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Is Physics A-Level even THAT hard?

Out of all sciences, doesn't it have the least amount of content? and low in general for A levels?
I mean memorising formula doesn't even seem too bad.
Isn't a lot of it just maths?
If you are talented at physics gcse (like get very close to 100%), would physics a-level even be that difficult?

Also, is it interesting? Doing formulas and stuff seems boring, so does circuits...

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Reply 1
yeah it's a safe choice
Original post by lesgo21
yeah it's a safe choice
have you done a level physics? if so, how did it go? was it dead? or interesting? or a mix? mostly boring or mostly interesting? rn in gcse i find physics like 70% boring,
(edited 1 month ago)
I’m in y12 doing it right now, and although I don’t want to speak too soon it’s really ok. Not the horror that I have heard it has been made out to be, plus you don’t even have to memorise formulas they are all given to you.
I was in your exact same position at gcse haha. I loved physics and was getting super high marks at gcse so chose it for a levels but dropped it after 2 months. that being said, my school has little to no “reliable” physics teachers and so I finished 2 topics (myself) and dropped it after I realized we were getting nowhere in lessons. If your sixth form/college has a good reputation for physics I would still recommend picking it if you enjoy it! it helps a lot with a2 maths.
Original post by elizarose06
I’m in y12 doing it right now, and although I don’t want to speak too soon it’s really ok. Not the horror that I have heard it has been made out to be, plus you don’t even have to memorise formulas they are all given to you.
seems like ur doing pretty good for the "hardest" a level out there. do you find it quite interesting or is it quite boring? in terms of both the lessons and revising it (i feel like for physics- since there isnt as much content- is mainly practicing exam questions which seems super boring imo if a lot of it is just rearranging formulas and stuff)
Original post by hooriyam
I was in your exact same position at gcse haha. I loved physics and was getting super high marks at gcse so chose it for a levels but dropped it after 2 months. that being said, my school has little to no “reliable” physics teachers and so I finished 2 topics (myself) and dropped it after I realized we were getting nowhere in lessons. If your sixth form/college has a good reputation for physics I would still recommend picking it if you enjoy it! it helps a lot with a2 maths.
lol my physics teacher often teaches us the complete wrong thing. the whole class gets super confused and no ones brave enough to point it out like every single lesson. hes quite old so idk if hes passed him prime. im mainly concerned abt whether it is even that interesting to learn and study? (im gonna have to study basically all of it myself). HOWEVER i could go to another sixth form and take physics there...
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by ismaelishere
lol my physics teacher often teaches us the complete wrong thing. the whole class gets super confused and no ones brave enough to point it out like every single lesson. hes quite old so idk if hes passed him prime. im mainly concerned abt whether it is even that interesting to learn and study?
it’s a huge jump from gcse, I mainly picked it because I did the electronics a level topic at gcse (due to my electrical engineering gcse) so I should’ve found it easy lol. I found gcse physics more interesting so dropped the a level as it wasn’t worth keeping as a 4th. if you enjoy maths you’ll enjoy a level physics a lot. (personally I found bio and maths to be the most interesting a level subjects)
Original post by hooriyam
it’s a huge jump from gcse, I mainly picked it because I did the electronics a level topic at gcse (due to my electrical engineering gcse) so I should’ve found it easy lol. I found gcse physics more interesting so dropped the a level as it wasn’t worth keeping as a 4th. if you enjoy maths you’ll enjoy a level physics a lot. (personally I found bio and maths to be the most interesting a level subjects)
i too prefer bio and maths, for a level im acc thinking of doing bio chem maths and english lit instead of physics as i enjoy lit very much and revising it is kind of theraputic, and reading being a form of revision seems like a dream. i like maths but i dont rlly like physics currently at gcse bc the maths is so basic. paper 1 is inputting numbers into calculator, and paper 2 is electricty and stuff which i found quite boring (maybe it was just i switched teacher midway thru and my current one teaching paper 2 is bad) but idk. physics doesnt seem that appealing, but is a useful a level.
Original post by ismaelishere
i too prefer bio and maths, for a level im acc thinking of doing bio chem maths and english lit instead of physics as i enjoy lit very much and revising it is kind of theraputic, and reading being a form of revision seems like a dream. i like maths but i dont rlly like physics currently at gcse bc the maths is so basic. paper 1 is inputting numbers into calculator, and paper 2 is electricty and stuff which i found quite boring (maybe it was just i switched teacher midway thru and my current one teaching paper 2 is bad) but idk. physics doesnt seem that appealing, but is a useful a level.
my friend and I both wish we chose english lit because we love reading (and book collecting). imo, english lit keeps your doors wide open and is a nice refresher between the stem subjects. I’m applying for med this year and I wish I chose english lit so I could’ve made that my 5th uni option (can only do 4 med options). physics is great if you enjoy it or plan on doing engineering/physics at uni. you can choose any 4 subjects you want but if you end up hating a subject, you can swap it for another in early year 12. deffo recommend looking at the specifications in the summer and seeing which subjects suits you!
Original post by hooriyam
my friend and I both wish we chose english lit because we love reading (and book collecting). imo, english lit keeps your doors wide open and is a nice refresher between the stem subjects. I’m applying for med this year and I wish I chose english lit so I could’ve made that my 5th uni option (can only do 4 med options). physics is great if you enjoy it or plan on doing engineering/physics at uni. you can choose any 4 subjects you want but if you end up hating a subject, you can swap it for another in early year 12. deffo recommend looking at the specifications in the summer and seeing which subjects suits you!


