Work through a whole WJEC Eduqas A level Physics topic one short step at a time. Each step has the key ideas, the official Eduqas definitions, a diagram and five quick checks (including calculations), and the next step unlocks when you get them all right. The last step is a 6-mark extended response question with a mark scheme. Your progress is saved on your device, so you can stop and come back.
✏️ Before you start
Have paper and a pen ready
Clicking through on screen is not enough. You remember far more when you write things down yourself. For every step:
- Make notes on the key ideas in your own words.
- Copy and label the diagram.
- Work out each quick check on paper before you pick an answer, especially calculations.
- Write the final exam question answer in full, then mark it yourself with the mark scheme.
Keep your notes for each topic together. They become your revision notes for the exam.
📏 Start here: errors and uncertainties
Uncertainties, error bars and maximum and minimum gradients come up on every paper, in the practical questions and the practical endorsement. Every topic page links back to this one.
📏 Errors and Uncertainties
Random and systematic errors, combining uncertainties, error bars and max/min gradient lines.
Component 1: Newtonian Physics
Written exam, 2 hours 15 minutes, 100 marks, 31.25% of the A level. Section A (80 marks) is short and extended answer questions, some set in a practical context. Section B (20 marks) is one comprehension question.
📐 1.1 Basic Physics
SI units, homogeneity, vectors, density, moments, centre of gravity and equilibrium.
🏹 1.2 Kinematics
Motion graphs, suvat derivations and problems, terminal velocity, g by freefall and projectile motion.
🚀 1.3 Dynamics
Newton’s laws, free body diagrams, momentum and elastic and inelastic collisions.
⚡ 1.4 Energy Concepts
Work, energy stores, the work–energy relationship, power and efficiency.
🎡 1.5 Circular Motion
Radians, angular velocity and why a resultant force towards the centre keeps a body moving in a circle.
〰️ 1.6 Vibrations
Simple harmonic motion, mass-spring and pendulum periods, energy, damping and resonance.
🎈 1.7 Kinetic Theory
The ideal gas equation, moles, kinetic theory assumptions, p = ⅓ρc² and mean KE = 3/2 kT.
🌡️ 1.8 Thermal Physics
Internal energy, heat and work, the first law ΔU = Q − W and specific heat capacity.
Component 2: Electricity and the Universe
Written exam, 2 hours, 100 marks, 31.25% of the A level. A mix of short and extended answer questions, some set in a practical context.
⚡ 2.1 Conduction of Electricity
Charge, current as rate of flow of charge, electron drift and I = nAve.
🔌 2.2 Resistance
Pd, Ohm’s law, I–V graphs, power, resistivity, temperature effects and superconductors.
🔋 2.3 D.C. Circuits
Charge and energy conservation in circuits, resistor networks, potential dividers, emf and internal resistance.
⚡ 2.4 Capacitance
C = Q/V, ε₀A/d, energy ½QV, series and parallel, and exponential charge and discharge with time constant RC.
🔩 2.5 Solids Under Stress
Hooke’s law, stress, strain and Young modulus, and how metals, glass and rubber behave under stress.
🌍 2.6 Electrostatic and Gravitational Fields
Inverse square forces, field strength, potential, escape velocity and how electric and gravitational fields compare.
⭐ 2.7 Using Radiation to Investigate Stars
Stellar spectra, black bodies, Wien’s and Stefan’s laws, the inverse square law and multiwavelength astronomy.
🪐 2.8 Orbits and the Wider Universe
Kepler’s laws, orbits and masses, dark matter, Doppler shift, exoplanets, Hubble’s law and the critical density.
Component 3: Light, Nuclei and Options
Written exam, 2 hours 15 minutes, 120 marks, 37.5% of the A level. Section A (100 marks) covers topics 3.1 to 3.10 below; everyone answers it.
🌊 3.1 The Nature of Waves
Progressive waves, transverse and longitudinal, polarisation, phase, wave graphs, c = fλ and wavefronts.
🌊 3.2 Wave Properties
Diffraction, interference, Young’s slits, gratings and stationary waves.
🔦 3.3 Refraction of Light
Refractive index, Snell’s law, total internal reflection and how multimode and monomode optical fibres carry data.
💡 3.4 Photons
Photon energy, the photoelectric effect, energy levels, de Broglie waves and radiation pressure.
🔦 3.5 Lasers
Stimulated emission, population inversion, 3 and 4-level pumping, the laser cavity and semiconductor lasers.
☢️ 3.6 Nuclear Decay
Alpha, beta and gamma, half-life, A = λN and the exponential decay law.
⚛️ 3.7 Particles and Nuclear Structure
Rutherford scattering, quarks and leptons, hadrons, the four interactions and conservation laws.
☢️ 3.8 Nuclear Energy
Mass-energy equivalence, binding energy per nucleon and why both fission and fusion release energy.
🧲 3.9 Magnetic Fields
Forces on currents and moving charges, Hall probes, fields of wires and solenoids, and steering particle beams.
🧲 3.10 Electromagnetic Induction
Magnetic flux and flux linkage, Faraday’s and Lenz’s laws, E = Blv and the rotating coil.
Component 3 Section B: the options (answer ONE)
Section B is worth 20 marks. There is one question on each of the four options and you answer only the option your school teaches. You do not need to study the other three.
🔌 Alternating Currents (option A)
Rotating coils, rms values, reactance, phasors, impedance, and resonance with the Q factor.
🩻 Medical Physics (option B)
X-rays and CT, ultrasound and Doppler, MRI, radiation dose, and gamma camera and PET imaging.
🏅 The Physics of Sports (option C)
Stability, moments, collisions, spin and flight: rotational dynamics and fluid forces applied to sport.
🌍 Energy and the Environment (option D)
Earth’s energy balance, solar, wind, hydro, tidal and nuclear power, fuel cells, and heat loss with conduction and U-values.
The practical endorsement is assessed separately by your teacher and does not count towards the grade. Want more practice? Try the Eduqas A level Physics revision page and the key equations slideshow.