Support when teaching OCR A Level Physics for the first time
07 August 2024
Mike Jackson, Physics Subject Advisor
Starting to teach a new qualification, such as A Level Physics, can be very exciting but it can also be daunting at first. This may be particularly true if you are an ECT, going to be the only Physics A Level teacher in your school or if you have a degree background in another subject. At OCR we are aware of the challenges facing teachers. Whether you are a specialist or non-specialist, new or experienced teacher, I want to welcome you to OCR as a physics teacher and highlight some of the support that is available to you.
First steps
OCR’s resources are mostly found in Teach Cambridge. If you do not have access to Teach Cambridge you need to ask your centre’s exams officer to add an account for you. You may also find reading one of the switching guides helpful, even if your school is already with OCR, as they outline the course structure, assessments and available resources. Although this may sound obvious, the key resource when teaching a qualification will be the specification, which can be found in Teach Cambridge and on our website. Do also sign up for subject updates so that you always know of any changes or new resources!
Qualification content
Within both the Physics A specification and Physics B specification you will find the structure of the course, assessment details, required content and appendices. These can be important to review from time to time, especially when first teaching a qualification but also for experienced teachers.
The specification includes the required content for the qualification, i.e. what students should know and therefore what you need to teach them. There are some key points to be aware of:
- Do take note of modules 1 and 2 in both specifications. 1.1.1 ‘Practical skills assessed in a written examination’ and module 2 ‘Foundation of physics’ cover fundamentals which apply to all three component exam papers.
- Make sure that you read any statements at the start of a section of the content. For example, it may say “Learners should be able to demonstrate and apply their knowledge and understanding of…” This will mean teaching beyond basic facts that are stated in the specification points that follow.
- Sometimes there will be additional guidance which may include referring to another area of the specification or provide more detail on the limitations of the specification point. For example, in Physics A candidates require knowledge of 5.1.4 for 6.4.4 (j) which means this part of module 5 can be assessed in component (paper) 2, which is generally on modules 4 and 6.
You may find that endorsed textbooks are helpful for interpretation. Note that these are not published by OCR and there may be a level of interpretation of requirements and context by the author. There are also “Teaching delivery” resources on Teach Cambridge, including teaching and delivery guides and topic exploration packs.
ExamBuilder is free to use and is a way of getting a sense of the questions that have previously been asked, along with the mark schemes. Do keep in mind that we are continually working to improve our assessments, including accessibility, so you may find it helpful to start with the more recent questions and work back in time.
Practice and sample materials are still available to use but were developed to support teachers when the specification was new and have not been through the same process of development and standardisation as the questions from actual exam series.
Examiners’ reports for previous series can be found in the Exams section on Teach Cambridge and contain useful observations to help inform teaching.
Practical skills and the practical endorsement
The requirements for practical work are found in the specifications for both Physics A and Physics B in section 1.2 ‘Practical skills assessed in the practical endorsement’. These are common to the awarding organisations (AOs) in England though there are differences in how they are applied for the purposes of the actual practical activities and the endorsement monitoring, as discussed in this blog about the practical endorsement. They are divided into two further sections:
- 1.2.1 ‘Practical skills’
- 1.2.2 ‘Use of apparatus and techniques’
Centres are required to provide candidates with the opportunity to demonstrate their range of practical skills and experiences across a minimum of 12 practical activities. Teachers will need to submit a “Pass” or “Not Classified” for each student against the set criteria towards the end of the course.
The standards expected are described in the Practical skills handbook: Physics. The “Guidance on practical skills” section, along with the appendices, may be a particularly useful reference for understanding the requirements for both teachers and students. You may wish to consider sharing key sections and the student tick list with students early in the course to use as a reference. They may not immediately reach the required standards and it would be normal to see skills develop over time in trackers.
We have a flexible approach to practical work so that you can adjust your pupils’ experiences based on your resources and experience in school. You may wish to choose one or more activities from each Practical Activity Group (PAG) or develop your own activities. Do have a plan for how you will achieve the required opportunities in the specification over the course though.
You may wish to use some of the many resources in Teach Cambridge, including the PAG trackers which are designed to support recording students’ progress. CLEAPSS is also generally regarded as the expert source for further guidance on practical work in science and most schools are members. Your lab technicians should be able to help you here.
