KS5

Key stage 5 Physics curriculum overview

The course is AQA A-level physics 7408 and the specification and other resources can be found on the AQA web site: AQA | Science | AS and A-level | Physics

The course includes twelve required practicals (RP). The students have a single laboratory book in which they write up all twelve practicals. Students who consistently display the appropriate standards receive a ‘practical endorsement’ which appears on their A-level certificate. The practicals are judged according to a set of criteria but no grades are awarded for them and they do not count towards the final grade.

There are three exam papers at the end of year 2, the third one has some questions on practical skills and methods. Some of these questions may relate to the required practicals.

We include may other experiments in the course that are just as valuable educationally as the required practicals and AQA expect all schools to be doing this.

There are five possible optional topics. However, we know from experience that we get the best grades if all students in a class study the same topic with a teacher who has experience of teaching that topic. For this reason, each class is presented with a choice of typically Astrophysics or Engineering Physics. We will discuss the topic that the majority are in favour of. Most schools/colleges do not give students a choice.

In the sixth form, we ask all students to purchase copies of the Collins AQA A-level Physics texts books for year 1 and year 2. The books are well written and contain a significant amount of background and historical information that puts the examinable material in context.

The students also have access to Kerboodle online, which has a number of questions with model answers.

Most students will obtain a copy of the CGP revision guide/ workbook for A-level AQA physics. We recommend this for exam revision as it concentrates only on the examinable material.

In the physics department, we are moving towards a minimal use of paper. For this reason, we ask students to equip themselves with a suitable computer on which they are able to write with a stylus. We have a limited number of ipads for students who do not have a device.

Support is available from the teacher during lunchtimes upon request. From March to May in year 13 we have lunchtime sessions where students are given past paper questions, and we then go through model answers.

Year 13 physics prefects are also available to assist year 12 students.

In the sixth form, we always have two teachers assigned to a group.

For timetabling reasons, the lesson splits can vary between groups. For instance, a year 12 group may have six lessons per fortnight with one teacher and four with the other. Several examples are given below.

Curriculum Plan - Y12 (6/4 split)

Teacher 1	Weeks	Teacher 1	Weeks
PARTICLES Standard model, Hadrons, mesons (pions and kaons) , baryons, quarks, leptons, Conservation laws, Interactions: weak interaction, strong interaction (12) Test	6	Measurements/ errors: SI units (2) MECHANICS: Vectors, graphs, suvat (12) (RP3 – freefall g)* Measurements / errors: graphing, estimating uncertainties, error bars. Add absolute uncertainties when 2 metre rules used to measure drop height. (4) Test 1*	6
Half Term Break-up October
QUANTUM: Photo Electric effect (2) spectra, De Broglie (6) MATERIALS: Hooke’s law, Young modulus* *Measurements / errors: combining uncertainties e.g.in a YM calculation add % (8)	8	MECHANICS: Moments Newton’s laws Momentum (24) Test 2	8
Christmas
MATERIALS: (RP4 Young modulus) (4) Test ELECTRICITY: Current and charge Emf and potential difference ohm’s law, I-V graphs, circuit analysis (6)	5	WAVES: Refraction, optical fibres single slit (13) Double slit theory Diffraction gratings theory (15)	5
Half Term - February
Topic tests on Mechanics, Particles, Quantum, materials, Electricity part 1, waves part 1 completed prior to March parents evening/ data
ELECTRICITY: Internal resistance Resistivity LDR / thermistor - potential dividers (12)	6	WAVES: Superposition, standing waves (18) Test	6
Easter March / April
End of Year Exams - April
ELECTRICITY: (RP6 internal resistance) (RP5 resistivity) (10) Test	6	WAVES: RP2 (a) Young’s slits, RP2 (b) gratings (RP1 standing waves) (10) Test	6
Y2: THERMAL SECTIONS 3.1 - 3.4 ONLY shc, latent heat (2)	6	Y2: CIRCULAR MOTION* (8)	6
Half Term: May/June
Empirical gas laws (RP8 Boyle, Charles). Pressure law (CVGT). (10) TEST	5	SHM* (RP7 SHM) DAMPING AND RESONANCE * (15) *STANDARD TESTS MUST BE DONE	5
End of term July

