A level physics, how hard is this truthfully?

I don't think you will do him a disservice if you at least encourage him to explore all the options and find out the likely outcomes for each.

Most A level classes are small, so that in itself won't benefit him any more than it benefits anyone else, but if he gets a good teacher who is prepared to help him that will make a huge difference.

Noah: interesting about the maths/mechanics, maths/stats - we only had the option of doing maths/stats and i didn't find it made physics harder nto doing mechanics.
have to say, by the time i got to degree level, the mechanics would have made life easier! but people at university i knew said that they felt they were doing physics twice havegin done mechanics.

Physics has this reputation for being hard because if your mind isn't right for it it is very hard. But, if your mind is right for it it is very easy.

I would be worried that a BB at Science & Additional Science could be an indication that he might struggle. It's worth talking to the school and seeing if the physics modules within that are stronger overall or if physics is the weaker element. If the physics is stronger and the biology & chem is pulling it down, then I'd be less concerned. Motivation to do well at a subject can compensate to a fairly large degree for a lack of natural ability, but there will be effort involved. Wanting to do Physics 'because there doesn't seem to be another subject he can take instead' doesn't sound as though he's all that motivated though - but you did also say he really enjoys it, so maybe I'm getting the wrong idea here. If he can say he wants to do it because it really interests him and he's prepared to work at it when the concepts are hard, then that's a good indicator that it's worth a try.

I wouldn't worry at all about not doing triple science - the A level course follows on from the double and there is pitifully little content in the extra physics GCSE paper that makes up the difference between Additional Science and a separate Physics GCSE (It covers some electric concepts including transformers, and nuclear fission & fusion as I recall - and maybe some optics, can't remember if that is in additional or not).

My Dcs school will take people on the A level Physics course with either BB at science/additional science GCSE or B at Physics GCSE.

I found A Level Physics perfectly "doable" (did get an A at it ). I did A Levels in Maths with Mechanics, Further Maths and Chemistry and doing Mechanics really helped with Physics. There were people do either Maths with Statistics or not doing Maths at all who did Physics, but they found it harder.

(again B grade at GCSE)

SEA: all my class were actively put off taking A level maths by our GCSE maths teacher (we were the top set ). I had to take it because i wanted to do a mechanical engineering degree.
it turned out to be my best (and favourite) subject.
GCSE teacher had said it was like a new language, but actually, it was great.

and it was easier than Physics.

He needs to sit down with his Physics teacher and ask them what they think. Some of the B grade students I taught last year who are doing AS Physics this year are doing fine, while others are struggling. I could have predicted which ones would be in which group reasonably well this time last year.

It isn't really relevant how difficult other people have found it, or whether it is easier than it was 25 years ago. Your DS needs some good advice about his own prospects, from people who know him and the subject.

I'd be concerned that he will find it hard if he's 'only' getting Bs at maths and science. In recent years at my school, of the students who started AS maths having got a B, around 70% dropped out or failed the AS course.
Sounds harsh, but you wouldn't want him to waste his year!

Of course, the absolute best thing about maths and science subjects is that you don't need to remember anything (unlike the olden days). They give you a booklet with all the formulae you need. As long as you've grasped the concepts the exams are really quite straightforward.

I don't think any A-levels are that hard these days are they?

I did A level physics 14 years ago () and got an A, so it certainly can't be that bad. And I remember the exam was much easier than the past papers we did, a trend which has only continued if all we read is to be believed.

Give me a science/maths-based subject over millions of useless essays any day.

IIRC though, there's a fair amount of catching up needed from double award science, but that too might have changed.

dd did AS level physics , got A* in gcse maths and sciences
found A lvele hard
didn't enjoy it
dropped it

she is doing maths A level and had to do mechanics becasue she was doing physics-she really regrets it as she would have found statistics much easier.

My ds loves physics ( Y 11) and is very good at it, predicted A and got A in recent mocks, but has NOT got a 'maths brain' - or at least not an indication of one so far - and I am worrying my socks off because he is mega keen to study physics at uni and has to somehow develop a 'maths brain'.. I have asked numerous maths teachers about the likelihood of developing this at age 15 through application.. and it's still as clear to mud to me! I'm trying to make sure that he has a 'plan B' built into his A level choices, in case the maths brain fails to materialise!

My DS1 got an A in Physics and Biology GCSE much to my amazement. We thought he certainly wasn't capable of doing Physics A level, but he did do Biology to AS and found it very hard (just scraped a pass) and then dropped it at A2.

Conversely got B for English GCSE (should've got an A or A*) but did go on to English A level and got an A, so you never can tell!!!

I think the difference may have been he actually enjoyed English.

I am a secondary teacher and teach GCSE physics, maths and chemistry and chemistry A-level. B in double science would mean a bit of a struggle and most likely underperformance at AS although by the end of A2 he should probably be fine if he is good at maths. It is a big jump from GCSE since a lot of the mathematical concepts have disappeared from the spec (even for GCSE physics) in favour of more 'How Science Works'. Does his school run taster sessions for each A-level. This will help give him an idea as to whether it is the A_level for him. Also consider his other subjects so they compliment.

FWIW, in choosing A levels, I would look at which subjects your DS is predicted to do best in at GCSE, then look at what he likes most, and hopefully both lists will be the same or very similar. It's really important to choose the subjects you enjoy, but be realistic about your eventual grades if they are not your strongest subjects.

A level maths and mechanics is a good accompaniament...maths/stats does not fit so well.

Now A level maths...that was hard! Once you get your head around the abstract/theory it is great and a lot of it feeds to physics.

(and i got a BB at GCSE)

i found it easier than i thought.

it's all modular these days, anyway, which a) makes it harder because you have a lot of exmas to do at short (revision) notice, so you have to be really prepared all the time (ie work hard) but b} makes it easier because you only have to learn small chunks of concepts at a time.

i don't think it was as much of a leap from GCSE to A-level as it was implied. (that was from 2 GCSEs of combined science)

My DH teaches Physics. In his school they only offer double science (we are abroad) and his students go on to do A level from that, so I don't think that precludes you DS necessarily. Why is he doing double - because it's all the school offers, because of timetable issues or because the school advised this?

I think my DH pretty much knows who should go on to do A level and what kind of grade they can expect so I second the other posters who have said talk to his teacher.

And yes, it is very maths based, so strength in that will help. What is he predicted in maths?

My DS only did the double science at GCSE(cos thats all the school offered)and is now studying AS Physics, and will be taking it to A2 hopefully.
BUT
he did get A* in double science and maths, and the syllabus the school follows leads on directly from the double science GCSE award.

Can you email the head of science and ask whether the A level course they do is suitable for double science candidates?
DS says it is very maths based, so if maths is his best subject, that will certainly help.

Have you spoken to his teacher? DD is taking physics, maths and chemistry for A level. She is doing triple GCSE. We both went to the 6th form options evening and both spoke to her teachers. The school does have an entrance criteria for doing science subjects although I can't remember what exactly that is.

Although he has to choose now, my understanding is that it is quite easy to change course depending on what the actual GCSE results are.