English Maths Science Tuition and Examination Centre (EMSTEC) offer a ‘fast track’ A Level Physics Course. Based at our centre in Birmingham, students attend only one day a week.
We offer ‘accelerated learning’ and teach the full A Level syllabus in one academic year. The A Level course will be facilitated by our experienced science teachers.
This course is designed for those candidates who have previously taken the examinations and achieved a pass in the practical endorsements from either AQA, Edexcel or OCR exam boards.
Our experienced team of teachers will focus on your specific needs, identifying and addressing those areas where additional support is required, maximising your grades and preparing you to retake your examinations.
We will also go through past exam papers and marking schemes ensuring that you will be well prepared come exam time.
Exams are conducted at our own exam centre, catering for all exam boards, at the end of the course the student has the choice of which exam board they wish to use, be that AQA, Edexcel or OCR.
A Level Physics Course aims to further develop your understanding of how science can be of benefit to you as an individual as well as to society as a whole.
A Level Physics covers many different scientific topics as well as how they relate to each other.
During the courses duration you will further develop your personal skills, knowledge and understanding of how science works, preparing you for further study.
- Gain up to 56 UCAS points which can be used towards degree level study.
- Develop their knowledge of the theoretical aspects of Physics.
- Use their previously gained practical endorsements to focus on the theory side, identifying and addressing any weak points with the end goal of retaking the theoretical part of the exam.
- Increase their career potential, using their new gained knowledge to open doors to careers such as engineering, medical physics and advanced electronics all the way through to astrophysics and particle theory.
- Gain a wide range of skills due to the wide scope of the degree as well as gaining a qualification that is looked upon with respect by both potential employers and universities due to the difficulty and scope of the qualification.
Please note that under the new A Level specifications, the AS Level is now a separate qualification, and does not count towards the full A Level.
AQA A -Level Physics is comprised of nine main topics, which are assessed during three examinations. This course has been designed with this in mind, taking students through each topic, these topics are:
Topic 1: Measurements and their errors
- Fundamental (base) units
- mass, length, time, quantity of matter, temperature,
- Electric current
- SI units
- SI prefixes, values and standard
- Light intensity
- Prefixes
- Unit converting
- Random and systematic errors
- Uncertainty
- Graph using error bars
- Gradient uncertainties
- Straight-line graph
- Magnitude
- Values of physical quantities
Topic 2: Particles and radiation
- Constituents of the atom
- Stable and unstable nuclei
- Particles, antiparticles and photons
- Particle interactions
- Classification of particles
- Quarks and antiquarks
- Applications of conservation laws
- The photoelectric effect
- Collisions of electrons with atoms
- Energy levels and photon emission
- Wave-particle duality
Topic 3: Waves
- Progressive waves
- Longitudinal and transverse waves
- Formation of stationary waves
- Interference
- Diffraction
- Refraction at a plane surface
Topic 4: Mechanics and materials
- Scalars and vectors
- Moments
- Motion along a straight line
- Projectile motion
- Newton’s laws of motion
- Momentum
- Work, energy and power
- Conservation of energy
- Bulk properties of solids
- The Young modulus
Topic 5: Electricity
- Basics of electricity
- Current–voltage characteristics
- Resistivity
- Circuits
- Potential divider
- Electromotive force and internal resistance
Topic 6: Further mechanics and thermal physics
- Circular motion
- Simple harmonic motion (SHM)
- Simple harmonic systems
- Forced vibrations and resonance
- Thermal energy transfer
- Ideal gases
- Molecular kinetic theory model
Topic 7: Fields and their consequences
- Fields
- Newton’s law
- Gravitational field strength
- Gravitational potential
- Orbits of planets and satellites
- Electric fields
- Electric field strength
- Electric potential
- Capacitance
- Parallel plate capacitor
- Energy stored by a capacitor
- Capacitor charge and discharge
- Magnetic flux density
- Moving charges in a magnetic field
- Magnetic flux and flux linkage
- Electromagnetic induction
- Alternating currents
- The operation of a transformer
Topic 8: Nuclear physics
- Rutherford scattering
- α, β and γ radiation
- Radioactive decay
- Nuclear instability
- Nuclear radius
- Mass and energy
- Induced fission
- Safety aspects
Topic 9: Astrophysics
- Astronomical telescope consisting of two converging lenses
- Reflecting telescopes
- Single dish radio telescopes, I-R, U-V and X-ray telescopes
- Advantages of large diameter telescopes
- Classification by luminosity
- Absolute magnitude, M
- Classification by temperature, black-body radiation
- Principles of the use of stellar spectral classes
- The Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram
- Supernovae, neutron stars and black holes
- Doppler effect
- Hubble’s law
- Quasars
- Detection of exoplanets
Examination paper 1.
