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AQA Physics PHYA5 - Thursday 18th June 2015 [Exam Discussion Thread]

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Reply 60
If anyone needs any help with questions regarding this exam, make a post in the main physics subsection or shoot me a PM.
Reply 61
Original post by CD223
Oh your college sounds very similar to mine! I mean, thankfully my teachers are a bit better than your descriptions ahaha, but on the other hand we have all that tutor system and one to ones etc too!

I have a PHYA4 mock in the next two weeks and also a mock EMPA. I got a C in the EMPA last year but I probably won't resit it because I managed to get an A overall due to last year's exams. Even so, I really must suck at practicals!


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All my other teachers are really great which just makes them look even worse by comparison!

I have an end of topic test on Monday, but the only thing any of us care about there is beating the other people on our table :biggrin: then mock week is the first week of February, so my PHYA4 mock is then. Our physics department is really stupid though and didn't do a mock empa with us last year - when we did the actual thing was the first time we'd seen any of the actual papers or questions. All we did was a few lessons on practical skills stuff straight before and I don't think much of that even came up :/ fortunately I was doing aqa biology, and they actually prepared us for the empa so I was familiar with the layout, but I have no clue how I managed to get 50/60 ums for it still!
Reply 62
Original post by Lau14
All my other teachers are really great which just makes them look even worse by comparison!

I have an end of topic test on Monday, but the only thing any of us care about there is beating the other people on our table :biggrin: then mock week is the first week of February, so my PHYA4 mock is then. Our physics department is really stupid though and didn't do a mock empa with us last year - when we did the actual thing was the first time we'd seen any of the actual papers or questions. All we did was a few lessons on practical skills stuff straight before and I don't think much of that even came up :/ fortunately I was doing aqa biology, and they actually prepared us for the empa so I was familiar with the layout, but I have no clue how I managed to get 50/60 ums for it still!


Ah wow it's all going on at your end! Woah Id love to get 50/60! I got 41/60 which was a C lol.


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Reply 63
Original post by CD223
Ah wow it's all going on at your end! Woah Id love to get 50/60! I got 41/60 which was a C lol.


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I have absolutely no clue how I did it? You were only 1 off a B though! Mine was an A, but my UMS overall is 262/300 so I don't know how well I need to do this year to have a shot at an A* really
Reply 64
Original post by Lau14
I have absolutely no clue how I did it? You were only 1 off a B though! Mine was an A, but my UMS overall is 262/300 so I don't know how well I need to do this year to have a shot at an A* really


Was I? I didn't know that! That's even more annoying hahaha! I'm not sure really - I think its 540/600 overall for an A*. I have 273 at the minute which is good but I'm only aiming for an A so I'll need 207/300. If I aim for an A* I need ~267 I think, which is too high I reckon this year :colondollar:
Reply 65
Original post by CD223
Was I? I didn't know that! That's even more annoying hahaha! I'm not sure really - I think its 540/600 overall for an A*. I have 273 at the minute which is good but I'm only aiming for an A so I'll need 207/300. If I aim for an A* I need ~267 I think, which is too high I reckon this year :colondollar:


Annoying, but good in terms of UMS going towards your overall grade at least! I'm working a lot harder this year anyway (revising more than a few weeks before the exam for a start), so fingers crossed I'll get what I want. I guess it depends a lot on the EMPA though :/
Reply 66
Original post by Lau14
Annoying, but good in terms of UMS going towards your overall grade at least! I'm working a lot harder this year anyway (revising more than a few weeks before the exam for a start), so fingers crossed I'll get what I want. I guess it depends a lot on the EMPA though :/


Yeah I guess! Ah that's good! I need to start proper revision but I've had so much coursework! Yeah the EMPA could make or break things :/


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Reply 67
Original post by CD223
Yeah I guess! Ah that's good! I need to start proper revision but I've had so much coursework! Yeah the EMPA could make or break things :/


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All my courses have EMPA/ISA things (or nothing at all for maths), so I'm free from coursework! Plenty of homework to do though - although doing it properly and putting more effort into it is good for revision too.
I don't expect we'll get decent practice for the EMPA this year either, although at least now I've done on I can do some papers myself more easily
Reply 68
Original post by Lau14
All my courses have EMPA/ISA things (or nothing at all for maths), so I'm free from coursework! Plenty of homework to do though - although doing it properly and putting more effort into it is good for revision too.
I don't expect we'll get decent practice for the EMPA this year either, although at least now I've done on I can do some papers myself more easily


Ah that's good! I've done my history coursework which was 40% and my computing coursework is taking ages even though it's only 35% :frown: Yeah the EMPA will be interesting. Can't think of many practicals it could be...


