OCR · A Level
OCR A Level Physics
OCR A Level Physics A (H556). What it covers, how it is assessed, a link to the official specification, and the free study material Marlbridge publishes for it.
- Syllabus
- H556
- Board
- OCR
- Qualification
- A Level
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Topics and resources
Each topic below is from the official OCR document for OCR A Level Physics A (H556), with its study guides, revision notes and practice questions together. Everything here is for OCR A Level Physics (H556) only.
- Learn with study guides
- Revise with revision notes
- Practise with practice questions
Searches topic names and resource titles for this course only.
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- Topic 1
Development of practical skills in physics
Covers Practical skills assessed in a written examination, Practical skills assessed in the practical endorsement
Study guides
Revision notes
- Topic 2
Foundations of physics
Covers Physical quantities and units, Making measurements and analysing data, Nature of quantities
Study guides
Revision notes
- Topic 3
Forces and motion
Covers Motion, Forces in action, Work, energy and power, Materials, Newton's laws of motion and momentum
Study guides
- Dynamics, free-body diagrams, drag and terminal velocity (H556) Read guide
- Kinematics, equations of motion and projectiles (H556) Read guide
- Moments, equilibrium, density and pressure (H556) Read guide
- Newton's laws, momentum, impulse and collisions (H556) Read guide
- Springs, stress, strain and the Young modulus (H556) Read guide
- Work, energy, power and efficiency (H556) Read guide
Revision notes
- Dynamics, free-body diagrams, drag and terminal velocity (H556) Revise topic
- Kinematics, equations of motion and projectiles (H556) Revise topic
- Moments, equilibrium, density and pressure (H556) Revise topic
- Newton's laws, momentum, impulse and collisions (H556) Revise topic
- Springs, stress, strain and the Young modulus (H556) Revise topic
- Work, energy, power and efficiency (H556) Revise topic
Practice questions
- Dynamics, free-body diagrams, drag and terminal velocity (H556) Try questions
- Kinematics, equations of motion and projectiles (H556) Try questions
- Moments, equilibrium, density and pressure (H556) Try questions
- Newton's laws, momentum, impulse and collisions (H556) Try questions
- Springs, stress, strain and the Young modulus (H556) Try questions
- Work, energy, power and efficiency (H556) Try questions
- Topic 4
Electrons, waves and photons
Covers Charge and current, Energy, power and resistance, Electrical circuits, Waves, Quantum physics
Study guides
- Charge, current, drift velocity, p.d. and e.m.f. (H556) Read guide
- Electromagnetic spectrum, refraction and total internal reflection (H556) Read guide
- Photons, photoelectric effect and wave-particle duality (H556) Read guide
- Resistance, resistivity and electrical power (H556) Read guide
- Series and parallel circuits, internal resistance and potential dividers (H556) Read guide
- Stationary waves, harmonics and resonance tubes (H556) Read guide
- Superposition, interference and the double slit (H556) Read guide
- Wave motion, polarisation and wave effects (H556) Read guide
Revision notes
- Charge, current, drift velocity, p.d. and e.m.f. (H556) Revise topic
- Electromagnetic spectrum, refraction and total internal reflection (H556) Revise topic
- Photons, photoelectric effect and wave-particle duality (H556) Revise topic
- Resistance, resistivity and electrical power (H556) Revise topic
- Series and parallel circuits, internal resistance and potential dividers (H556) Revise topic
- Stationary waves, harmonics and resonance tubes (H556) Revise topic
- Superposition, interference and the double slit (H556) Revise topic
- Wave motion, polarisation and wave effects (H556) Revise topic
Practice questions
- Charge, current, drift velocity, p.d. and e.m.f. (H556) Try questions
- Electromagnetic spectrum, refraction and total internal reflection (H556) Try questions
- Photons, photoelectric effect and wave-particle duality (H556) Try questions
- Resistance, resistivity and electrical power (H556) Try questions
- Series and parallel circuits, internal resistance and potential dividers (H556) Try questions
- Stationary waves, harmonics and resonance tubes (H556) Try questions
- Superposition, interference and the double slit (H556) Try questions
- Wave motion, polarisation and wave effects (H556) Try questions
- Topic 5
Newtonian world and astrophysics
Covers Thermal physics, Circular motion, Oscillations, Gravitational fields, Astrophysics and cosmology
