A-Level Physics Tutor — Online Tuition

Every physics tutor is vetted by

Alex Fraley — Theoretical Physicist

MPhys Theoretical Physics — Top of Class PhD Candidate — Theoretical Particle Physics Cambridge Part III — Distinction Published Physics Research

Fraley Tutors was founded by a working theoretical physicist, not a schoolteacher who also tutors. Alex is completing a PhD in theoretical particle physics at the University of Manchester, on top of an MPhys in Theoretical Physics — top of his class, John Wiley Book Prize, Franz Mandl Prize — and a Distinction in Part III of the Mathematical Tripos at Cambridge. He personally interviews and vets every physics tutor we hire, and still takes on the occasional A-Level Physics student directly, by request.

Read Alex's Story

Common Challenges at A-Level Physics

Physics demands a unique combination of mathematical skill and conceptual understanding. Here's where students get stuck.

Applying Maths to Physics

A-Level Physics demands more than rearranging equations — it requires knowing which equation applies, what each symbol represents physically, and how units behave through a multi-step calculation. On AQA and Edexcel, questions regularly chain three or four equations in sequence, each with different unit requirements, under timed conditions.

Command Words Have Real Meaning

A-Level Physics examiners use command words precisely: ‘state’ requires a fact, ‘explain’ requires a physical mechanism and cause-and-effect chain, ‘evaluate’ requires a judgment with evidence. Students who answer ‘explain’ questions with correct facts — but no connecting logic — consistently lose marks on AQA and Edexcel, even when they know the physics.

Required Practicals Appear on Written Papers

All boards require students to complete a set of practical experiments that are formally signed off (the Practical Endorsement). More importantly, these same experiments appear in written papers. AQA examiners test understanding of the method, the quantities measured, sources of uncertainty, and how to minimise systematic errors — not just the result obtained.

Structured Argument Under Pressure

Extended-response questions are not just testing knowledge — they test whether a student can organise their thinking into a coherent argument within a few minutes. Students who write in bullet points or list facts without linking them consistently reach only level 2 of 3 on AQA’s level-of-response marking, regardless of how much physics they know.

Almost all of this is new at A-Level. The step up from GCSE Physics is a large one, and the first term is usually where the gap opens.

What This Exam Tests

Four boards, one subject — the structure and marking styles differ in ways that shape preparation.

AQA — Option Topic in Paper 3

AQA A-Level Physics (7408) is the most widely sat board. Three papers: Paper 1 (Measurements, Mechanics, Materials, Waves, Electricity), Paper 2 (Further Mechanics, Thermal Physics, Fields, Nuclear), and Paper 3 (Practical skills plus one option module). The option — Astrophysics, Medical Physics, Engineering Physics, Turning Points in Physics, or Electronics — is chosen by the school and assessed in Paper 3 Section B.

Edexcel — More Quantitative

Edexcel Physics (9PH0) places greater emphasis on vector analysis and quantitative problem-solving than AQA. Papers 1 and 2 cover the core physics content; Paper 3 is a synoptic paper combining practical reasoning with general physics. Students often find Edexcel questions more mathematically demanding but more consistently structured from year to year.

OCR A and OCR B

OCR A follows a structure similar to AQA, with a practical skills paper alongside two content papers. OCR B, Advancing Physics, takes a more conceptual and contextual approach — it rewards students who can apply physics to unfamiliar situations rather than recall specific syllabus content. Students on OCR B benefit from a tutor who knows its distinctive assessment style.

Level-of-Response Marking

Extended-response questions (5–6 marks) use level-of-response marking: three quality levels, not six tick-boxes. To reach the top level, an answer must give a connected, logical account using precise physics terminology. Listing correct facts in the wrong order will reach level 2 at most — the logic and language of the answer matter as much as the physics content.

Physics Topics We Cover, Board by Board

Not a generic topic list — the actual content divisions each specification publishes.

AQA (7408)

Core content across both years: Measurements & Their Errors, Particles & Radiation, Waves, Mechanics, Materials and Electricity in Year 12; Further Mechanics, Thermal Physics, Fields and Their Consequences, and Nuclear Physics in Year 13. Paper 3 adds one option module — Astrophysics, Medical Physics, Engineering Physics, Turning Points in Physics, or Electronics — chosen by the school.

OCR A (H556)

Six modules across three components: Development of Practical Skills and Foundations of Physics build into Forces & Motion and Electrons, Waves & Photons in the shared AS content, extended in Year 13 by Newtonian World & Astrophysics and Particles & Medical Physics. OCR A is the second-most-sat A-Level Physics board nationally — and one we cover in full.

Sitting Edexcel (9PH0), OCR B Advancing Physics (H557) or Eduqas? Your tutor works from your actual specification and paper structure, not a generic physics course. Curious which topics carry the most marks on your board? See our topic priority breakdown, built from our analysis of published A-Level Physics papers.

How We Help

Our physics tutors teach the subject the way it should be taught — with deep understanding at the centre.

Your A-Level Physics tutor steers a curated pathway to the top of your exams — keeping a clear picture of your progress, so the teaching always follows where you actually are.

Physics Students & Graduates

Our A-Level Physics tutors are studying or have studied physics at top UK universities. They use this maths and these concepts every day, and they know how to make them click for someone seeing them for the first time.