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Reply 69
Original post by CD223
Ah that's good! I've done my history coursework which was 40% and my computing coursework is taking ages even though it's only 35% :frown: Yeah the EMPA will be interesting. Can't think of many practicals it could be...


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Sounds horrible :/ Simple harmonic motion seems pretty likely, and/or capacitors (those are the only two things I can remember doing practicals on right now though!)
Reply 70
Original post by Lau14
Sounds horrible :/ Simple harmonic motion seems pretty likely, and/or capacitors (those are the only two things I can remember doing practicals on right now though!)


Ah capacitors would be horrid!


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Reply 71
Original post by CD223
Ah capacitors would be horrid!


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I literally remember nothing about capacitors because we did them before the summer holidays, after exams :/ must revise those before mock week.
Spent most of my afternoon sorting my notes out for the further mechanics topic... so much simple harmonic motion.
Reply 72
Original post by Lau14
I literally remember nothing about capacitors because we did them before the summer holidays, after exams :/ must revise those before mock week.
Spent most of my afternoon sorting my notes out for the further mechanics topic... so much simple harmonic motion.


Ah yeah all I remember is doing loads of work on exponentials for them. Oh no! That sounds not very fun :/ SHM is just far too involved for such a "simple" physical process hahah


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Reply 73
Original post by CD223
Ah yeah all I remember is doing loads of work on exponentials for them. Oh no! That sounds not very fun :/ SHM is just far too involved for such a "simple" physical process hahah


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Yeah, I vaguely remember the exponentials section, but nothing specifically capacitor related!
It's such a pain :/ but getting through my homework/some home revision in advance for once so I can relax later and do other important productive things on Tuesday during my frees :biggrin:
Reply 74
Original post by Lau14
Yeah, I vaguely remember the exponentials section, but nothing specifically capacitor related!
It's such a pain :/ but getting through my homework/some home revision in advance for once so I can relax later and do other important productive things on Tuesday during my frees :biggrin:


Sounds very sensible! I need to do a few past papers before my mock. Have you done many for either unit?


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Reply 75
Original post by CD223
Sounds very sensible! I need to do a few past papers before my mock. Have you done many for either unit?


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I've done one phya4 paper in class but that's it, and I was away at an interview day the day we were supposed to do it so when I came in the next lesson he made me do it then even though I wasn't expecting it and it was my full day so I didn't have enough time to do it properly unless I wanted to go without food :| and he still hasn't handed it back. Haven't finished phya5 yet so I'll wait until after that
Reply 76
Original post by Lau14
I've done one phya4 paper in class but that's it, and I was away at an interview day the day we were supposed to do it so when I came in the next lesson he made me do it then even though I wasn't expecting it and it was my full day so I didn't have enough time to do it properly unless I wanted to go without food :| and he still hasn't handed it back. Haven't finished phya5 yet so I'll wait until after that


Ah nice! Hope it went ok! Ah I've not finished phya5 either. I'm onto thermal physics with specific heat capacity etc now. Gases for the next few weeks then astro :smile:


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Reply 77
Original post by CD223
Ah nice! Hope it went ok! Ah I've not finished phya5 either. I'm onto thermal physics with specific heat capacity etc now. Gases for the next few weeks then astro :smile:


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I'll never find out at this rate! I've got a nuclear physics topic test tomorrow, then on to astro :biggrin: (although there's a pretty big section on lenses which are really boring :/ )
Reply 78
Original post by Lau14
I'll never find out at this rate! I've got a nuclear physics topic test tomorrow, then on to astro :biggrin: (although there's a pretty big section on lenses which are really boring :/ )


Ah you will :wink: ah nice! Let us know how the astro goes! I've got about 6 lessons before astro starts :/. Yeah lots on lenses and telescopes so I've heard...


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Reply 79
Original post by CD223
Ah you will :wink: ah nice! Let us know how the astro goes! I've got about 6 lessons before astro starts :/. Yeah lots on lenses and telescopes so I've heard...


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Well the nuclear physics test was obviously well planned... the 4th question was one we did last week and work 10/36 marks. Must start revising for mock soon but I'm so tired :/

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