A Level Physics: Can I Achieve a Good Grade?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility of pursuing A Level Physics for a student who has previously achieved a C in GCSE Physics and a B in GCSE Maths. Participants explore the implications of prior performance, the necessity of the subject for future academic goals, and the potential for improvement with dedicated effort.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the motivation for taking A Level Physics given the student's previous grades and suggests that it may not be necessary unless pursuing related fields like Physics or Engineering.
  • Another participant emphasizes the importance of discussing capabilities with teachers who know the student well to gauge their potential for success in A Level Physics.
  • A different viewpoint suggests that while a C in GCSE Physics may raise concerns, with sufficient effort, improvement is possible, and a B in Maths is adequate for pursuing A Level Physics.
  • It is noted that taking A Level Maths alongside Physics is advisable, as it supports the understanding of the material and is often a prerequisite for related courses.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the necessity of A Level Physics based on the student's future aspirations and previous academic performance. There is no consensus on whether the student should pursue the subject, as opinions vary on the importance of prior grades and the potential for improvement.

Contextual Notes

Some participants highlight the need for clarity on the student's future academic goals to provide more tailored advice. There are also varying assumptions about the relevance of A Level Physics to different career paths.

jasmin59
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Unsure on whether I should do an A level in physics as I only got a C at GCSE and only a B in maths, would it be possible to do if I put loads of time and effort in or will it be to difficult to achieve a good grade?
 
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Hi jasmine59. Welcome to the forum.

Your best choice for advice on this is to talk to one of the teachers in your school, preferably one who knows you well and you have a good relationship with. They will have a good idea of how capable you are and whether you have the ability. Other possible sources of good advice are other students, preferably those who have taken the classes you are thinking about taking.
 
jasmin59 said:
Unsure on whether I should do an A level in physics as I only got a C at GCSE and only a B in maths, would it be possible to do if I put loads of time and effort in or will it be to difficult to achieve a good grade?

First of all, WHY would you do A-Level physics in the first place? Are you going into a subject area that requires this? If you are going into Law or Economics, etc., this would be silly, wouldn't it? So you never explained in the first place why you would even consider doing this subject, especially when you didn't do well previously.

Zz.
 
ZapperZ raises a good point. More pertinently, if you got a C in it at GCSE, what makes you think will change at A-level so you'll do better?

You only NEED to take physics if you're going to do Physics or Engineering at uni (including joint and combined honours of these courses). There are also a number of engineering courses you can get on without Physics A-level anyway. If you aren't planning on doing either of these, there's no NEED to take it. While it'd be certainly USEFUL if you end up doing say, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, or Maths, it's far from essential.

You can certainly get by with a B in maths (I'm doing engineering at uni and got a B in GCSE maths and a first in our first year maths methods module so...), and honestly you can probably do fine with a C at GCSE, but you'll need to spend extra time making sure you're up to scratch on the relevant GCSE topics. You should take Maths A-level with it however. There's really no point in doing A-level Physics without Maths, it's a prerequisite for both aforementioned courses and the topics will help make sure your maths skills are up to date and up to scratch, and the calculus you do, while not used explicitly (at least for most exam boards) will help you conceptually think about the topics better.

But yeah, you should a) think about your future aspirations and b) come back and clarify what those are if you want this question to be answered well on here xD
 
jasmin59 said:
Unsure on whether I should do an A level in physics as I only got a C at GCSE and only a B in maths, would it be possible to do if I put loads of time and effort in or will it be to difficult to achieve a good grade?
yes, of course you can get better.
 

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