Understanding GCE O Level Physics syllabus

Starting from the 2018 O Level exam, the Pure Physics syllabus code is 6091 which is slightly different from syllabus 5059 before. The GCE O Level Physics 6091 syllabus still consists of 3 papers. Paper 1 and Paper 2 are theory papers. The 6091 theory papers format and subject content remain the same as 5059. Paper 3 is the practical assessment. There are some differences between 6091 and 5059 Paper 3 format and content. Paper 1 Paper 1 consists of 40 compulsory multiple-choice questions and its weighting is 30% of the entire physics exam. Exam Tips Smart elimination when uncertain. Paper 2 Paper 2 consists of structured questions and weighting is 50% of the entire physics exam. It consists of 2 sections. Students need to complete all questions in Section A. On the other hand, students need to answer 3 questions in Section B. The first two questions are compulsory. One of these questions will be a data-based question that will assess students’ skill to interpret, evaluate, or solve the problem based on the information given. Students will need to answer one out of the 2 last questions. Exam Tips Detailed guidance on how to interpret, evaluate or solve problems with given data. Identify the topic/concept of the question. Include key words to ensure scoring. Paper 3 Paper 3 is the practical assessment. It does have some differences compared to 5059. The format for paper 3 is now more specific. Although the weightage is still 20% of the entire physics exam, the total marks in Paper 3 is now 40 marks instead of the 96 marks in 5059. Unlike 5059, the duration for paper 3 is also clearly specified as 1 hour 50 mins in 6091. The assessment objectives for paper 3 are Students should be able to: 1. follow a sequence of instructions 2. use techniques, apparatus and materials 3. make and record observations, measurements and estimates 4. interpret and evaluate observations and experimental results 5. plan investigations, select techniques, apparatus and materials 6. evaluate methods and suggest possible improvements. Paper 3 will assess the following skill areas in the aspects of the above objectives: • Planning (P) • Manipulation, measurement and observation (MMO) • Presentation of data and observations (PDO) • Analysis, conclusions and evaluation (ACE) Paper 3 consists of 2 sections. Section A carries 20 marks with the total duration of 55 min. There could be 1 to 2 compulsory practical experiment questions. Section B also carries 20 marks with the total duration of 55 min. There is one compulsory practical experiment question. Exam Tips Ability to link concepts to experiment Ability to explain common experimental and human errors Read and follow instructions carefully, without assumptions Understanding accuracy of apparatus and their uses You may further refer to the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board’s Singapore Cambridge GCE 6091_2019 for more detail. If you find it difficult to score, check out our Top 10 tips to score A in O Level Physics. If you still struggle, you should join Physics Tuition so that you can understand and learn physics concepts that help you to answer all the Physics exam questions. Check out our O level physics tuition classes schedule for Sec 3 and Sec 4 students and see if they are suitable for you.