Study guides
- Circular motion and centripetal force (H556) Read guide
- Distances, redshift, Hubble's law and the Big Bang (H556) Read guide
- Gravitational fields, Newton's law and planetary motion (H556) Read guide
- Gravitational potential, potential energy and escape velocity (H556) Read guide
- Ideal gases and kinetic theory (H556) Read guide
- Simple harmonic motion, energy, damping and resonance (H556) Read guide
- Stars, stellar evolution and the HR diagram (H556) Read guide
- Stellar spectra, Wien's law, Stefan's law and stellar radius (H556) Read guide
- Temperature, kinetic model, internal energy, specific heat capacity and latent heat (H556) Read guide
Revision notes
- Circular motion and centripetal force (H556) Revise topic
- Distances, redshift, Hubble's law and the Big Bang (H556) Revise topic
- Gravitational fields, Newton's law and planetary motion (H556) Revise topic
- Gravitational potential, potential energy and escape velocity (H556) Revise topic
- Ideal gases and kinetic theory (H556) Revise topic
- Simple harmonic motion, energy, damping and resonance (H556) Revise topic
- Stars, stellar evolution and the HR diagram (H556) Revise topic
- Stellar spectra, Wien's law, Stefan's law and stellar radius (H556) Revise topic
- Temperature, kinetic model, internal energy, specific heat capacity and latent heat (H556) Revise topic
Practice questions
- Circular motion and centripetal force (H556) Try questions
- Distances, redshift, Hubble's law and the Big Bang (H556) Try questions
- Gravitational fields, Newton's law and planetary motion (H556) Try questions
- Gravitational potential, potential energy and escape velocity (H556) Try questions
- Ideal gases and kinetic theory (H556) Try questions
- Simple harmonic motion, energy, damping and resonance (H556) Try questions
- Stars, stellar evolution and the HR diagram (H556) Try questions
- Stellar spectra, Wien's law, Stefan's law and stellar radius (H556) Try questions
- Temperature, kinetic model, internal energy, specific heat capacity and latent heat (H556) Try questions
- Topic 6
Particles and medical physics
Covers Capacitors, Electric fields, Electromagnetism, Nuclear and particle physics, Medical imaging
Study guides
- Capacitance, capacitor combinations and stored energy (H556) Read guide
- Charging, discharging and exponential decay in RC circuits (H556) Read guide
- Electric fields, Coulomb's law, potential and uniform fields (H556) Read guide
- Electromagnetic induction, generators and transformers (H556) Read guide
- Gamma camera, PET scanning and ultrasound (H556) Read guide
- Magnetic fields, force on conductors and moving charges (H556) Read guide
- Mass-energy, binding energy, fission and fusion (H556) Read guide
- Radioactive decay, activity, half-life and dating (H556) Read guide
- The nuclear atom, nuclear size and fundamental particles (H556) Read guide
- X-rays, attenuation and CAT scanning (H556) Read guide
Revision notes
- Capacitance, capacitor combinations and stored energy (H556) Revise topic
- Charging, discharging and exponential decay in RC circuits (H556) Revise topic
- Electric fields, Coulomb's law, potential and uniform fields (H556) Revise topic
- Electromagnetic induction, generators and transformers (H556) Revise topic
- Gamma camera, PET scanning and ultrasound (H556) Revise topic
- Magnetic fields, force on conductors and moving charges (H556) Revise topic
- Mass-energy, binding energy, fission and fusion (H556) Revise topic
- Radioactive decay, activity, half-life and dating (H556) Revise topic
- The nuclear atom, nuclear size and fundamental particles (H556) Revise topic
- X-rays, attenuation and CAT scanning (H556) Revise topic
Practice questions
- Capacitance, capacitor combinations and stored energy (H556) Try questions
- Charging, discharging and exponential decay in RC circuits (H556) Try questions
- Electric fields, Coulomb's law, potential and uniform fields (H556) Try questions
- Electromagnetic induction, generators and transformers (H556) Try questions
- Gamma camera, PET scanning and ultrasound (H556) Try questions
- Magnetic fields, force on conductors and moving charges (H556) Try questions
- Mass-energy, binding energy, fission and fusion (H556) Try questions
- Radioactive decay, activity, half-life and dating (H556) Try questions
- The nuclear atom, nuclear size and fundamental particles (H556) Try questions
- X-rays, attenuation and CAT scanning (H556) Try questions
Covering more than one topic
Course guides, exam preparation and pages that span several topics.