- Type: Written examination.
- Duration: 2 hours.
- Weighing: 34% of A-Level.
- Total Marks: 85.
- Assessment format: A mixture of short and long answer questions and multiple choice questions.
What’s assessed.
Sections 1 to 5 and 6.1 (Periodic motion). The following topics are relevant to this examination:
- Measurements and their errors.
- Particles and radiation.
- Waves.
- Mechanics and materials.
- Electricity.
- Further mechanics and thermal physics.
Examination paper 2.
- Type: Written examination.
- Duration: 2 hours.
- Weighing: 34% of A-Level.
- Total Marks: 85.
- Assessment format: A mixture of short and long answer questions and multiple choice questions.
What’s assessed.
Sections 6.2 (Thermal Physics), 7 and 8
Assumed knowledge from sections 1 to 6.1
The following topics are relevant to this examination:
- Measurements and their errors.
- Particles and radiation.
- Waves.
- Mechanics and materials.
- Electricity.
- Further mechanics and thermal physics.
- Fields and their consequences.
- Nuclear physics.
Examination paper 3.
- Type: Written examination.
- Duration: 2 hours.
- Weighing: 32% of A-Level.
- Total Marks: 80.
- Assessment format: A mixture of short and long answer questions.
What’s assessed.
Section A Compulsory section: Practical skills and data analysis.
Section B: Students enter for one of sections 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13 The following topics are relevant to this examination:
- 9 Astrophysics.
- 10 Medical physics.
- 11 Engineering physics.
- 12 Turning points in physics.
- 13 Electronics.
The following practicals must be carried out by all students taking this course. Written papers will assess knowledge and understanding of these, and the skills exemplified within each practical.
- Investigation into the variation of the frequency of stationary waves on a string with length, tension and mass per unit length of the string.
- Investigation of interference effects to include the Young’s slit experiment and interference by a diffraction grating.
- Determination of g by a free-fall method.
- Determination of the Young modulus by a simple method.
- Determination of resistivity of a wire using a micrometer, ammeter and voltmeter.
- Investigation of the emf and internal resistance of electric cells and batteries by measuring the variation of the terminal pd of the cell with current in it.
- Investigation into simple harmonic motion using a mass-spring system and a simple pendulum.
- Investigation of Boyle’s (constant temperature) law and Charles’s (constant pressure) law for a gas.
- Investigation of the charge and discharge of capacitors. Analysis techniques should include log-linear plotting leading to a determination of the time constant RC.
- Investigate how the force on a wire varies with flux density, current and length of wire using a top pan balance.
- Investigate, using a search coil and oscilloscope, the effect on magnetic flux linkage of varying the angle between a search coil and magnetic field direction.
- Investigation of the inverse-square law for gamma radiation.
Examination paper 1
June 2026
Duration: 2 hours
Examination paper 2.
June 2026
Duration: 2 hours
Examination paper 3.
June 2026
Duration: 2 hours
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Course Features
- Lectures 0
- Quizzes 0
- Duration 15 hours
- Skill level All levels
- Language English
- Students 7
- Assessments Yes