Founded by a Physicist

Fraley Tutors was founded by Alex Fraley — a prize-winning MPhys graduate in Theoretical Physics from the University of Manchester (top of his class), now completing his PhD in theoretical particle physics there, with a Distinction in Part III Mathematics from Cambridge along the way. Physics runs through everything we do.

The "Why" Behind Every Equation

We don’t just show students how to apply equations — we explain where they come from and what they represent physically. A student who understands why F = BIl takes the form it does can identify which situations it applies to, spot errors in their own working, and handle the ‘explain’ and ‘evaluate’ questions that separate A from A* on AQA and Edexcel.

Instant Homework Feedback

Between lessons, students submit work through our platform and receive instant, detailed feedback on their solutions and reasoning. It reinforces the lesson and catches misunderstandings early.

See Instantly Marked Homework, for Real

This is the actual platform your A-Level Physics tutor uses — a real assignment, marked and returned in seconds, with a clear mark breakdown and the chance to try again on anything not yet right.

$A-Level Physics assignment overview showing instantly marked homework, including a refraction question through a glass block with partial credit$

What's Included

One simple price, everything your child needs to succeed.

£70 / hour

Every lesson includes full platform access: instant homework feedback, a clear view of your progress, lesson resources, and Q&A support between sessions. No hidden fees, no signup costs.

See Full Pricing Details

Where Physics Leads

For students aiming at physics or engineering at a top university, the next steps are as much about maths as physics — and the same tutor can cover both.

University Entrance Exams — the ESAT

Physics and engineering applicants to Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial now sit the ESAT — the test that replaced the PAT. It's a maths-and-physics test by design: candidates take Mathematics 1 plus subtests chosen from Mathematics 2, Physics and Chemistry, and Oxford asks its physics applicants for exactly that combination. Our tutors sat these exams themselves and know what they reward.

Explore entrance exam tutoring → · What changed when the PAT became the ESAT

A-Level Further Maths

The second maths A-Level that physics and engineering degrees lean on — and that many offers require. Strong further-maths fluency is the best preparation there is for university-level physics, and it's the direct route into the maths side of the ESAT and the TMUA.

Explore Further Maths tutoring → · What actually comes up in the TMUA

Every course we cover, from GCSE through to the entrance exams, is set out in our subject directory.

A-Level Physics Tutoring — Common Questions

How much does an A-Level Physics tutor cost?

Our rate is £70 per hour — the same standard rate as our GCSE, A-Level and IB tuition — with no contracts and nothing extra to pay. Instantly marked homework, Q&A support between lessons, and a clear view of your progress are all included. See full pricing details.

Which A-Level Physics exam boards do you cover?

All of them: AQA (7408), Edexcel (9PH0), OCR A and OCR B (Advancing Physics). Your tutor knows each board’s structure, paper format and marking style, and tailors lessons, practice questions and exam technique to yours.

How does online A-Level Physics tuition work?

Lessons are live and one-to-one with your own tutor, via Google Meet. Between lessons, students submit homework through our platform — it’s marked instantly with detailed feedback, and your tutor reviews anything the marking system flags — and they can ask their tutor questions whenever they get stuck.

My child knows the physics but keeps losing marks on ‘explain’ questions — what’s happening?

This is one of the most consistent sources of lost marks at A-Level Physics, particularly on AQA and Edexcel. ‘Explain’ questions use level-of-response marking: the answer must give a connected, logical account using precise physics terminology, not just a list of correct facts. A student can know the physics and still reach only level 2 of 3 if the logic and cause-and-effect chain are missing. Our tutors work on this explicitly — teaching students how to structure an explanation, not just what the explanation should say.

What about the Practical Endorsement — do you help with that?

Yes, though the main benefit of practical preparation comes through written paper technique. All A-Level Physics boards require a Practical Endorsement (signed-off experiments), but the bigger opportunity is the required-practical questions that appear in the written papers — these test understanding of method, sources of uncertainty, and systematic error. Our tutors work through practical questions with the same rigour as calculation questions, because they carry marks at the same rate.

How will a Physics tutor help my child improve their grade?

A-Level Physics rewards deep understanding over surface recall. Our tutors teach the ‘why’ behind every equation — where it comes from and what it represents physically — so students can apply it to unfamiliar questions, not just familiar ones. Combined with board-specific exam technique and consistent practice between lessons, this is what moves students from B to A, or A to A*.

My child is applying to Cambridge or Oxford for physics — do you cover the ESAT?

Yes. The ESAT (Engineering and Science Admissions Test) tests physics and maths content directly, and our tutors sat university entrance exams themselves. Preparation for the ESAT can run alongside A-Level Physics lessons with the same tutor — the content overlaps substantially, so combining both is more efficient than treating them separately. More on entrance exam tutoring.

“We have been absolutely delighted with our son’s A-level Physics tutor… he is patient, encouraging and takes the time to make sure everything is fully understood.”

Alison, parent of Nat

“The support my daughter received for her A-level Physics was invaluable in helping her approach her exams with confidence.”

Rajvinder Assi

“Alex has been tutoring my daughter remotely for A Level physics… he has excellent knowledge and is able to teach her in a way she understands.”

Kelley Gibbons

A-Level Physics Tutoring