Examiners’ reports are the most underused revision resource in A Level Physics. Every year they say, in plain language, exactly where candidates dropped marks. And every year, many of the same points come up again.
Here are eight that Eduqas students should know before their next mock.
Component 1: Newtonian Physics
1. Mean square speed is not mean speed squared. Kinetic theory is consistently one of the weakest topics, and the classic slip is treating ⟨c²⟩ as if it were the mean speed, squared. Square each speed first, then take the mean.
2. Newton’s second law needs “resultant” and a direction. Answers lose marks for leaving out the word resultant, or for giving a size with no direction.
3. Circular motion is not balanced. An object moving in a circle has a resultant force towards the centre. Answers that describe a centrifugal force balancing it score nothing.
4. Use the specification’s sign convention. Eduqas writes the first law of thermodynamics as ΔU = Q − W, where W is work done by the system. Many textbooks use ΔU = Q + W with W done on the system. Both are correct physics, but only one matches the mark scheme.
Component 2: Electricity and Light
5. Include every charge when finding potential. Electric fields remain the weakest area. W = QΔV answers most work-done questions, but the net potential at a point must include the contribution from every charge. Remember that field strength is a vector and needs a direction, while potential is a scalar and simply adds up.
6. Kepler’s third law: keep G and square the 2π. Two of the most common errors are leaving out G and forgetting to square the 2π.
Component 3: Light, Nuclei and Options
7. Total internal reflection has two conditions. Many answers give only the critical angle condition and forget that light must travel from the denser to the less dense medium. Then, in the calculation, they use 3 × 10⁸ m s⁻¹ when the question needs the speed of light in the core.
Across every paper: the maths
8. Most lost marks aren’t physics at all. They’re powers of ten, unit conversions and procedure. The 2025 report highlights a few habits worth fixing now:
- Say whether an uncertainty is absolute or percentage.
- Quote the absolute uncertainty to one or two significant figures and match the value to it: 9.5 ± 2.1, not 9.47 ± 2.1.
- Draw gradient triangles across at least half the line.
- To improve confidence in a result, take a greater range of readings or add error bars. “Repeat the experiment” on its own isn’t accepted.
- Finish the calculation. Writing 18 sin 40 and stopping there earns only the substitution mark.
Take it further
Our Eduqas A Level Physics page sets out what each component covers, all four options, and more from the examiners’ reports. There’s also a free key equations slideshow with 107 equations, each with a worked example and three practice questions.
For the full course, the Eduqas A Level Physics Focus Questions pack (£24) rewrites every specification statement as a question with the answer underneath: 730 questions, 30 booklets and 204 exam tips from the examiners’ reports. Read the free sample first.
Independent revision resources. Not published by or affiliated with WJEC or Eduqas.
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