A-Level Physics Week 2 Exam Preparation Tips

Hi again, Imogen here 😊

Following on from last week, I hope you enjoyed going through your specification and planning out your approach to your final bits of revision over the next few weeks. By now you should have everything ready to complete the road map mentioned last week and ultimately smash your physics exams in a few weeks. If not, don’t panic! Just be sure to get everything you can squared up as soon as possible.

Let’s discuss some general but very important aspects of physics that can often be forgotten when revising the content.

SI units:

Now, I know what you might be thinking… ‘Basiiic! SI units are so easy’. Well I’m pleased if think so, but unfortunately it doesn’t mean some wretched silly mistakes can’t be made in the rush and stress of an exam. So let’s take some time this week to review them. Exam writers can cheekily throw elements into a question deliberately to slip you up on these little details. A good goal is to fine tune your SI units’ spidey-senses in order to quickly spot their tricks and ace it every time. The best way for this is… you guessed it… PRACTISE QUESTIONS!

It’s a great idea to write the SI unit above the variable in a question the moment you register it. For example, in thermodynamics, temperature should always be in Kelvin so it’s good to get in the habit of immediately writing a K above any mention of the word ‘temperature’ or the temperature value for these questions.

Another important one to be super confident with is converting electron-volts to Joules.

Quick test: what do the prefixes pico, femto, giga, mega and micro mean in number form and can you put them order of size without looking it up or asking Siri?

If you got 10/10 on that then big high five! If not, then you know what to do… make yourself a cuppa and it is textbook time! Why not make some flashcards too and learn them on your way to school tomorrow?

Equations:

Some of you will be lucky enough to have equation sheets in the exam hall with you, but others will not. If you fall into the second camp let’s start increasing your exposure to the equations by having them dotted on post-it notes all over your house. (I think the best spot is where you brush your teeth!)

For both groups of students it’ll be a good idea to get the sheet with all the equations on and annotate all the units and SI units off the top of your head for as many equation variables as you can. Highlight or make note of the ones you didn’t manage to get and add revising them to your to-do list for the week.

Quick equations test:

Write out the following equations and their units in full…

Mechanics – SUVAT

Thermodynamics – Ideal Gas Law

Electromagnetism – Planck’s Law

These are some super important equations you need to know (almost) in your sleep, even if you have the equation sheet in the exam (less so but still helpful). So let’s get revising ‘em!

Command words:

Using a past exam paper and corresponding mark scheme (make sure it is from your exam board) let’s take a deep dive into the specific vocabulary used in each question. It is important to identify exactly what the command words mean, for example ‘justify’, ‘describe’ and ‘explain’ all require a slightly different answer. Be super clear with this and you can’t go wrong! The way to gain this desired clarity is by completing multiple practise papers and reading the mark schemes through thoroughly. Compare your answers to the mark scheme, paying particular attention to the exemplar response that is given for a particular command word and also the examiner notes section, where there might be a mention of common mistakes. This will reflect the perfect style of answer to aim for and shows you what needs to be included next time when answering a question with that command word. It’s always helpful to make a note of these things somewhere to easily refer back to in future too.

Best of luck with the rest of your content revision this week. Topic by topic at a time you are getting there!! Your teachers might also be putting on some revision help sessions; I implore you to go to as many as you can, as these were really helpful for me when I did A-level physics and it can provide you with almost 1-2-1 tutor time with your teachers.

A final thought to leave with you this week is a big congratulations for all the hard work you’ve done so far, it will pay off. I promise!

Have any questions about how to prepare for your A-Level exams? Having problems with any hard to understand content or tricky past exam questions? Then ask Imogen. Imogen will be hosting a series of Q&A webinars in the 2 weeks before final exams. Post your questions here, and Imogen will answer them in these sessions.