New GCEs for 2008

GCE Physics B: Physics in Context (2455)

AS outline

The AS specification has 3 units:

Unit 1: Module 1: Music Makes the World go Round
Module 2: From Quarks to Quasars

Topic list

modern techniques of communication; the nature of audio information and the methods by which it is coded, transmitted and received; digital communication as a medium for the twenty-first century
from fundamental particles to the structure of the Universe; the achievements of particle physicists, studying matter on a small scale, and cosmologists working on the very much larger scale.

Assessment

Written Paper:	1 hour 15 minutes
Weighting:	20% of total A Level marks

This unit comprises two Sections. Section A will have 5-8 very short questions. Questions may be of the multiple choice or short structured type. Questions may be context free or be set in the prescribed unit contexts or closely related contexts. Section B will have 3-5 longer questions. These questions will assess each of the themes in the specification in more detail.

All questions are compulsory. The question paper will have 70 raw marks.

Unit 2: Module 1: Moving People, People Moving
Module 2: Energy and the Environment

Topic list

how forces and motion underpin everyday activities such as transport, and activities such as record breaking in sport
energy demands and the effect this has on the fate of the planet and future generations; our use of electrical energy.

Assessment

Written Paper:	1 hour 15 minutes
Weighting:	20% of total A Level marks

All questions are compulsory. The question paper will have 70 raw marks

Unit 3: Investigative and Practical Skills

Practical skills

Selection and use of various equipment
Processing of data,
Making observations and measurements,
Analysing and evaluation of results.

Assessment

Weighting:

10% of total A Level marks

This unit will involve the centre assessment of practical and investigative skills.

There are two routes for the assessment of this unit.
Either

Route T: Practical Skills Assessment (PSA) and Investigative Skills Assignment (ISA) which is teacher marked (assessed by centres).
Route X: Practical Skills Verification (PSV) and Externally Marked Practical Assignment (EMPA), taken at a centres' convenience and marked by AQA.

There will be 50 raw marks in this unit.