Mr Toogood's Physics
A Level Physics notes to support my lessons at LCS
A Level Physics notes to support my lessons at LCS
The material on this website is written to support the AS and A level lessons that I teach. I have tried to explain the Physics within the AQA course in enough detail for you to gain a good understanding of the course content. There is quite a bit of maths, but to really understand physics you must understand the mathematics.
Each page has the relevant sections from AQA's A level specification so that you can check exactly what you need to know for each section of the course.
I have tried to include worked examples for all the sections and I have used feedback from the AQA examiners to help you avoid some of the more common mistakes made by students. There are step by step solutions for a range of different style of questions, from multiple choice to extend writting. On the main pages I have tried to focus only on what you need to know for the exams and how to approach exam questions, but I have you will also find lots of extension pages with some more developed ideas, applications and physics beyond the specification, because, at the end of the day, physics is really, really interesting!
There are also a few videos to help illustrate some areas of the curriculum, or to help with exam skills. I am hoping to produce a few more videos over the next few months, so if there is anything that you would like to see, then contact me.
You can access most of your homework resources as well as revision materials, equation sheets, past papers and materials from the exam board. I am not going to post answers to homework or tests that we do in school. This resource is for you, the students, so if there is anything else you would like to see on this site you can contact be on the link above.
There are five topics taught in Year 12, shared between your two teachers. You will also complete six CAPs during this year. Here you will find notes covering these five topics, however, as I only teach the electricity and mechanics topics, you may have to wait for me to write the notes on the other sections, but they are on their way!
The AS exam at the end of Year 12 will consist of two papers. Paper 1 will be on the topics that you have studied, and paper 2 will be practical questions, applied questions and multiple choice questions on the topics.
There are four topics and one extra optional topic studied in Year 13. The optional topic taught at LCS is astrophysics (so not really an option!) You will also complete six more CAPs. You will of course be expected to be able to recall the Year 12 content and apply it to the Year 13 work.
The A level exam at the end of Year 13 will consist of three papers. Paper 1 is all the Year 12 work AND the periodic motion topic. Paper 2 consists of the other three topics (not the optional topic). These papers contain both long questions and multiple choice questions. Paper 3 has practical questions, and questions on the optional topic.
As part of the A level course you will carry out 12 CAPs, 6 in Year 12 and 6 in Year 13. These will either be practicals where you will follow a method and collect data before analysing it, or there will be methods that you will have planned yourself. You will, collect data, make notes, write up, and analyse these practicals in a formal logbook that will be assessed at the end of the course, at which point you will (hopefully) gain a practical accreditation alongside your A level grade.
Oliver Toogood has been teaching Physics at Littleover Community School for nearly 10 years. In this time he has seen through three new GCSE and two new A level courses, and has been lucky enough to teach some outstanding young students. He is very passionate about science, learning and the science of learning! He qualified as an electronic engineer and worked as a audio engineer for four years before training to be a teacher. At school he is enthusiastic about practical work and tries to encourage students to truly experiment in order that they can make discoveries and learn about the world, and the physics that underpins it for themselves.
He organises the British Physics Olympiad at the school, and encourages students to take part in enrichment activities, such as long term projects and competitions. At school he also runs the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and is passionate about the outdoors. He has two children, one daughter and a son, and is a keen mountaineer and cyclist.