dont worry: ur sacrifice has not been wasted and ill learn from u and i think im more set on lit, i dont wanna give up on a passion of mine plus i also wanna go into medicine lol. the human body is also another deep passion of mine and biology, especially hunan biology, is the best science. so i dont rlly need physics, no point in putting myself through that unneccesary pain.
Original post by hooriyam
my friend and I both wish we chose english lit because we love reading (and book collecting). imo, english lit keeps your doors wide open and is a nice refresher between the stem subjects. I’m applying for med this year and I wish I chose english lit so I could’ve made that my 5th uni option (can only do 4 med options). physics is great if you enjoy it or plan on doing engineering/physics at uni. you can choose any 4 subjects you want but if you end up hating a subject, you can swap it for another in early year 12. deffo recommend looking at the specifications in the summer and seeing which subjects suits you!
ALSO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP, it rlly means a lot
Original post by ismaelishere
ALSO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP, it rlly means a lot
you’re very welcome haha. english lit will help with ucat revision, personal statements, bio essays etc. good choice to pick!
Original post by ismaelishere
seems like ur doing pretty good for the "hardest" a level out there. do you find it quite interesting or is it quite boring? in terms of both the lessons and revising it (i feel like for physics- since there isnt as much content- is mainly practicing exam questions which seems super boring imo if a lot of it is just rearranging formulas and stuff)
I find it really interesting as far as school topics go tbf especially the particle topic, and revising isn’t too bad I mainly use my textbook. But I definitely agree with the point above about needing reliable teachers, otherwise anyone would find it really hard.
Also I’d just like to say I’m not doing Maths (but everyone else in my class is) and if you’re not thinking of maths either don’t let this put you off, it’ll still be ok!
Reply 14
Original post by ismaelishere
Out of all sciences, doesn't it have the least amount of content? and low in general for A levels?
I mean memorising formula doesn't even seem too bad.
Isn't a lot of it just maths?
If you are talented at physics gcse (like get very close to 100%), would physics a-level even be that difficult?
Also, is it interesting? Doing formulas and stuff seems boring, so does circuits...
I do A level Physics and I'm currently in Y13. I don't take Maths (as I dropped it after the second week of Y12) but honestly I find it alright. The hardest part is probably the start of the course as there are a lot of new concepts to understand but these concepts are often repeated in Y13 (like alpha/beta decay in nuclear physics). The grade boundaries are relatively low too for AQA (compared to other sciences), so I'd encourage you to take it if you're doing well at GCSE and are comfortable in your maths skills. Obviously Maths is valuable to do if you take Physics, but I haven't struggled with the math much and I'm on a solid A. Let me know if you have any questions!
Original post by layla02
I do A level Physics and I'm currently in Y13. I don't take Maths (as I dropped it after the second week of Y12) but honestly I find it alright. The hardest part is probably the start of the course as there are a lot of new concepts to understand but these concepts are often repeated in Y13 (like alpha/beta decay in nuclear physics). The grade boundaries are relatively low too for AQA (compared to other sciences), so I'd encourage you to take it if you're doing well at GCSE and are comfortable in your maths skills. Obviously Maths is valuable to do if you take Physics, but I haven't struggled with the math much and I'm on a solid A. Let me know if you have any questions!


