Physics

Year 11

Fleckney, Lennox, Miller, Mitchell, Sutherland, Willis

Course & Exam Information

Structure of Year 11

Year 11 is the final year of the GCSE Physics course. Students continue to study new content while also revisiting and consolidating topics from Years 9 and 10 in preparation for mock and final GCSE examinations.

Teaching, assessment and revision in Year 11 are all strongly focused on developing exam technique alongside secure subject knowledge.

Topics studied in Year 11

The topics studied depend on whether students are following the Separate (Triple) Science or Combined Science pathway:

  • Sets 1–3 (Separate Science):
    • Forces & Their Effects
    • Forces & Motion
    • Magnetism
    • Space
  • Sets 4–5 (Combined Science):
    • Newton’s Laws
    • Motion & Momentum
    • Magnetism

Each topic has an end of topic assessment, following the same format used in Years 9 and 10.

End of topic assessments

End of topic tests are designed to build confidence with GCSE-style questions:

  • 20% multiple choice questions
  • 80% GCSE-style exam questions

Multiple choice questions can assess any content studied since the start of Year 9.

Mock GCSE examinations

Year 11 students sit their mock GCSE examinations in early November, at the start of Term 2. Students sit one exam in each of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

All Year 11 students sit the same Physics mock paper. This paper:

  • Contains only Combined Science content
  • Covers all topics from the start of Year 9
  • Includes content up to and including Forces & Their Effects

The outcome of the mock GCSEs is used to determine whether students are entered for the Higher tier (Grades 4–9) or Foundation tier (Grades 1–5). Only a small number of students at Bourne Grammar School are entered for the Foundation tier each year.

Final GCSE examinations

The GCSE Physics examinations take place in the summer examination period, beginning in mid-May. Exact dates and times will be confirmed closer to the examinations.

Separate (Triple) Science – Sets 1–3

  • Two papers, each 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Paper 1: Energy Transfers, Particle Model, Electric Circuits, Domestic Electricity & Energy Resources, Atomic Structure
  • Paper 2: Wave Properties, Waves & Their Uses, Forces & Their Effects, Forces & Motion, Magnetism, Space
  • Physics Skills are assessed across both papers

Combined Science – Sets 4–5

  • Two papers, each 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Paper 1: Energy Transfers, Particle Model, Electric Circuits, Domestic Electricity & Energy Resources, Atomic Structure
  • Paper 2: Wave Properties, Forces & Their Effects, Newton’s Laws, Motion & Momentum, Magnetism
  • Physics Skills are assessed across both papers

How to revise effectively

Successful revision in Year 11 requires regular, structured practice:

  • Use class notes and GCSE Physics textbooks to review content
  • Practise GCSE-style exam questions regularly
  • Use revision resources and quizzes to identify weak areas
  • Make active use of feedback from assessments and mocks
  • Ask your teacher for support if you are unsure about any topic

Key links

If you are unsure how to revise, start with the Learning Resources for your current topic, then use exam papers and Revision Resources to develop confidence and exam technique.