← Our pedagogy
How we teach Pure Physics
Sec 3–4, including Combined Physics and IP Physics
Pure Physics is a handful of big ideas used again and again. Understood properly, it becomes the most predictable subject. IP students get the same method, taken to the depth their school’s IP syllabus and A-Level demand.
1 · Understand the concept, never just memorise it
Physics formulas are useless if a student can’t tell which one applies. We explain what each quantity actually means, using things students already know, so they choose the right idea for any situation.
How we explain it, simply
- Moments“A spanner turns more easily held at the end: the farther from the pivot, the bigger the turning effect.”
- Electric circuits“Current is water flowing in a pipe, voltage is the push from the pump, resistance is how narrow the pipe is.”
- Pressure“The same weight on a smaller area presses harder. That’s why heels sink into grass but flat shoes don’t.”
2 · Know every type of question before the exam
Physics papers return to the same question types every year. Each has a framework students practise until it is automatic.
The question types we prepare for
- Motion graphs: gradient and area
- Forces, moments and pressure
- Energy, work, power and efficiency
- Thermal physics and the particle model
- Waves, light, refraction and total internal reflection
- Electricity: circuits and calculations
- Magnetism and electromagnetism
- Practical and planning questions
3 · Find the reason behind every mistake
A wrong Physics answer usually means one idea is slightly off. We find that idea.
Mistakes, and the real reason behind them
- Used the wrong formulaThe real reason: Recognised the topic but not which quantity the question was really about.
- Explanation scored 1 out of 3The real reason: Gave the result ("it expands") without the particle-level reason the marks are for.
- Calculation off by 1,000The real reason: Didn’t convert units (g to kg, cm to m) before using the formula.