A-level Physics 2027: formula sheet, papers, exam dates and grade boundaries

A-level Physics formula sheet and data booklet

The boards call it a data booklet or data sheet, and students call it the A-level Physics formula sheet or equation sheet. Every board gives you one in each exam.

Download the AQA A-level Physics data sheet or the OCR A-level Physics data booklet, and practise with it every time. AQA's booklet gives g = 9.81 m s⁻², h = 6.63 × 10⁻³⁴ J s and e = 1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ C, so use the values on your own sheet.

A-level Physics papers by board

AQA A-level Physics specification

The AQA A-level Physics specification has eight core sections: measurements and their errors, particles and radiation, waves, mechanics and materials, electricity, further mechanics and thermal physics, fields and their consequences, and nuclear physics. You also study one option: astrophysics, medical physics, engineering physics, turning points in physics or electronics.

OCR and Edexcel A-level Physics

WJEC A-level Physics is the Welsh board's version, with its own papers.

A-level Physics exam dates 2027

Dates are from the final timetables of AQA, OCR and Edexcel. Results day is Thursday 12 August 2027, and Wednesday 23 June is the contingency day (JCQ).

A-level Physics grade boundaries

AQA A-level Physics grade boundaries depend on your Paper 3 option, because each option is a different paper. These are from June 2026, out of 250 (AQA).

For the other boards in June 2026: OCR Physics A, out of 270, needed 207 for an A*, 178 for an A and 124 for a C. OCR Physics B needed 215, 185 and 125. Edexcel, out of 300, needed 239, 215 and 149 (OCR, Edexcel). Boundaries change every year.

Required practicals and the Practical Endorsement

The Department for Education requires at least 12 practical activities for the Practical Endorsement, which your teacher assesses and which is reported separately from your grade. The written papers test practical skills too, especially uncertainties, graphs and gradients, and AQA's Paper 3 starts with 45 marks on them. Work through results in the Practical Data Lab.

A-level Physics questions, worked through

At least 40% of the marks test maths, more than any other science. We wrote these questions for this guide, using the constants on AQA's sheet.

Projectiles

Question: a ball rolls off a table 1.8 m high at 3.0 m s⁻¹. How far from the table does it land?

1. Treat the vertical and horizontal motion separately. Vertically, u = 0, a = 9.81 m s⁻² and s = 1.8 m.
2. Use s = ut + ½at²: 1.8 = ½ × 9.81 × t², so t = √(3.6 ÷ 9.81) = 0.606 s.
3. Horizontally there is no acceleration, so distance = 3.0 × 0.606 = 1.8 m to 2 significant figures.

The time links the two directions, and it comes from the vertical motion only. See the path in the Projectile Motion simulator, then try one from our Laws of Motion course and press Mark.

Capacitor discharge

Question: a 220 µF capacitor at 9.0 V is connected across a 15 kΩ resistor. Find the potential difference 2.0 s later.

Convert µF and kΩ to F and Ω first. After one time constant (3.3 s) the voltage would be 37% of the start, so 4.9 V after 2.0 s is a sensible answer.

The photoelectric effect

Question: light of frequency 9.0 × 10¹⁴ Hz shines on a metal whose work function is 2.9 eV. What is the most energy, in eV, that an emitted electron can have?

Convert the work function to joules: 2.9 × 1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ = 4.64 × 10⁻¹⁹ J. Then Ek(max) = 5.97 × 10⁻¹⁹ − 4.64 × 10⁻¹⁹ = 1.33 × 10⁻¹⁹ J, which is 0.83 eV. Mixing eV and joules in one line is the classic slip.

A-level Physics past papers

Past papers, mark schemes and examiners' reports are free from AQA, OCR and Edexcel, though the newest are often kept back for teachers to use as mocks. Mark schemes show how many steps a calculation must show; examiners' reports show where students dropped marks.

Common A-level Physics mistakes

• Prefixes. Convert µ, m, k and M before you calculate.
• eV and joules mixed. Change everything to one unit first.
• Degrees and radians. SHM and circular motion use radians.
• Too many significant figures. Match the least precise data in the question.
• Gradients from too small a triangle. Draw a large triangle on a straight line of best fit.
• Definitions half learned. Many questions start with a 1 or 2 mark definition, and the wording matters.

Use a daily paper as a short timed mock

Year 13 mocks run through the winter. Between them, sit today's Year 1 or Year 2 paper with your data booklet beside you. For dates and whether mocks count, see the A-level mocks guide.

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