Lower 6th Form CurriculumSyllabus Followed: Edexcel
Entry Requirements: Grade B in GCSE Physics, or BB in Dual Award Science. If taking Dual Award Science, your mark in the Physics component must also be of at least B grade standard. In addition, a minimum B grade in GCSE Mathematics is expected.
Physics is best studied by those who enjoy both experimenting – investigating, understanding, and predicting events in the material world – and theorising – precise logical reasoning and problem-solving of an abstract kind, similar to that met in Mathematics. The demand for physicists and engineers exceeds supply, so a qualification in physics is valued by universities and employers.
The AS course covers many topics already met at GCSE: Motion and Energy, Radioactivity, Electricity, Heat and Gases and so on. Good understanding of these topics at GCSE represents understanding of a large part of the first two units. For pupils currently in a high set for Science there is not really a dramatic change in difficulty from the Fifth Form to the Sixth Form. Astrophysics, Medical Physics, Materials, and Fundamental Particle Physics, are very popular parts of the course.
Mathematics: AS involves just rearranging formulae, straight-line graphs, and trigonometry. You do not need to be actually doing Mathematics AS - but good mathematical ability is very desirable.
There is no coursework; instead, there is a practical examination at the end of the course.
The style of teaching remains similar to that for GCSE. Topics are always demonstrated where possible, and experimenting by pupils is regular. We update our equipment regularly. Data-logging, CD-ROMs, applets, and videos, all have a valued place in lessons.
The intellectual demands of the A2 course are naturally greater than those for AS; firstly, some of the concepts are more demanding; secondly, the mathematics is harder and involves natural logarithms and exponentials. Unit 4 - ‘Waves and Our Universe’ - includes circular motion, oscillations, waves and quantum duality; the beginning and end of the universe. Unit 5 - ‘Fields and Forces’ - includes the gravitational field, the electrostatic field, and the magnetic field; capacitors, and electromagnetic induction. The unit includes another practical examination. Unit 6 - ‘Synthesis’ - includes comparison of the mathematical models we use for springs and capacitors, for various kinds of fields (inverse square law), and for capacitor discharge and radioactive decay (exponentials). The unit finishes with a section on particle accelerators, colliding beam experiments, bubble chamber photographs, and their application to discoveries about elementary particles.
In most years some pupils apply to Oxford or Cambridge for physics or a physics-related subject; special extra lessons are provided informally to prepare for the tests and interviews.
