just got my mock results back. Really unhappy with what I've got in maths and computer science, getting a B in both (need an A) however a bigger problem is physics.

I've got an E in physics, with paper 3 dropping me by 2 grades because of how bad I did. I'd really really appreciate if you could share how I could improve this grade. I think my issue is bad teachers mixed in with me not bothering in the first half of year 12 and it's catching up to me.

In few words, I'd LOVE some help/resources/guidance on how to learn physics. I'm confident in my ability in maths to get an A, maybe A*, but I just don't understand why I'm so bad at physics compared to maths even though they are so similar. Please help 🙏🤣

Hiya,

Firstly, I'm so sorry to hear you're unhappy with your grades! A-Levels are really difficult so beat yourself up about it too much. It's good to see you're looking at ways to improve as that's how you'll achieve the grades you deserve.

I'm a current 3rd year astrophysics and cosmology student at Lancaster Univeristy and took physics at A-Level as well. I also had a bad grade after year 12 which I really wanted to turn around and ended up getting A* marks in my final papers, so it is possible to achieve!

The main things that helped me improve were continuous practice when I was covering a topic in school as that's the best time to solidify knowledge and make it more long-term. I mainly used Physics and Maths Tutor (https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/) for all my practice questions / papers as they split them up into topics for you so it's easy to navigate. I also had an Isaac Physics account that was paid for by my school for further practice questions aimed at higher grades, so if you'd like something like that then I'd recommend speaking to a teacher in the department and seeing if there is anything similar or if they can have accounts for students. Last point here is to ask your teachers for practice questions too! They have access to A LOT of content and I'm sure they would love to pass it on for students to use.

In terms of content, if there are any major gaps then starting from scratch helps quite a bit, even if it is time consuming, just make sure you recognise any major gaps in your knowledge sooner rather than later. If there is anything you find especially challenging then ask your teachers / other students to explain these concepts to you in a way that you understand. Related to this, I previously used Science Shorts (https://www.scienceshorts.net/) for course content as they make videos, downloadable mind maps of topics and run-throughs of exam questions (have a look and see if it's something you fancy using). Physics and Maths Tutor also has content summaries on their website but be careful as both of these sites don't fully cover everything you need to achieve high grades, but they're great for somewhere to start and build your knowledge upon.

As a final resort, if you feel there are a lot of gaps in your knowledge and the above doesn't feel sufficient enough to bring your grade up, I would recommend finding a tutor (if that is a possibility for yourself). They really help you understand things and have the time to expain things in enough detail for you to understand, but I understand they aren't accessible for everyone so this is a last option.

I hope all this helps and I wish you all the best for your future! If you have any other queries, feel free to ask.
-- Arya (Lancaster University Student Ambassador)

Got an E in AQA physics mock, need help

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