Physics

AQA A-Level Physics (7408) is the most widely taught physics specification in England. It covers measurements and errors, particles and radiation, waves, mechanics and materials, electricity, further mechanics and thermal physics, fields, and nuclear physics, and then adds one optional topic chosen by the school from astrophysics, medical physics, engineering physics, turning points in physics, or electronics.

Assessment is three papers, the third of which is split between practical skills and data analysis and the optional topic. Twelve required practicals sit behind the course and are examined in writing, so students who were absent for one are at a measurable disadvantage. Fields is consistently the unit students find hardest, because gravitational, electric and magnetic fields are taught in parallel and the analogies between them are as often a source of confusion as of help.