GCSE Physics how to pass
This year, 44.1% of students who took the GCSE Physics exam achieved grades 7, 8, or 9, the second highest proportion of top grades among the 15 most popular GCSE subjects.
Yet, GCSE Physics is challenging for many students. This is partly because it deals with abstract ideas and problems that require a good understanding of maths, including algebra, formulas, and the whole physics content specification.
Another reason students struggle is that concepts in Physics are often interconnected. Understanding one area, such as mechanics, is essential for grasping others, such as thermodynamics. This can create difficulty when a lack of knowledge in one area impacts one's overall understanding.
Finally, the pressure to achieve good grades can also contribute to anxiety, affecting exam performance and motivation to study. However, all these challenges can be overcome. Here's how to pass GCSE Physics.
Cover the whole specification
There's no way around this one: to do well in Physics, you need to understand the content rather than memorise it so you can apply it. This means you must get to grips with your exam board specification and cover it all.
In the main, you will study the core aspects of physics:
Energy - work, energy demands, changes in energy stores.
Electricity - circuits, static and mains electricity.
Particle model of matter - particles in gases, temperature, density.
Atomic structure -atoms, ions, fission and fusion, radiation.
Forces - gravity, motion, Newton's Laws, momentum, refraction, sound, waves, pressure.
Magnetism and electromagnetism - transformers, induction, electromagnets, magnetic fields.
Space physics (physics GCSE only) - expanding universe, stars, solar system.
Tackle the maths needed
On top of understanding and memorising the key concepts above, understanding mathematical challenges in Physics is crucial if you're looking for a top grade in this subject.
Physics involves complex equations, calculations, and formulas that you must develop to conquer the subject. This means ensuring you stay caught up in this area. Talk to teachers and tutors and deal with your knowledge gaps so they keep your marks in the exam.
The good news is that the DfE has now told Ofqual that students taking exams in 2025, 2026, and 2027 will not be expected to recall all the usual formulae and equations in GCSE mathematics, physics, and combined science.
Ofqual proposes to continue requiring exam boards to provide support materials for exams in 2025, 2026, and 2027 as in previous years.
Use practice questions to identify knowledge gaps
Like GCSE Maths, simple note-taking won't help you master this exam. What will help is to work on practice questions over and over to prepare yourself. This will help with memory and recall ability and the application of knowledge. More importantly, it will help you identify what you find tricky and challenging so you can work on these areas.
Once you've identified challenging areas, expand your resources to see if this can help. Cognito has a range of excellent YouTube videos that explain all the main Physical concepts covered in GCSE.
BBC Bitesize covers all the exam boards, breaking subjects down into quizzes and questions. They also have an excellent podcast covering forces, electricity, energy, and key concepts.
Work with a Physics tutor
Working with a physics tutor can be highly beneficial for several reasons. They can help break down complex topics into more straightforward, more digestible parts, making it easier to understand the more abstract parts of this subject.
Tutor sessions are also bespoke to your specific needs, so they can focus on areas where you struggle the most, whether maths, exam technique or parts of the specification you feel you cannot get to grips with.
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