Centres are visited once every two years for a supportive monitoring visit to support consistent approach of practical work across centres. Most centres will only be visited for a single subject each cycle though subjects within centres should share their findings and work together to ensure best practice is taking place.
We have online training for nominated lead teachers and other teachers may wish to use the training to support their own knowledge and development too. A lead monitors’ report is also published to Teach Cambridge annually. These provide feedback from visits, highlighting strengths, best practise and areas for improvement based on the visits in that year.
If you would like to know more about monitoring, Andy Brunning has written a blog about the practical endorsement monitoring process. Our Positive about Practical web page includes information to support you with the key resources and frequently asked questions. ASE’s ‘The Language of Measurement’ (available from Millgate House) provides a guide to terminology with illustrative investigations.
Mathematical skills
A minimum of 40% of the marks available for the A Level Physics written examinations are for assessment of mathematical skills at Level 2 or above (as defined at the end of Appendix 5e of the specification). Any mathematical skills below Level 2 can be included but do not count to towards the 40%. Questions may involve selecting the correct formula from the formula sheet, problem solving, showing how to achieve a result and deriving formulae or units. These skills can be a significant increase in challenge from GCSE for students so it’s important to make ensure that they have grasped the fundamentals as well as giving them extensive practice and support during the course.
Guidance on maths skills can be found in the Mathematics skills handbook: Physics. The physics exams also have a “Data, Formulae and Relationships” booklet, found in the appendices of the specification. Another useful resource for ensuring correct use of symbols and other basics is The ASE Signs, Symbols and Systematics book. This is the sourcebook for teaching at 16-19. Perhaps there is a copy in your department prep room? You may also wish to read the blog “Maths across the curriculum: revision tips for students”. The Language of Mathematics in Science is designed for teachers of 11-16 science but may also be helpful and can be downloaded from ASE.
Teachers often ask which calculators are suitable for examinations. We are unable to specify these, due to the large number of models and varying complexity, including whether exam mode is used on some models. The JCQ publishes general guidance on calculators in the Instructions for Conducting Examinations. If you haven’t used a scientific calculator for a while it is worth spending some time developing familiarity and looking whether the manufacturer offers an on-screen version for supporting pupils from the front of the classroom.
Equality and inclusion
The proportion of girls choosing to study physics is a major issue. We have resources to support inclusion, such as the STEM Contributors resource and we are producing a series of blogs on trailblazing women in physics. The first one shares some diverse role models for women in astrophysics.
Inclusion beyond women in physics is similarly an issue and The Institute of Physics (IoP) has also produced top tips for inclusive Science Teaching.
Further support
The IoP offers a range of support to teachers. Isaac Physics, Ogden Trust and STEM Learning are all organisations who also offer support in different forms.
Do also look at the available subject specific professional development on our website, or in Teach Cambridge. Materials from past sessions are sometimes also available through Teach Cambridge. Finding a network, whether face to face or online, can be helpful for support and sharing of materials too.
We also offer online networks in science and we look out for schools willing to act as a hub for network meetings which we may be able to support virtually or in person. Find out more on our teacher network page.
Don’t forget that subject advisors are also here to support you in understanding and delivery of the specifications so please do stay connected and contact us if you need any help or have any questions (see below)!
Stay connected
Please let us know if you have any questions or if you would like a chat to consider or support changing to OCR. We also welcome ongoing feedback from centres.
Share your thoughts in the comments below. You can also email us at science@ocr.org.uk, call us on 01223 553998 or message us on X (formerly Twitter) @OCR_Science. I also have a Microsoft Teams booking page which you can use to set up a virtual meeting with me. which you can use to set up a virtual meeting with me.
You can also sign up to subject updates to keep up-to-date with the latest news, updates and resources. to keep up-to-date with the latest news, updates and resources.
If you are considering teaching any of our qualifications, use our online form to let us know, so that we can help you with more information.
About the author
Mike joined OCR in January 2024 and is a subject advisor for A Level Physics. Mike completed an MA in Education at the University of Birmingham in 2014. Before joining OCR, he was a teacher for over 15 years, with roles included Acting Assistant Head, Head of Science, Physics Network Lead for a trust, a STEM Learning Facilitator and an SLE for Science. Mike is passionate about inclusion in education, environment and sustainability.
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