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Original poster

GCSE Physics AQA - Today

120 replies

Glitterbiscuits · 09/06/2022 16:37

Did anyone else's DC come home and say topics such as nuclear were on the exam today even they were on the official AQA 'not assessed' list?

OP posts:
Tinkerblonde1 · 09/06/2022 19:04

FacebookPhotos · 09/06/2022 18:58

Awesome! I was hoping density would be 6 marker. Fingers crossed my kids remembered it was a displacement/Eureka can though, rather than “the metal tin with the sticky out bit”.

Hopefully. During a practice paper on eof mine put the extra bit of equipment they needed was water and not the balance that they needed to measure the mass.ConfusedGrin
I think another actually put an apple corer as it was about the density of fruit.

FacebookPhotos · 09/06/2022 18:58

Awesome! I was hoping density would be 6 marker. Fingers crossed my kids remembered it was a displacement/Eureka can though, rather than “the metal tin with the sticky out bit”.

Tinkerblonde1 · 09/06/2022 18:57

FacebookPhotos · 09/06/2022 18:53

Students should be able to compare the hazards associated with contamination and irradiation.

This is from section 4.4.2 of the specification. It is not listed as a major focus, but anything from that section is fair game for low mark questions.

There is a question on static that I don't think my students will have liked as we focused so much more on other stuff.

FacebookPhotos · 09/06/2022 18:53

Students should be able to compare the hazards associated with contamination and irradiation.

This is from section 4.4.2 of the specification. It is not listed as a major focus, but anything from that section is fair game for low mark questions.

Tinkerblonde1 · 09/06/2022 18:50

FacebookPhotos · 09/06/2022 18:45

Thanks tinkerblonde. Very poor to have the circuit symbol on there though, that would have thrown a few students.

I think anything to do with risks of radiation and they’ll be able to argue it is part of 4.4.2 - irradiation / contamination / ionisation etc are all in that section.

Overall, do you think it was a difficult paper or do the questions seem straight forward?

I don't think it was that bad. The density six marker was a beauty.
Eureka!

WonderingWanda · 09/06/2022 18:49

Not about the physics paper but AQA put a question about the impact of Brexit in the geography paper exam earlier this week. Brexit is not on the sylabus and I'm not sure we will be able to appriase the full impact for some years yet, intrigued to know what they are expecting teenagers to writw about it.

LightlySo · 09/06/2022 18:49

Irradiation was in the AI wasn't it?

FacebookPhotos · 09/06/2022 18:45

Thanks tinkerblonde. Very poor to have the circuit symbol on there though, that would have thrown a few students.

I think anything to do with risks of radiation and they’ll be able to argue it is part of 4.4.2 - irradiation / contamination / ionisation etc are all in that section.

Overall, do you think it was a difficult paper or do the questions seem straight forward?

Tinkerblonde1 · 09/06/2022 18:39

I think the radiation one is sneaky but they can get away with it by linking its to the properties of radiation and not the irradiation section.

Chasingsquirrels · 09/06/2022 18:39

Ds said there was a couple of equations questions where the equations were on the provided info, he said that was easy marks.

Tinkerblonde1 · 09/06/2022 18:36

FacebookPhotos · 09/06/2022 18:28

Which equation, tinkerblonde?

Sorry to be a nuisance, but I won’t see the paper til tomoz

After the easy circuit question there is calculation basically power energy and time. So not really linked to circuits but it's about electric hair straighteners. Its a 4 marker. Pretty easy.

clarrylove · 09/06/2022 18:32

Tinkerblonde1 · 09/06/2022 18:27

Sorry for typos am walking and typing.

Thanks. What is your view on the radiation question? Does that come under 4.4.3, which is on the 'not to be assessed" list?

FacebookPhotos · 09/06/2022 18:28

Which equation, tinkerblonde?

Sorry to be a nuisance, but I won’t see the paper til tomoz

Tinkerblonde1 · 09/06/2022 18:27

Sorry for typos am walking and typing.

Tinkerblonde1 · 09/06/2022 18:26

Stradbroke · 09/06/2022 18:20

@Tinkerblonde1 so it is a mess up AQA? They said it wouldn't be assessed and it has been?

Just checking as this is so unfair I will make a complaint.

Looks like it, also parallel circuits there there is any easy one marker a 4 mark equation ( which they wouybe able to do using the equation sheet) then a 4 marker on a parallel circuit which they may get away with as it mentions power but it's tenacious to me.

Have the paper infront of me now.

SamphirethePogoingStickerist · 09/06/2022 18:24

Ah! I was going to suggest that maybe there were other types of circuits that would not be a focus but would be assessed. Maybe not. Just a cockup and yet more results that don't reflect what he poor sods have actually learned.

FacebookPhotos · 09/06/2022 18:23

Question on draw a symbol for an LED.

That definitely shouldn’t have been on there.

With the parallel circuits stuff, could is it stuff considered under the power section? I can’t remember the spec reference, but I’m sure current and resistance are needed in that section.

Stradbroke · 09/06/2022 18:21

@HairyKitty I don't think that is the case for this one.

Stradbroke · 09/06/2022 18:20

@Tinkerblonde1 so it is a mess up AQA? They said it wouldn't be assessed and it has been?

Just checking as this is so unfair I will make a complaint.

Tinkerblonde1 · 09/06/2022 18:17

Physics teacher here. I have the paper.

Just at a quick look 4.2.1 has the circuit symbols on the spec. Question on draw a symbol for an LED. This specifically says not assessed.

More questions on parallel circuits too.

12Thorns · 09/06/2022 18:17

HairyKitty · 09/06/2022 18:13

I think the problem is likely to be people misunderstanding the advance info and not reading it alongside the syllabus, and students misunderstanding which part of the syllabus an exam question came from.
The same thing happened with one of the biology papers, but when teachers had the opportunity to go through it afterwards they found that the paper did properly match the advance info.

Maybe. But like I said. OCR managed to get avodagro’s number wrong in their GCSE paper last week….

FearlessFreddie · 09/06/2022 18:15

CaptainBeakyandhisband · 09/06/2022 17:43

Am I the only one thinking that it’s insanity if people know in advance of the exam what the topics will be?! Seems pointless learning anything if you’re only going to be tested on a few areas…

As others have said, it's an attempt to make up for missed time due to covid. It's also not only a few areas- for DS's exam (a different board) they are being tested on 90% of the full curriculum over 2 papers, so not really much difference.

The advanced info seems to have done more harm than good for a lot of kids, even without the board screwing up.

HairyKitty · 09/06/2022 18:13

I think the problem is likely to be people misunderstanding the advance info and not reading it alongside the syllabus, and students misunderstanding which part of the syllabus an exam question came from.
The same thing happened with one of the biology papers, but when teachers had the opportunity to go through it afterwards they found that the paper did properly match the advance info.

Stormchaser1502 · 09/06/2022 18:09

my dd is worried she will have to resit it….

Womblesaremyfavouritefood · 09/06/2022 18:08

Newgirls · 09/06/2022 17:34

Mine says it was a 1 mark question on circuits? And they had covered it in lessons.

That's what I've heard too.

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