Curriculum plan - Y12 (5/5 split)

Teacher 1	Weeks	Teacher 2	Weeks
PARTICLES Standard model, Hadrons, mesons (pions and kaons) , baryons, quarks, leptons, Conservation laws, Interactions: weak interaction, strong interaction (12) QUANTUM: Photo electric effect (2)	7	Measurements/ errors: SI units (2) MECHANICS: Vectors, graphs, suvat (12) (RP3 – freefall g)* Measurements / errors: graphing, estimating incertainties, error bars. Add absolute uncertainties when 2 metre rules used to measure drop height. (4) Test 1*	7
Half Term Break-up October
spectra, De Broglie equation (6) MATERIALS: Hooke’s law, Young modulus* *Measurements / errors: combining uncertainties e.g.in a YM calculation add % (8)	7	MECHANICS: Moments Newton’s laws Momentum (17) Test 2	7
Christmas
MATERIALS: (RP4 Young modulus) (4) Test ELECTRICITY: Current and charge Emf and potential difference ohm’s law, I-V graphs, circuit analysis (6)	5	WAVES: Refraction, optical fibres single slit (13) Double slit theory Diffraction gratings theory (15)	5
Half Term: February
Topic tests on Mechanics, Particles, Quantum, materials, Electricity part 1, waves part 1 completed prior to parents evening/ data in March
ELECTRICITY: Internal resistance Resistivity LDR / thermistor - potential dividers (12)	6	WAVES: Superposition, standing waves (18)	6
Easter March / April
End of Year Exams - April
ELECTRICITY: (RP6 internal resistance) (RP5 resistivity) (10) Test	6	WAVES: RP2 (a) Young’s slits, RP2 (b) gratings (RP1 standing waves) (10) Test	6
Y2: THERMAL SECTIONS 3.1 - 3.4 ONLY shc, latent heat (2)	6	Y2: CIRCULAR MOTION* (8)	6
Half Term: May/June
Empirical gas laws (RP8 Boyle, Charles). Pressure law (CVGT). (10) TEST	5	SHM* (RP7 SHM) DAMPING AND RESONANCE * (15) *STANDARD TESTS MUST BE DONE	5
End of term July

Y13 curriculum plan (6 / 3 split)

Teacher 1: 6 lessons	Week (Lessons)	Teacher 2: 3 lessons	Week (Lessons)
GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS Newton’s law of gravitation Gravitational field strength Gravitational potential Test Gravitational fields	6 (18)	THERMAL: SECTION 3.5 ONWARDS Ideal gasses Kinetic theory	6 (9)
Half term Break-up October
ELECTRIC FIELDS Coulomb’s law Electric field strength Electrical potential Test electric fields	6 (18)	THERMAL Test all of thermal	6 (9)
PARENTS EVE / DATA December
MAGNETIC FIELDS F=BIL, F= BQV Flux linkage Induction AC	2 (6)	NUCLEAR Properties of nuclear radiation Inverse Square law RP Radioactive decay	2 (3)
Christmas
MAGNETIC FIELDS Transformers F=BIL RP search coil RP	2 (6)	NUCLEAR Nuclear fission / fusion Test CAPACITORS Capacitor charging and discharging	2 (3)
EXAMS - late Jan/ early Feb
MAGNETIC FIELDS F=BIL RP Search coil RP Test	1 (3)	CAPACITORS: capacitor RP	1 (1)
Half term: February
OPTION: Engineering / Astrophysics	6 (18)	Revision and exam practice	6 (9)
EASTER March/April
Revision and exam practice	4 (12)	Revision and exam practice	4 (6)
Study leave mid-May