Study guides
No study guide for this course yet.
Revision notes
No revision notes for this course yet.
Practice questions
Source: OCR – official A Level GCE Physics A H556 specification (accredited PDF) — Version 3.0 (March 2026), for first assessment in 2017. Verified 2026-09-02. Subtopics are shown where Marlbridge has entered them; a topic may have more in the official document. A topic listed here is part of the syllabus; it does not mean Marlbridge has published material for it. Always check the current syllabus for your examination year.
About this course
- Qualification
- OCR A Level Physics
- Spec code
- H556
- Does Marlbridge teach it?
- Yes, one-to-one only (Rs 6,000 per class; other currencies) — request a free trial class
- Who teaches it?
- Iftikhar Azeemi
- Are resources available?
- Yes — 112 published
- Is enrolment open?
- Enquire to join — no online enrolment yet
- Official specification
- OCR specification
- Topic checklist
- Printable H556 checklist
- Where was this verified?
- 2026-08-18, official OCR specification
Compiled and maintained by the Marlbridge Academic Team, checked against the official OCR specification on 2026-08-18.
Spotted something wrong on this page? Report an error — see the corrections policy.
The qualification
OCR A Level Physics A (H556)
Marlbridge's summary of the course
Our A Level in Physics A, enables students to build on their knowledge of the laws of physics, applying their understanding to solve problems on topics ranging from subatomic particles to the entire universe. They also have the opportunity to develop all the relevant practical skills.
The board's own description is on the official OCR syllabus page.
Qualification number 601/4743/X.
Specifications change between examination series. Always confirm the current syllabus and assessment structure on the OCR syllabus page for your examination year.
Assessment structure
Linear qualification
| Component | Duration | Marks | Weighting | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H556/01: Paper 1: Modelling physics | 2h 15m | 100 | 37% | Written exam |
| H556/02: Paper 2: Exploring physics | 2h 15m | 100 | 37% | Written exam |
| H556/03: Paper 3: Unified physics | 1h 30m | 70 | 26% | Written exam |
Source: official OCR specification, verified 2026-08-28. Directly confirmed against OCR's own official A Level Physics A (H556) "Assessment story: exploring our question papers" guide (2026-08-28). Three examined components: Paper 1 "Modelling physics" and Paper 2 "Exploring physics" are each 100 marks/2h15/37%; Paper 3 "Unified physics" (all modules, synoptic) is 70 marks/1h30/26%. Total 270 marks across the three papers determines the overall A*-E grade. A separate Practical Endorsement (non-exam assessment, minimum 12 practical activities, internally assessed) is reported separately as Pass/Not Classified and does not contribute marks to the 270-mark grade; it is not listed as a component in the table because it carries no marks towards the 270-mark total.
Questions about this course
How is OCR Physics (H556) assessed?
OCR Physics (H556) is assessed through: H556/01 (Paper 1: Modelling physics) — 2h 15m, 100 marks, 37% of the qualification; H556/02 (Paper 2: Exploring physics) — 2h 15m, 100 marks, 37% of the qualification; H556/03 (Paper 3: Unified physics) — 1h 30m, 70 marks, 26% of the qualification. It is a linear qualification. Source: official OCR specification, verified 2026-08-28.
What topics does OCR A Level Physics (H556) cover?
6 topics in the current syllabus: Development of practical skills in physics; Foundations of physics; Forces and motion; Electrons, waves and photons; Newtonian world and astrophysics; Particles and medical physics. The printable topic checklist lists every topic and subtopic on one page.
Can I get a tutor for OCR A Level Physics (H556)?
Yes. Marlbridge teaches OCR A Level Physics (H556) live online, one-to-one only, taught by a named subject teacher from its academy in Lahore, Pakistan. The first trial class is free.
Are there free OCR A Level Physics (H556) revision notes and practice questions?
Yes. Marlbridge has published 112 free resources for this course (study guides, practice questions, revision notes, exam preparation guides), free to read with no sign-up.
The subject
Physics teaching and study resources, organised by level and topic.
Physics at other qualifications
These are separate qualifications with different syllabuses and assessments — not different names for the same course. Check which one your school enters you for.
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