Three days left. Newton's laws and forces alone carried 18+ marks in the last sitting analysed. This paper rewards knowing your equations cold and reading velocity-time graphs fast. Here's the order that gets you the most marks.
One focus per day, building to a timed run. Work it in order.
Ranked from analysed past papers. Start at the top: if you run out of time, you will have covered the most-tested ground.
The single highest-marks P2 topic across 4 sittings analysed (61 marks, appeared in every sitting). F=ma and velocity-time graph questions appear in almost every paper, often stacked across multiple questions.
Appeared in all 4 sittings (61 marks total). Resultant force, pressure in fluids, and moments questions are frequently combined into one longer question.
Appeared in all 4 sittings and has produced the highest single required-practical mark total on this paper (up to 16 marks in one sitting via RP9).
Appeared in 3 of 4 sittings with a strong upward trend. Generator effect, transformer equation, and explaining how a microphone works have all come up.
Appeared in all 4 sittings. Thinking distance, braking distance, and factors affecting each (reaction time, road conditions, alcohol) come up as short-answer explain questions.
Appeared in 3 of 4 sittings with a strong upward trend. Momentum calculations have been combined with force and time in a single large multi-step question worth up to 8 marks.
Appeared in 3 of 4 sittings. Uses and hazards of each part of the spectrum (UV causing sunburn, gamma in medical imaging) are commonly tested together.
Appeared in 3 of 4 sittings, often as part of a large space physics question alongside red shift and orbits. A 6-mark long-answer sequence question is common.
PrepWise has a one-page Knowledge Organiser for every topic above. In your final 3 days, use them the same way each time: cover the page, recall everything you can onto paper, check against the original, then repeat only the bits you missed.
Rules specific to Paper 2. On this paper, structure earns as many marks as knowledge.
F = ma, momentum p = mv, and the moment equation M = F × d are not given on the AQA equations sheet. You must recall them. The wave speed equation v = fλ IS given, so don't waste time memorising it, but do practise rearranging it fast.
Write the equation, substitute the numbers, then rearrange. A correct substitution earns a mark even if your final rearranged answer is wrong. Rearranging first and substituting last hides the working examiners are marking.
This single fact answers most graph questions on this paper. If a question asks for acceleration, find the gradient. If it asks for distance travelled, find the area under the line. Split it into triangles and rectangles if the shape isn't simple.
cm to m for wavelength, g to kg for mass, and reading graph axes in the correct units. Do the conversion in a separate line before you touch the main equation. Mixing units mid-calculation is the most common way to lose an otherwise-correct answer.
'Describe how you would...' questions on acceleration (RP7) or refraction (RP9) expect the specific apparatus and steps: what you measure, what you keep constant, and how you calculate the result. Vague answers score zero.
The errors examiners see most on this paper. Each one is an easy mark you already know how to keep.
Using F = ma with the wrong mass or forgetting to find the resultant force first → If more than one force acts on the object, find the resultant force before substituting into F = ma. A common trap is using one of the individual forces instead.
Reading the wrong value off a velocity-time graph (reading distance when acceleration is asked, or vice versa) → Before you touch the graph, write down which one you need: 'gradient = acceleration' or 'area = distance'. Then find that specific feature.
Confusing angle of incidence with angle of refraction, or mixing up which angle is measured from the normal → Both angles are always measured from the normal line (the dashed line at 90° to the surface), never from the surface itself. Draw the normal first before labelling any angle.
Giving a vague reason for stopping distance changes (e.g. 'tiredness affects it') without linking to thinking or braking distance specifically → State which part of stopping distance is affected. Tiredness and alcohol increase thinking distance (reaction time), while wet roads and worn tyres increase braking distance.
Getting the order of the star life cycle wrong, especially after the red giant stage → Learn it as two branches from red giant: smaller stars go red giant to white dwarf; much bigger stars go red supergiant to supernova to neutron star or black hole. Which branch a star follows depends on its starting mass.
The 60 minutes before you walk in. Review what you know and settle your nerves.
Knowing the equation is not the same as being able to use it. Practise exam-style Physics questions in PrepWise, get marked instantly, and drill the rearranging until it is automatic.
Open the Physics Knowledge Organisers, quiz every priority topic and walk in ready. Free during alpha.
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