How to get an A* in A-Level Physics: improve the decisions behind your answers

Start with a lost-mark audit, not a harder question bank

Take a recent, independently completed paper or mixed question set. Mark it using the matching official scheme, then classify each lost mark: missing knowledge, wrong model, mathematical execution, incomplete explanation, practical reasoning, or timing. Where the scheme does not make your mistake clear, ask a teacher to check the attempted answer. Self-marking should not become a way to award yourself benefit-of-the-doubt marks.

Suppose an illustrative 20-mark loss contains eight marks from choosing the wrong relationships, six from practical analysis, four from algebra and two from missing units. Spending the next week memorising definitions alone would miss the largest problems. Choose one frequent decision to repair, keep the original attempt, and compare it with a fresh attempt after feedback. These example figures are not a typical cohort result.

Worked example: choose the physical model before calculating

A 0.50 kg trolley starts from rest on a horizontal track. A constant 2.0 N pulling force acts forward while a constant 0.50 N resistance acts backward. Find its speed after moving 3.0 m. State the assumptions: the forces remain constant over the distance and the trolley moves along the line of the pull.

The resultant force is 2.0 − 0.50 = 1.50 N, so a = Fnet / m = 1.50 / 0.50 = 3.0 m/s². With constant acceleration, v² = u² + 2as gives v² = 0 + 2 × 3.0 × 3.0 = 18, hence v ≈ 4.2 m/s. Using the pulling force alone would ignore the resistance and give a different result.

Check with energy: work by the pull is 6.0 J and energy transferred against resistance is 1.5 J. The kinetic-energy increase is therefore 4.5 J, so ½ × 0.50 × v² = 4.5 gives the same speed. The value of the second method is the consistency check. Now change the resistance so that it varies with speed: the constant-acceleration calculation no longer follows automatically. Recognising that boundary is more useful than memorising the numbers.

Turn a vague explanation into a conditional argument

Consider a resistor connected to a source that maintains a fixed potential difference. Explain what happens to its power when resistance increases. The answer needs the condition: P = V² / R, so at constant V an increase in R reduces P. 'A bigger resistance means more heat' ignores what the rest of the circuit holds fixed.

If instead a source maintains a fixed current, P = I²R predicts increasing power with increasing resistance. Both equations are valid; the physical constraints decide the conclusion. Practise writing one sentence that names the fixed quantity, one that gives the relationship and one that states the consequence. Transfer this habit to gas laws, fields and oscillations rather than collecting isolated phrases from mark schemes.

Keep practical reasoning in the weekly plan

A strong calculation score cannot compensate for every neglected experimental skill. Practise deciding what to measure, which variables to control, what the gradient means, and how a limitation affects the conclusion. Use your own supervised practical work alongside written questions; reading an apparatus diagram is not the same as taking measurements.

For a simple pendulum investigation, timing several oscillations and dividing by their number reduces the relative contribution of start-and-stop timing uncertainty compared with timing one oscillation. It does not correct an incorrectly measured length. Repeating a measurement, checking a zero offset and changing apparatus address different problems. A useful evaluation identifies the actual limitation and explains how the proposed change addresses it.

Edexcel IAL Units 3 and 6 assess practical skills in written papers, with different depth and requirements. Prepare from the appropriate unit guidance instead of treating 'practicals' as one undifferentiated topic. Students on a route with a practical endorsement or timetabled practical examination must also fulfil that route's requirements through their centre.

Move from topic practice to unfamiliar mixed questions

Topic practice helps repair a skill because the relevant principle is relatively easy to identify. Mixed practice removes that clue. Use both: learn the relationship, practise it independently, then meet it alongside other possibilities. Before looking at the solution, record why you selected the model and what alternative you rejected.

Do not measure readiness by recognising a paper you have already corrected. Reattempting it can check whether a repair is remembered, but a fresh question is a better test of transfer. Change the unknown, diagram or physical condition, then explain which parts of the method still apply. Timed papers add another demand and become more informative once enough of the assessed content has been learned.

Make the revision plan respond to the evidence

Plan tasks rather than chapters: one force-model correction, two graph-gradient questions, one practical evaluation and a mixed retest are observable outcomes. Allocate time around your other subjects and existing commitments. If a short check shows the same misconception persists, seek an explanation or feedback before repeating an entire paper.

In the final stretch, use marked work to balance coverage and precision. Revisit previously secure material, check required definitions and units, and practise completing answers within the conditions of your actual papers. Protect normal rest and follow your centre's exam instructions. A last-minute prediction list should not decide which specification topics you leave unprepared.

Know what A* means on your qualification

For the current Edexcel International A-Level Physics route, an A* requires at least 480 UMS overall out of 600 and at least 270 UMS across the three A2 units out of 300. These are uniform marks, not fixed raw percentages on a particular paper. International AS is graded A–E and does not award A*.

Read the linked IAL grading guide for worked scenarios, and use Pearson's results information for your actual examination series. Those thresholds do not apply to UK Edexcel 9PH0 or Cambridge 9702. Grade rules explain how results combine; they do not tell you which concept to practise tomorrow. That decision should still come from your work.

Use feedback when progress stops

Bring an attempted question, your reasoning and the marking feedback to a teacher or tutor. 'I used energy, but I cannot decide which transfers cross my chosen system boundary' is a precise starting point. 'I need harder questions' may be true, but it should follow a diagnosis rather than replace one.

For Edexcel International AS and A-Level students, Dr Desouky's courses provide live teaching, checked homework, regular assessments and support between lessons. Match the qualification and timetable before joining. You can also use the free notes, practical guides and revision-session builder independently to make the next step concrete.