thx for ur reply. ig it doesnt seem too bad then as long as i keep on top of everything.

i was wondering how enjoyable u found physics? a lot of ppl say if u are mathsy u will like physics but i feel like the maths in physics is pretty boring like rearranging formulas. and trigonometry which isnt too bad but not rlly too fun. at gcse im not enjoying electricity and stuff at all and it makes up a big part of the course. im concerned that even tho i wont struggle too much, revising it will become a chore.
Reply 16
Original post by ismaelishere
thx for ur reply. ig it doesnt seem too bad then as long as i keep on top of everything.
i was wondering how enjoyable u found physics? a lot of ppl say if u are mathsy u will like physics but i feel like the maths in physics is pretty boring like rearranging formulas. and trigonometry which isnt too bad but not rlly too fun. at gcse im not enjoying electricity and stuff at all and it makes up a big part of the course. im concerned that even tho i wont struggle too much, revising it will become a chore.
I find it pretty enjoyable; I take Economics and English Lit so Physics is definitely my most interesting subject. The maths in Physics does include rearranging equations and trigonometry which you're familiar with as well as suvat, logarithms and exponentials which are taught in A level Maths. Tbh the maths is fun once you get a hang of it and it's the easiest part. Electricity does come up and it is my weakest topic :cry2: I really thought I'd escape electricity at A level but I was wronged lol. It does come up quite often or can be linked to other topics like capacitance or electric fields. As long as you have a good understanding of the topic now, it will really help you if you do end up taking Physics as an A level.
Original post by ismaelishere
Out of all sciences, doesn't it have the least amount of content? and low in general for A levels?
I mean memorising formula doesn't even seem too bad.
Isn't a lot of it just maths?
If you are talented at physics gcse (like get very close to 100%), would physics a-level even be that difficult?
Also, is it interesting? Doing formulas and stuff seems boring, so does circuits...
Y13 student here studying maths further maths physics and chemistry, predicted all A*. Physics is by far the hardest a level for me and all of my friends who study the "hardest subjects". I'm sure I saw somewhere that Oxford ranked physics as the most difficult. I'd say Physics, Further Maths, Chemistry then maths in that order. I got quite high on my GCSE physics without trying much but physics a level (especially AQA if you do as the exam and mark schemes are so weird) is so much more difficult than the other a levels, especially chemistry and biology which are more so just a bit of memorisation and you can predict the questions coming up but you can't with physics. Edit: just clarifying this is to get an A* in physics specifically - I don't find it difficult to get an A but guaranteeing and maintaining an A* on every exam with physics is difficult. If you want an A or lower it's not too bad.
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by ismaelishere
have you done a level physics? if so, how did it go? was it dead? or interesting? or a mix? mostly boring or mostly interesting? rn in gcse i find physics like 70% boring,
if you find it boring, don't do it you have to be a math induced student. as I do maths, further maths, physics and comp sci I tell you, don't do it without 100% passion and commitment.
Reply 19
Original post by ismaelishere
Out of all sciences, doesn't it have the least amount of content? and low in general for A levels?
I mean memorising formula doesn't even seem too bad.
Isn't a lot of it just maths?
If you are talented at physics gcse (like get very close to 100%), would physics a-level even be that difficult?
Also, is it interesting? Doing formulas and stuff seems boring, so does circuits...

I'm in year 13 doing AQA A-level physics. You get 95% of the formulas with a formula sheet, the rest you need to derive yourself or just memorise. Also, forget your GCSE's. Just because you have good GCSE's in a subject does NOT mean you will find the A-level in that subject easy. The actual content of A-level physics is alright, but the questions that AQA especially can give you in exams get absolutely horrendous; that is why people find it so hard. I don't know much about other exam boards, but AQA is horrifyingly bad at making physics papers which causes grade boundaries to fluctuate by ~10 marks every year (A huge amount). Again, for the other exam boards, I don't know, but for AQA it is horrible.
And yeah, electricity is an entire year 1 topic and everyone hates it because of how stupid the questions can get.
Long story short, don't take physics unless you plan to do engineering or physics at uni. Physics is completely useless for any other course, unless the uni course requires two sciences and you don't want to take Biology or Chemistry.

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