How to Get an A* in A Level Physics?

By Russell Greenhill

Founder & CEO @ Greenhill Academics

Oxford Master’s Graduate • 8+ Years Tutoring Experience

A Level Physics is one of the most respected A Levels available, and the A* is the grade that separates students who can apply physics under pressure from those who understand it in theory. The distinction matters because A Level Physics papers are specifically designed to test application — not recall. The hardest questions on every paper present scenarios students have not seen before and require them to think their way through using principles rather than memorised answers.

This post covers what the A* in A Level Physics actually requires, where most A-grade students lose their top marks, and what needs to change in the final months before the exam.

What the A* in A Level Physics requires

The A* in A Level Physics requires an overall A grade combined with 90% or more averaged across the A2 papers — Papers 1 and 2 in most exam board formats. The practical endorsement (Paper 3) contributes to the overall grade but not to the A* calculation. A student who scores 85% on Papers 1 and 2 combined will not receive an A*, regardless of how well they perform on Paper 3 or in Year 12.

This means revision for the A* should focus specifically on maximising performance on Papers 1 and 2. These papers cover mechanics, electricity, waves, quantum physics, and nuclear physics at A Level, alongside the fields introduced in Year 12. The harder questions on both papers combine multiple topic areas and require students to construct a logical physical argument, not just apply a formula.

Show every step in calculations

Physics mark schemes award marks for method as well as for the correct final answer. A student who identifies the right equation, substitutes values correctly, but makes an arithmetic error at the last step can still claim most of the available marks if every step is visible. A student who writes only the final answer scores one mark. This is one of the simplest habits to change and one of the most consistently ignored. In multi-step calculations — circular motion, electrical circuits, nuclear decay chains — showing every substitution, every rearrangement, and every intermediate value is not optional at A* level.

Use the right equations — and know when to derive them

A Level Physics papers include a formula sheet, but not every formula a student might need. The harder questions at the end of papers sometimes require combining equations that are not given, or deriving a result from first principles. Students who rely entirely on the formula sheet and do not practise working with unfamiliar combinations of equations consistently lose marks on these questions. Practising derivations — showing how equations are arrived at from physical principles — builds exactly the flexibility the A* requires.

Check that answers are physically reasonable

One of the most reliable ways to lose marks on calculation questions is to arrive at an answer that is clearly physically unreasonable — a velocity that exceeds the speed of light, a resistance of 10,000 ohms in a simple circuit, a nuclear decay energy in the wrong order of magnitude — and to write it down without noticing. Developing the habit of checking the order of magnitude and the units of every answer before moving on catches these errors before they cost marks. It takes ten seconds per question and is a consistent differentiator between A and A* students.

The topics to prioritise for an A*

Mechanics — particularly circular motion, simple harmonic motion, and gravitational fields — is one of the highest-mark topic areas across all exam boards and one of the most consistently demanding. Students who can handle every sub-type of mechanics question reliably have a significant advantage on Paper 1. Electricity and circuits rewards students who understand the principles behind Kirchhoff’s laws and can apply them to unfamiliar circuit configurations, not just the standard examples.

Quantum physics and nuclear physics questions at A* level require both content knowledge and the ability to apply concepts in unfamiliar contexts. These topics have a reputation for being abstract, and students often revise them less thoroughly than mechanics. The mark scheme rewards conceptual precision — the photoelectric effect, wave-particle duality, radioactive decay — as much as mathematical accuracy.

Practical skills and data analysis

Paper 3 tests practical skills and data analysis — graph interpretation, uncertainty calculations, and experimental design. These questions are predictable in format and reward students who have practised them specifically. Drawing lines of best fit correctly, calculating gradients with the right units, estimating uncertainties, and evaluating experimental methods are all learnable skills. Students who treat Paper 3 as an afterthought consistently leave marks available that a small amount of specific preparation would have secured.

How to revise A Level Physics for an A*

Work through the specification systematically, topic by topic, ensuring every equation is understood rather than memorised. For each topic, practise a range of question types rather than the same question style repeatedly — the A* requires flexibility, and flexibility comes from encountering variety. Past papers should be sat under timed conditions with full working shown throughout, then marked question by question against the scheme.

Examiner reports, published by AQA, OCR, and Edexcel after each series, describe specifically where students at A-grade level lost marks and what the top answers did consistently. Reading two or three of these on your weakest topics is one of the most efficient uses of revision time available and is used by very few students.

Meet some of our A Level Physics tutors

Murray

Murray is reading Materials Science at Oxford (MEng, expected First), having achieved A* in Maths, Chemistry, and Physics at A Level. He holds a Bronze First Division in the British Physics Olympiad and tutors the PAT (Physics Aptitude Test) alongside A Level Physics. Murray is particularly effective at building the problem-solving approach needed for the harder multi-step questions at the end of papers — the questions where A students most consistently lose their A* marks.

Martin

Martin is completing a PhD in Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge, having previously achieved the highest AS Level Physics mark in the country. He holds an MSc in Mathematical Sciences from Oxford (Distinction) and achieved A*A*A*A at A Level. Martin brings genuine theoretical depth to A Level Physics tutoring — particularly in mechanics, quantum physics, and fields — and is highly effective at helping students approach unfamiliar questions systematically rather than freezing when the method is not immediately obvious.

Liza

Liza holds a BA in Mathematics and Philosophy from Yale University and an MSc from the London School of Economics, where she was a Chevening Scholar. With nearly a decade of tutoring experience across the UK and the US, she specialises in Mathematics and Physics from secondary level upward. Liza is particularly effective at making the underlying logic of Physics concepts clear rather than procedural — which is precisely what the harder questions at A* level demand. She is also experienced at working with students who have ADHD or learning differences, adapting her approach to suit each student’s needs.

Ready to push for an A* in A Level Physics?

If your child is sitting consistently in the A range but the A* is not landing, a specialist tutor can identify the specific patterns keeping them below that boundary and fix them before the exams. Get in touch and we will match them with the right tutor.

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