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Three Reasons Why A-level Physics is So Hard



Struggling A-level physics students

All A-level subjects are challenging, that is why they are called “Advanced” levels. Students often find it very hard to learn A-level physics well. Here I would like to explore three reasons why A-level physics is very hard for many students.


Reason #1 Physics is hard and there is no textbook or step-by-step guide


First of all, besides the challenging and abstract physics laws, most local schools do not follow a comprehensive textbook or step-by-step guide. This is unlike secondary schools which follow a more structured materials for teaching. Schools provide lecture notes but they are barely sufficient to get ideas about what are really expected of the students. Many students do not even know that they are required to know how to estimate the area of this country, the method used by physicists to get orders of magnitude estimations.


Also, if and when the students get lost in the lecture halls, it is very easy to fall very behind for many chapters. Talk about the domino effect: one piece falls and everything falls..This is also why many students failed their exams in the first year of JC.


Reason #2 Physics is hard and only the basics are taught in school


Secondly, due to very limited teaching time, during lectures and tutorial sessions, students are taught mostly the fundamentals quickly, leaving little time to digest the materials. What is worse, if we analyze the exam questions, they are one or two orders of magnitude harder than the exercises in the tutorial sessions. In other words, the learning curve is very steep and students find it hard to adjust to the level of difficulties and sophistications expected of them.


One of the first shocks in school: “I thought I understood all the physics concepts, but why I do not know how to do those physics questions in exams!”. The result? The first failed grade in their whole academic career! There are many real stories about many straight A students who got their first failures in Junior College.


Reason #3 Physics is hard and students have so much to do each day


Who is one of the busiest person in Singapore? The working adult? Maybe, or maybe not. I would reckon that many high school students are much busier than their parents working in corporations. On top of school lessons, school-related activities, many students have music, sports, or other commitments. Once again, everyone only has 24 hours. With so much happening and so much to do each day, it is no wonder that many students find it hard to find enough time to absorb the materials properly. The end results: a fail in school exams.


Since A-level physics is so hard, what could the students do? It is best for them to ask for help early on before it is too late. It is like toothache: if you are in pain, please approach an expert to help you out as soon as possible. Waiting for the problem to vanish would not help.


Here in our tuition center, we offer effective and efficient physics tuition services at great rates. Our goal is simple: help you get your As for A-level physics. Please contact us at +65-9646-7611 to indicate your interest. Free trial lessons will be provided for you. :)



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