A-Level

How to get an A* in A-level Physics

7 min read · updated 2026-10-13

AQA A-level Physics is marked out of 250, and in June 2026 the A* boundary was between 186 and 191 depending on the option studied, about three-quarters of the marks. That is lower than many students expect, but the papers are demanding throughout.

How AQA A-level Physics is assessed

✓ Paper 1 (2 hours, 85 marks, 34%): sections 1 to 5 and periodic motion; 60 marks of written questions and 25 multiple choice
✓ Paper 2 (2 hours, 85 marks, 34%): thermal physics, fields and nuclear physics; same format
✓ Paper 3 (2 hours, 80 marks, 32%): Section A on practical skills and data analysis (45 marks), Section B on one option (35 marks)
✓ Options: astrophysics, medical physics, engineering physics, turning points in physics, or electronics

The 2026 A* boundaries

A* boundaries out of 250 were 191 (astrophysics), 190 (engineering), 188 (electronics), 187 (turning points) and 186 (medical physics). Pearson Edexcel's A-level Physics, marked out of 252, needed 179.

Where marks are lost

✓ Multiple choice answered too slowly, leaving the written questions short of time
✓ Explanations using formulas without physical reasoning in words
✓ Uncertainty and graph questions in Paper 3 Section A
✓ Fields and circular motion: confusing gravitational and electric cases
✓ The option: treated as an afterthought though it is 35 marks

A plan from January

✓ January-February: fields, nuclear and thermal physics; 25 multiple-choice questions twice a week
✓ March: practical skills, uncertainties and the option topic
✓ April-May: full papers weekly with strict marking
✓ Final weeks: recent papers and a list of definitions and equations

Keep a mistakes log

After every past paper, write each lost mark in one of four columns. Patterns appear within three or four papers, and fixing the biggest column is the fastest route to the top grade.

✓ Knowledge: didn't know the fact, definition or method
✓ Method: knew it but set it out wrongly or skipped a step
✓ Reading: misread the question or answered a different one
✓ Slip: arithmetic, units, copying or rounding errors

Making explanations score

Many marks go to explanations written in words: why a satellite stays in orbit, why the current falls as a component heats up. Structure them as a chain (this causes that, which means this), use the correct terms, and finish by answering the question directly.