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GCSE Physics Tutoring

Online GCSE Physics tutoring for AQA, Pearson Edexcel and OCR (Gateway and Twenty First Century), at Foundation or Higher tier, for separate (triple) Physics or the physics papers in Combined Science.

A GCSE Physics tutor works from your exact specification: choosing, rearranging and applying the equations on the equations sheet, the practicals your exam questions are built on, and the six-mark answers that often decide a grade. Sessions are online and one to one, and every session is planned around your board, your tier and the topics that are costing you marks.

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What You Get with GCSE Physics Tutoring

Structured support designed to improve understanding, exam technique, and confidence.

Equations and Calculations

  • Pick the right equation from the equations sheet and rearrange it, with units and unit conversions checked every time
  • A repeatable method for multi-step Higher tier calculations: choose the equation, substitute, rearrange, give the unit
  • Graph skills: gradients and areas under velocity-time graphs, reading values and drawing lines of best fit

Required Practicals

  • Each of your board's practicals: AQA's 10 required practicals, Edexcel's 8 core practicals or OCR's practical activities (PAGs)
  • Independent, dependent and control variables, sources of error and how to improve a method
  • Questions that put a familiar practical into an unfamiliar context, which is how many exam questions are written

Exam Technique

  • Six-mark extended responses planned as a linked chain of points rather than a list of facts
  • What command words such as describe, explain, calculate and evaluate ask you to do
  • Timed past-paper practice for your board, using the mark scheme to find exactly where marks are lost
Real student results

Students Improving Their Physics Grades

4 to 7
"Physics stopped feeling random once my tutor showed me how each equation linked to the topic. My calculations became much more consistent."
M

Maya

Year 11 student, AQA Higher

5 to 8
"The biggest change was six-mark answers. I learned how to explain practicals and evaluate results instead of guessing what examiners wanted."
O

Owen

Year 11 student, Edexcel

3 to 5
"I was close to staying on Foundation, but tutoring helped me secure the basics and improve enough to feel confident in every paper."
S

Sara

Year 10 student, OCR Gateway

How It Works

Simple steps to get started with GCSE Physics tutoring

1

Buy a Bundle

Choose the number of hours you need based on your current level and exam timeline.

2

Complete Onboarding

Share your exam board, your tier if the subject has one, weak topics, and goals so matching is precise.

3

Start Lessons

Get matched within 24 hours and begin sessions focused on measurable improvement.

First Session Guarantee

Not satisfied? Contact us within 24 hours. We will address concerns, offer a rematch, or provide a full refund.

Meet our GCSE Physics tutors

Experienced tutors who teach this subject. Open a profile to read more.

See all tutors

Foundation vs Higher: What's the Difference?

We support students on both tiers and adapt teaching to the specific demands of each.

Area
Foundation
Higher
Grades available
Grades 1 to 5
Grades 4 to 9, with an allowed grade 3 if you narrowly miss a 4
Content tested
Core content; Higher-only equations and spec points are not tested
All content, including the equations and spec points marked as Higher tier only
Papers
Same number of papers, length and marks as Higher; every paper is sat at one tier
Same papers and timings, with more multi-step calculations and unfamiliar contexts
Tutoring focus
Secure the core equations, practical methods and one and two-step calculations
Precision on long calculations, six-mark answers and the hardest application questions

GCSE Physics Syllabus Coverage

Every board teaches the same core physics but names and groups the topics differently, so your tutor maps these areas onto your own specification. Separate Physics adds content that Combined Science students do not sit, such as AQA's space physics topic.

