How to get an A* in IGCSE Physics: the complete system

First: understand what the paper rewards

Read the command word and identify the task before choosing a response. A calculation needs an appropriate model and a clear method; an explanation needs a relevant causal chain; an evaluation needs evidence and limitations. Precise terminology helps express the physics, but isolated keywords do not replace the reasoning. Marking guidance can allow scientifically equivalent wording rather than one compulsory sentence.

Use a small independent sample to establish your starting point: one calculation, one explanation, one graph and one practical task. Record where each answer breaks down. 'Did not recognise that the force must be resultant' is a more useful diagnosis than 'lost three marks in forces'. Build your next session around the action that would prevent that specific error.

Use condensed notes alongside the syllabus and textbook

Use the current specification to establish what must be covered, and a textbook or clear explanation to learn an unfamiliar idea. Then make a short summary you can actually test: quantities and units, the relevant relationship, its assumptions and one common confusion. Writing another page of copied prose is less informative than discovering that you cannot explain one sentence from it.

For energy and power, a useful summary states that power is the rate of energy transfer and distinguishes watts from joules. Add an example that requires a time conversion. Keep every current syllabus topic on your checklist, even if it has not appeared in the recent papers you saw. A collection of past questions is not a reliable prediction of the next paper's content.

Memorize the equations cold — all of them

Treat the heading as a call for equation fluency, not a universal rule that every board requires unsupported recall of every formula. Pearson provides equation-sheet support for the specified 2025–2027 Physics examinations. Check the official materials for your own board and series, and practise with what is permitted. A supplied equation still requires you to select it, understand the symbols and use compatible units.

Original example: a 0.60 kg object accelerates at 2.5 m/s² while a 0.40 N resistance opposes the pulling force. F = ma gives the resultant force: 0.60 × 2.5 = 1.5 N. The pull is therefore 1.5 + 0.40 = 1.9 N. If you answered 1.5 N, the arithmetic was correct but the model was incomplete. Repeat with changed values and explain the force balance before using the calculator.

Train Paper 6 as its own subject

If your Cambridge entry includes Paper 6, give its practical skills deliberate attention alongside theory. If it includes Paper 5, prepare for that practical format. Edexcel learners should work on the experimental questions within their own written papers or units. These routes differ, but all require you to understand what was measured and why a method supports a conclusion.

For an investigation of spring extension, name the load as the changed variable and extension as the measured response. Explain how extension comes from subtracting the unloaded length from the loaded length. 'Repeat for accuracy' is incomplete: state what is repeated and why the readings are useful. Repetition can reduce the influence of random variation when averaged; it does not automatically remove a persistent zero offset.

Do past papers the correct way

Choose whether a session is for learning, diagnosis or rehearsal. During learning, notes and worked examples may be appropriate; attempt the decision yourself before opening the solution. During diagnosis, remove prompts so you can see what transfers. During rehearsal, use a complete appropriate paper with the actual time and permitted materials. These modes can coexist during a course rather than following one rigid calendar.

Keep the original answer when marking. Add the missing principle or correction in a different colour, then write a short future action. If you used minutes in a watts calculation, that action might be 'convert to seconds before substitution'. Later attempt a different power question without the correction beside you. The reattempt checks learning; a rising score on the exact same memorised paper may not.

Use fresh questions to check whether the correction has become an independent skill.

The rhythm that makes it stick

An illustrative week includes one focused repair session, one mixed retrieval session and one marked question set. Adjust the amount to your existing homework and assessments; a long timetable that never gets completed provides little feedback. Keep older topics in the rotation, and include strong topics briefly so that the plan does not become a permanent list of weaknesses.

Ask for teaching when you cannot explain why a method applies, and feedback when you cannot judge whether your answer is complete. Dr Desouky's courses include teaching, homework checking and assessments, with recordings for enrolled group students to catch up. Use that support to improve your independent work. Historical student results provide examples of outcomes, not a guarantee that any particular routine will produce the same grade.