O-Level Physics (5054) | Skills to be tested?
Examinations for the Cambridge
O-Level Physics (5054) syllabus test you on the following skills:
- your knowledge (what you remember) and understanding (how you use what you know and apply it to unfamiliar situations)
- how you handle information and solve problems
- your experimental skills
The theory papers (paper 1 and paper
2) test skills 1 and 2 (listed above). The practical papers (paper 3 and paper
4) test skill 3.
Candidates should note that 65% of
the marks are for A and of these only 30% are for simple recall.
Let’s now look at the 3 skills
mentioned in more details and the range of the skills candidates should try to
develop.
Skill 1: Knowledge with understanding
What this
means: remembering facts and applying
these facts to new situations
What you need
to be able to do:
- Use scientific ideas, facts and laws
- Know the meaning of scientific terms (e.g. centre of mass)
- Know equations and definitions
- Use simple equations (e.g. speed = distance/time)
- Know about apparatus and how it works
- Know about symbols, quantities (e.g. mass and weight) and units (e.g. kg and N)
Skill 2: Handling information and solving problems
What this
means: how you extract information and rearrange
it in a sensible pattern and how you carry out calculations and make predictions
What you need
to be able to do:
- Select and organise information from graphs, tables and written text
- Change information from one form to another (e.g. draw graphs)
- Arrange data and carry out calculations
- Identify patterns from information given and draw conclusions
- Explain scientific relationships (e.g. use the moving (kinetic) particle theory to explain ideas about solids, liquids and gases.)
- Make predictions and develop scientific ideas
- Solve problems
Skill 3: Experimental skills and investigations
What this
means: planning and carrying out
experiments, recording and analysing information
What you need
to be able to do:
- Follow instructions to set up and use apparatus safely
- Make observations and measurements and record them with regard to accuracy
- Analyse experimental results
- Plan and carry out an experiment describing any problems and suggesting improvements
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