1
Energy

  • Energy stores and transfers, work done and power
  • Kinetic, gravitational potential and elastic potential energy calculations
  • Efficiency and reducing unwanted energy transfers
  • National and global energy resources

2
Electricity

  • Current, potential difference and resistance, including I-V characteristics
  • Series and parallel circuits
  • Power, energy transferred and the National Grid
  • Mains electricity, plugs and safety

3
Particle Model of Matter

  • Density and changes of state
  • Specific heat capacity and specific latent heat
  • Internal energy and particle motion
  • Gas pressure and temperature

4
Atomic Structure and Radioactivity

  • Models of the atom and isotopes
  • Alpha, beta and gamma radiation and nuclear equations
  • Half-life, contamination and irradiation
  • Uses and dangers of radiation, nuclear fission and fusion

5
Forces and Motion

  • Scalars, vectors and resultant forces
  • Speed, velocity, acceleration and distance-time and velocity-time graphs
  • Newton's laws, momentum and stopping distances
  • Moments, levers, gears and pressure in fluids

6
Waves

  • Transverse and longitudinal waves and the wave equation
  • Reflection, refraction and the electromagnetic spectrum
  • Lenses, visible light and black body radiation
  • Sound, ultrasound and seismic waves
Assessment breakdown

GCSE Physics Assessment Structure

GCSE Physics is assessed entirely by written exams: two papers on every GCSE board, sat at Foundation or Higher tier. There is no practical coursework; the practicals are tested through questions in the papers. Cambridge IGCSE Physics is structured differently, with three papers including a practical paper. Check your board below.

Exam boards covered:AQAPearson EdexcelOCR GatewayOCR Twenty First CenturyCambridge IGCSE

AQA Physics (8463)

Written exam

Paper 1: energy, electricity, particle model of matter and atomic structure. Paper 2: forces, waves, magnetism and electromagnetism, and space physics. Each paper is 100 marks and 50% of the GCSE.

2 papers, 1 hour 45 minutes each
Multiple choice, structured, closed short answer and open response questions. Foundation or Higher tier.
10 required practicals, examined through questions in both papers

Pearson Edexcel Physics (1PH0)

Written exam

Paper 1: key concepts, motion and forces, conservation of energy, waves, light and the electromagnetic spectrum, radioactivity and astronomy. Paper 2: key concepts, forces doing work, forces and their effects, electricity and circuits, static electricity, magnetism and the motor effect, electromagnetic induction, particle model, forces and matter. Each paper is 100 marks and 50%.

2 papers, 1 hour 45 minutes each
Multiple choice, short answer, calculations and extended open response. Calculators allowed. Foundation or Higher tier.
8 mandatory core practicals

OCR Physics A, Gateway (J249)

Written exam

Foundation sits Papers 1 and 2; Higher sits Papers 3 and 4. The first paper covers matter, forces, electricity and magnetism; the second covers waves, radioactivity, energy and global challenges and includes synoptic questions. Each paper is 90 marks and 50%.

2 papers, 1 hour 45 minutes each
Section A: 15 marks of multiple choice. Section B: 75 marks of short answer, practical and maths questions plus a six-mark Level of Response question.
At least 8 practical activities, grouped as PAGs

OCR Physics B, Twenty First Century (J259)

Written exam

A Breadth paper and a Depth paper, both of which can test any of the chapters, from radiation and waves to explaining motion and radioactive materials. Each paper is 90 marks and 50%. Foundation sits components 01 and 02; Higher sits 03 and 04.

2 papers, 1 hour 45 minutes each
Breadth: short answer, structured, calculation and practical questions, no extended responses. Depth: at least two six-mark Level of Response questions.
At least 8 practical activities

Combined Science: the physics papers

Written exam

AQA Trilogy (8464) has two 70-mark physics papers. Pearson Edexcel (1SC0) and OCR Gateway A (J250) each have two 60-mark physics papers of 1 hour 10 minutes. OCR Twenty First Century B (J260) has a physics paper and a combined paper among four 1 hour 45 minute papers, and AQA Synergy (8465) tests physics in two physical sciences papers.

AQA Trilogy: 2 physics papers, 1 hour 15 minutes each
Double award graded 9-9 to 1-1. Foundation tier 5-5 to 1-1, Higher tier 9-9 to 4-4.
AQA: 21 required practicals across the three sciences; Edexcel: 18 core practicals; OCR: at least 16

Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625)

Written exam

Paper 1 (Core) or Paper 2 (Extended): multiple choice, 45 minutes, 30%. Paper 3 (Core) or Paper 4 (Extended): theory, 1 hour 15 minutes, 50%. Paper 5 Practical Test (1 hour 15 minutes) or Paper 6 Alternative to Practical (1 hour): 20%.

