About this A Level Physics Course

Physics is the study of the universe, ranging from forces that act when we move to radiation, stars and electricity. Everything in the universe is affected by physics and physicists are always at the cutting edge of new technologies. A career within physics is one of the most challenging and rewarding possible. With a huge range of options after completion, getting a qualification in physics is the first step on the road to a science-based career working for some of the world’s best organisations.

Our A Level Physics course allows students to student for an A Level in this topic from AQA. This is the same course which is study in colleges and we prepare students to sit their examinations with AQA. With full tutor support provided, it doesn’t matter if you have never attempted a Physics A Level before or are preparing for a resit, our course is perfect for either.

We recommend studying the GCSE Physics course before embarking upon this A Level.

Study Time:	200 hours
Enrolment length:	24 months
Course Format:	Online
Entry Requirements:	None Specific

To get the full AQA Physics A Level, students must enter themselves as a private candidate for the exam.

Method

All of our students are given access to our online campus through their own personal login and password. Once logged in you can access your course materials, lessons, resources and assignments in your own time. Assignments are uploaded through your account and the process is easy intuitive. Our online campus includes:

• 24/7/365 access to all of your course materials- all lessons, assignments and resources are available from the moment you enrol
• Instant access to your course after you enrol- start studying immediately!
• Integrated chat and messaging systems so that you can contact your tutor
• Online assignment uploads to save time in returning marks and feedback.
• Links to further resources and information available on courses
• Self-led learning on all courses- study in your own time and work through your assignments at your own pace
• Safe e-portfolio of your work is kept under lock and key on our secure servers
• Progress bar to show the work you have completed and how many tasks you still have to complete on your course
• Detailed help centre with step-by-step instructions on getting the most from your course and how to upload assignments and contact your tutor

Support

The most important tool that all of our students have at their disposal is their tutor. When studying for a course with us you are assigned a personal tutor with in-depth knowledge and experience in your chosen subject.

You are strongly advised to make use of your tutors expertise and ask questions about the course content. Your assignments are marked by your personal tutor and detailed feedback is given. As well as this your tutor will provide you with pointers and advice on where you can improve- this helps you to get the most from your courses and constantly improve your skills.

Course Content

Included in this A Level Physics course are the following units:

Unit 1 – Foundations of Physics

Physics is all about understanding the world around us, not in the sense of how living organisms survive, but more how objects and things interact with one another and how they respond to different changes and conditions. Its closely linked with maths and is about not just understanding what happens but looking at why, how much, how far, and how quickly. In this topic, we focus on laying the foundations for your further study of physics at A-Level. We’ll encounter key ideas like scalar and vector quantities and the different equations we can use to convert between different properties and values. We will also look at how we accurately measure and represent these measurements with the appropriate units.

Unit 2 – Particles and radiation

At the very heart of every substance on our planet are the individual atoms that come together to form molecules and compounds. To form rocks, metals, liquids, water. The atom is not the smallest part of a substance, and within it are subatomic particles – the nucleus, the nucleons it contains, and the electrons around it. Particle physics focuses on the structure of atoms, these subatomic particles’ behaviour, and how they shape the interactions between different substances and their surrounding environment. That will be the focus of this topic, and we will dig even deeper into the subatomic particles to find even smaller particles. We’ll build on your existing knowledge of the atom, but there are ideas here that will be very new, and we are zooming in smaller than the microscopic scale!

Unit 3 – Waves

Waves are fundamental in understanding how energy travels and is transmitted from one place to another. They exist in different forms, travelling at different speeds, so we need to know how to describe and compare waves. In this unit, we look at some of the behaviour in different ways and the basics of drawing and describing the features of different types of waves. We will also look at how we utilise waves in everyday life and the key characteristics and properties that allow them to fill various roles in science and beyond.

Unit 4 – Mechanics and materials

In mechanics, our focus is the relationship between force, mass, and motion. In this topic, we will explore how forces interact, the conservation of force and energy and how Newton’s laws govern these. We also build on our understanding of the difference between scalar and vector quantities, and we compare different types of motion, in a straight line, for example, as well as trace the more changeable motion of projectiles.

Unit 5 – Electricity

We all know the importance and impact electricity has on practically every aspect of our daily lives and every type of industry. It’s only in the last two centuries that influential scientists like Volta and Ampere have got to grips with how electricity works, the laws that govern its behaviour and how we can harness it for a whole host of processes as well as measure it quantifiably. In this unit, we build on your understanding from GCSE Physics and explore the relationship between current and charge, as well as potential difference and the energy transfer involved in different appliances. We will introduce some new electrical components and evaluate their purpose and their application in functional circuits, and we will explore the idea of resistance and the behaviours of resistors in parallel and series as well as a family of resistors whose resistance differs with light or with heat.

Unit 6 – Further mechanics and thermal physics

Earlier in the course, we took our first foray into the world of mechanics, exploring the concepts and laws that underpin how objects interact with the world around them and with other objects in various scenarios. In this unit, we look at mechanics and some new types of motion like harmonic oscillations and motion in a circle. Alongside this, we will introduce the gas laws that explain how particles in a gas behave as part of our discussion of thermal physics – the science of energy exchange and conversion in the form of heat.

Unit 7 – Fields and their consequences

In this unit, we are going to apply a few ideas we first encountered in the first year of the course; things like mechanics and electrics, and look at how fields are generated and what impact they have on the world around us. We will start off exploring gravity and gravitational fields and how objects can exert force on one another without ever coming into contact. We will explore Newton’s laws of gravitation and Coulomb’s law of force between charged objects that govern how electrical fields are generated. We will also discover how magnetism and magnetic fields, alongside electric fields and capacitance, are applied in different appliances and devices in many walks of life.

Unit 8 – Nuclear physics

In this unit, we explore how our understanding of the atom and its structure and the interactions between subatomic particles has developed through the years, to a point in recent decades where we can harness these interactions to generate electricity and power our cities. We look at the idea of radiation, the different types and the other ways in which these can be applied, for example, in medical treatment and diagnosis. We finish the unit by looking at the future of nuclear physics and its potential to further contribute to renewable electricity generation.

Unit 9 – Astrophysics

Space is vast. So vast, in fact, that it is practically impossible to comprehend just how big it is and where it might end. Studying the Universe around us has been at the centre of human curiosity and intrigue since we’ve been on this planet. People started to look towards the stars with a more scientific eye as early as the 17th century, and over the intervening centuries, the technology available to us has improved such that our knowledge of the stars , the solar system, and the Universe has expanded too. But there is so much to learn – where did the Universe come from? Where is it going? Where will it end?

Optional unit

The Physics A Level with AQA has optional units and on this course the Astrophysics unit is covered.

Qualification

The AQA A Level Sociology qualification is available both in the UK and internationally and is seen as a global standard for knowledge in physics theory. The course is accredited with AQA, an industry leader with decades of expertise in academic qualifications.

For more information regarding AQA, click on the AQA tab further up this page.

Assessments

On this A Level Physics course you are required to enter yourself for the AQA examinations. This means that you will need to contact an AQA centre local to you in order to sit your exam and pay any fees that are required for this. Exam fees can vary between centres but are much cheaper when organised early so we advise to book your exams long before the actual examination date.