Middle School Curriculum Booklet 25-27

Physics

Edexcel IGCSE Physics 4PH1

How is the course assessed? The final grade is based on performance in two written examinations:

Why study Physics? ‘Why do I love Physics? If you study Physics, you will understand the physical world around you, and that is an amazing feeling. If you are curious about the world, you too will love Physics. It is not just that you will understand why rainbows happen, or how a motor works, but it is also the deep subject which underpins the principles behind Chemistry, and in turn, Biology. The really awesome thing is how a set of relatively few laws and equations can explain the almost infinite complexity of the world. If this is not enough to get you interested, it is also a subject which lends itself to engineering, a much sought-after discipline.’ Mr Kerr, Head of Physics. What does the course cover? The course covers a range of unifying patterns and themes across the subject areas: forces and motion, electricity, waves, energy, states of matter, magnetism, radioactivity, particles and astrophysics. There is a focus on practical skills and the acquisition of investigative technique, as well as the development of analytical and logic skills through the application of scientific concepts to a range of situations.

Paper 1: 61% of final mark, 2 hours

A mixture of question styles, including multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions, calculations and extended open-response questions.

Paper 2: 39% of final mark, 1 hour 15 minutes

A mixture of question styles, including multiple-choice questions, short-answer questions, calculations and extended open-response questions.

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