Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) is one of Dubai's most academically dynamic neighborhoods, a tech-focused free zone in which international, career-focused families have established their homes alongside a dense representation of schools and institutions of higher education. For DSO and Academic City, A Level Physics students, the subject is the gateway to the most prestigious Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Astrophysics, and other physical sciences degrees in the world. It is also, frankly, one of the most technically challenging A-Levels subjects, integrating the mathematical, conceptual, and experimental reasoning skills in a way that tests even the most talented students. Amourion Training Institute's Dubai Silicon Oasis branch at Office 410, SIT Tower provides the expert A Level Physics tutoring DSO parents want. Here, Dr. Anil Khare answers their most common questions.
My child can handle the mathematics related to Physics but lacks confidence in handling conceptual questions. What is causing this?
Dr. Anil Khare: We see this a great deal and it is an area that can be addressed with a little work. The assessment of A Level Physics can be broadly divided into two components - mathematical fluency and conceptual understanding of physics. Those with good mathematical skills are able to answer mathematical calculation questions but struggle to describe, explain or assess physical ideas verbally. Describe and explain why a charged particle moving in a magnetic field follows a circular path, or describe the conditions that lead to constructive interference when two waves are superimposed, requires a different set of skills altogether, which can be built through explicit teaching of conceptual ideas, analysis of diagrams and a focus on asking why, not just how. We explicitly teach this conceptual layer each session, in addition to the math.
The volume of content in A Level Physics feels overwhelming. How do you help students manage it?
Dr. Anil Khare: A Level Physics certainly covers a large content set including mechanics, electricity, waves, fields, nuclear physics, thermal physics and optional topics and the temptation for many students to think of revision as a sprint through this list is one of the worst habits a student can develop. Knowing the content is not enough. A student who has covered and practiced all of the topics is much worse off than one who has focused on the highest yield topics and practiced applying their understanding to the most common types of questions and command words that recur in past papers. We focus our lessons on smart prioritization by isolating the topics that account for the most marks, the question types in which the student is currently losing the most marks and the specific conditions of the exam - the things the examiner is looking for - that separate full marks from half marks.
My child is worried about their practical skills paper.? How do you prepare students for it without laboratory access?
Dr. Anil Khare: The practical skills component of A Level Physics - be it Paper 3 (in Cambridge) or the practical questions spread across Edexcel papers - is assessed solely through written answers, and this means every skill tested can be learnt and practiced without a laboratory. Planning experiments, determining and controlling variables, calculating uncertainties, analyzing graphs, spotting anomalies and drawing valid conclusions from data can all be practiced on past paper practical questions and through written practice. We use these resources in a systematic way, drilling students in the precise way expectations of an examiner such as correctly calculated uncertainties, correctly scaled and labelled graphs, precise evaluative statements and the structure of a good conclusion. Students who practice the practical questions in this way report the paper is far less intimidating than they expected.
My son wants to get into Medicine and needs an A in Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Will it be possible with tutoring?
Dr. Anil Khare: Yes, it's entirely feasible and we have many students doing it. Many students aiming for Medicine at the top UK universities take all three of the sciences at A Level and the key to juggling these multiple subjects is careful planning and support for each. We help students studying multiple A Level sciences to identify the interdisciplinary links that reinforce their learning across the subjects, the thermodynamics that bridges Physics and Chemistry, the electricity that helps to understand the electrical pulses in Biology and to make sure that revision time is split across the three subjects to maximize opportunity for improvement, rather than equally for the sake of equity.
The A Level Physics Grade That Opens the Doors You Are Aiming For
Success in A Level Physics is achieved by students who have been prepared well conceptually and for the examination as well. For Dubai Silicon Oasis students ready for that preparation with expert guidance, Amourion Training Institute's DSO campus is the starting point.
Contact Dr. Anil Khare
Phone: +971 55 956 4344 | +971 4355 4850
Email: anilkhare@anilkhare.com
Website: www.anilkhare.com <
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