Course Specifics

Edexcel AS Level Physics (8PH0)

Students are entered for two examinations for the AS level, Paper 1 (core physics 1) and Paper 2 (core physics 2).

Each paper has a duration of 1 hour 30 minutes and is marked out of 80.  Each paper may include multiple-choice, short open, open-response, calculation and extended writing questions. Each paper is made up of two sections:
Section A: 56-60 marks
Section B: 20-24 marks

Each paper is worth 50% of the AS level qualification.

The content is split into 12 teaching topics organised in two different approaches. There is a great deal of overlap between these approaches, one is concept-based and the other is context-based.

Concept approach

• 1 Working as a physicist
• 2 Mechanics
• 3 Electric circuits
• 4 Materials
• 5 Wave and particle nature of light

Salters Horners (context) approach

• 1 Working as a physicist
• 2 Higher, faster, stronger (HFS)
• 3 The sound of music (MUS)
• 4 Good enough to eat (EAT)
• 5 Technology in Space (SPC)
• 6 Digging up the past (DIG)
• 7 Spare-part surgery (SUR)

These different approaches lead to the same common assessment papers for this qualification.

Syllabus

Click here to access the full syllabus.