3 papers
Entered at Core (grades C to G) or Extended (grades A* to G), not Foundation or Higher.
Syllabus 0625 for exams in 2026, 2027 and 2028

Key Assessment Notes

  • At GCSE, Foundation tier awards grades 1 to 5 and Higher tier grades 4 to 9, with an allowed grade 3 on Higher. You sit every paper at the same tier.
  • There is no coursework. AQA and OCR state that at least 15% of exam marks draw on practical work, so each practical's method and analysis is part of revision.
  • Every GCSE Physics paper and every Combined Science physics paper comes with an equations sheet, so the skill is choosing, rearranging and applying the right equation rather than recalling it. Ofqual has confirmed the sheet for 2027 and, from 2028, for the rest of the current specifications' life; from 2028 no question can be answered just by copying from the sheet.
  • Separate (triple) Physics is one GCSE. Combined Science is a double award covering biology, chemistry and physics, with shorter physics papers and less physics content.
  • Paper details are taken from the current AQA, Pearson Edexcel and OCR specifications for exams in 2027 and 2028.

Ready to improve your Physics grade?

Get matched with an expert GCSE tutor within 24 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about GCSE Physics tutoring

Yes. All sessions are online and one to one. When you sign up you tell us your exam board, tier and weak topics, and you are usually matched with a verified tutor within 24 hours. Sessions follow your specification, so an AQA student practises AQA-style questions and an OCR Gateway student works on OCR papers.

AQA Physics (8463), Pearson Edexcel Physics (1PH0), OCR Physics A Gateway (J249) and OCR Physics B Twenty First Century (J259), plus the physics papers in each board's Combined Science and Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625). The boards share the same core physics but differ in paper structure, topic names and practicals, so your tutor works from your board's specification and past papers.

Separate Physics is a full GCSE with two papers of its own and extra content, such as AQA's space physics topic. In Combined Science, physics is one third of a double award graded 9-9 to 1-1, with shorter physics papers: AQA Trilogy, for example, has two 1 hour 15 minute physics papers. A tutor can support either route and make sure triple students cover the extra content.

Foundation awards grades 1 to 5. Higher awards grades 4 to 9, with an allowed grade 3 if you narrowly miss a 4. Your school makes the entry decision, often using mock results. If you are between tiers, tutoring can target the Higher-only equations and multi-step calculations so that Higher becomes a realistic option.

Yes. There is no practical coursework, but AQA and OCR state that at least 15% of exam marks draw on practical work. Your tutor goes through each of your board's practicals, such as AQA's 10 required practicals or Edexcel's 8 core practicals, covering the method, variables, errors and how to analyse and evaluate the results.

Yes. Physics papers test a lot of maths: rearranging equations, standard form, unit conversions, significant figures and graph gradients. Your tutor separates the physics decision (which equation applies) from the maths (rearranging and substituting) and practises both. If maths itself is the main barrier, you can add GCSE Maths tutoring as well.

Six-mark questions are marked by levels, so a list of correct facts rarely reaches the top band. OCR calls them Level of Response questions. Your tutor shows you how to plan a linked sequence of points using the right terms, and how to set out calculation answers step by step with units, then you practise on past questions against the mark scheme.

Yes, you can start at any point, including a few weeks before the exams. Late on, sessions focus on timed past papers, mark schemes and the topics that cost you the most marks rather than reteaching the course. Starting in Year 10 or early Year 11 leaves time to rebuild weak topics properly before revision begins.

IB Doctor tutors are verified and scored 40 or more points in the IB Diploma. When you sign up you share your board, tier, target and weak areas, so you are matched with a tutor for your GCSE Physics course, usually within 24 hours. All lessons take place online.

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