A Level in Physics

In A Level Physics, students will learn about the universe across a wide range of scales, from the sub-atomic (in particle and nuclear physics) to the astronomic (in stellar astrophysics and cosmology), as well as all manner of things in between. Some of the territory, such as forces, motion, waves, and electromagnetism, may be familiar from GCSE, but will be explored in much more depth, and we’ll see whole new phenomena and areas of application in these topics. Other areas will be new. We will learn how objects interact gravitationally and electromagnetically, investigate the very nature of matter itself in quantum physics, and see how oscillatory motion can be used to understand a wide range of phenomena. Along the way, we will apply what we’ve learned to understand the universe on the largest of scales in cosmology, and how to effectively image the human body in medical contexts.

Throughout the course, there will be frequent use of mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students will develop an understanding of the use of maths as the language of physics and learn a variety of tools to tackle and simplify complex problems. The mathematical and problem-solving skills learned in this course are highly transferable to a lot of fields outside of physics, from computing to business to medicine.

Students who wish to do Physics at university, or a related subject such as Engineering, are advised that such courses will have A Level Mathematics as an entry requirement. For these reasons, students are strongly recommended to take A Level Mathematics alongside A Level Physics.
If you enjoy solving challenging problems, are hungry to understand how the universe works, and want to use your mathematical skills to reach those goals, then A Level Physics may be the course for you.

All students follow the A Level Physics OCR A specification.