GCSE: Physics Essays, Coursework and Assignments

"#1# A very well organised coursework that has divided its answer into different parts to create a basic understanding in the beginning before solving the main question. The answer definitely provides a very good procedure to solve this problem that does not leave many unanswered questions for the reader, however it contains some errors especially in diagrams which have mostly risen by human careless mistakes that are mostly neglected by general readers. #2# A good procedure that includes some errors such as lack of a voltmeter in the first diagram, and the wrong connection of the voltmeter in the preliminary setup (connected in series) however the main diagram is perfectly alright. It would have been great if the author could recap the resistance formula before using it in the experiments to calculate the resistance. most of the analysis is correct except the mention of extrapolating. Extrapolating is an accurate method to "predict" the value of resistance which is out of our experimental range of wire length, only for values close to the experimental range. predicting the resistance of a wire of length, 110cm would be alright, however predicting the resistance of a wire of length of 200cm would be inaccurate and unacceptable. experiment 3 was quoted as the least accurate experiment but the values found are within the instruments error range. Evaluation of results is good however faulty equipment could not be a reason for inaccurate results since the same equipment was used throughout the experiment. #3 There are hardly ever grammatical or spelling errors and the author has used technical terms correctly. The quality of writing is fine and there are not many problems to be pointed out. In general it is a very good coursework that with a little bit of changes, it could be among the very high A* works and even close to a full mark."

"#1# The writer has been able to approach this question very clearly and as a result has been able to answer the question that they were set. They were able to explain the physics behind the experiment very briefly and show very clearly how they were going to look at the resistance of a wire. It was good that they did a preliminary experiment as they were able to see the pros and cons of their main experiment and therefore able to amend any problems. They mentioned that their data from the preliminary experiment fitted the line of best fit, however they didn't use their own graph key and show where the anomalies were. It was good that they explained why the wire they chose was the best one. Their main experiment was carried out well. When they are writing data, they should use the same able to significant figures or decimal places throughout. They mention that they have a graph for their main experiment however, this cannot be seen. Although they explained this graph and the data, they should have had a few lines for a conclusion. The evaluation was of a good standard. #2# The language that the writer used was of a high standard. They were able to explain the idea of resistance. However, they should have explained what Ohms law is and why it is applicable to the experiment that they are doing. As mentioned before, what the writer should make sure in the future is that significant figures/decimal places are constant throughout. #3# Spelling and grammar are of a high standard. However, one thing that should be mentioned is to make sure that all data is clearly presented and grouped on only one page and try not to span it over more pages. Another thing that the writer should also look into doing page numbers."

"#1# Overall a good piece of work for this level. Accounts for anything that might bias or confound the results and repeats the experiment in light of this which is to a good level. To improve the grade the candidate may have used greater scientific depth, but the essay is to a high standard for the level. The essay is mainly concise and clear with a good evaluation and conclusion. #2# The background behind the question and the scientific analysis provided is to a good depth. To provide a clearer method, the method should be either bullet points or numbers rather than continuous prose. The test is repeated, and anything which might affect the test is accounted for on a basic level. The graphs provided show a good level of analysis. The conclusion and evaluation are to a good standard. #3# Punctuation, grammar and spelling all seems fine and accurate. "

"#1# This essay responds strongly to the task of investigating the sine function. For GCSE, this essay explores all the relevant transformations of the curve. Technical terms such as amplitude are used well, and show an understanding of the curve's nature. If this essay wanted to go further, there could've been some exploration of the relationship between the sine and cosine curves. A simple discussion of how sin x = cos (pi/2 - x) would've been great here. If this essay was feeling extra ambitious, it could explore the summation of a sine and cosine curve, but this is a topic explored at A-Level. #2# The analysis here is great. Each transformation is explained well, with a number of examples. The only way to fully show your understanding for a task such as this is to include graphs and sketches, and this essay does this brilliantly. It was great to see the exploration of -sin(x), as often candidates get fixed on looking at 2sin(x), 6sin(x) and so on. This shows the examiner that the candidate fully understands how the curve can be transformed. When looking at sin(Ax) I would advise you mention the periodicity of the sine curve. Being able to discuss this in radians will prove you are an able candidate. The examples at the end show that this candidate is able to handle a number of transformations at the same time, which is often done poorly by GCSE students. #3# The essay could've a few more technical terms such as reflection, periodicity, translation, enlargement as these are all key terms in mathematics when talking about transformation of functions. It would've been nice to see if the candidate could've handled the function notation, looking at f(x) = 2sin(x) and then drawing y = 2f(x - 7) + 3 for example. Spelling, punctuation and grammar are fine, and mathematical notation is good. "

"#1#The response to the question in this piece is very good – the candidate addresses wind power well, examining it extensively. It is hard to determine what the ‘question’ is for this piece, but the candidate informs the reader well about many aspects of wind power such as its history, advantages/disadvantages and its future. An overview of wind power is provided explaining the physics behind it that leads well into the rest of the piece. There is a long piece on the human and environmental advantages/disadvantages of wind power. The candidate lists many aspects such as wind farms’ effects on tourism which is good but these could be explored in more detail. Possibly fewer bullet points but a more in depth look at each aspect would be better. #2#The candidate compares wind power against other forms of energy such as fossil fuels which is good, but they could use their knowledge of physics to explain why wind power is different to others, notably why it is less effective at producing power. The history of wind farm growth could also be analysed, looking at trends in wind farm construction to further illustrate how important it is becoming. #3#The writing in this piece is very good – sentences flow well and effectively convey the candidate’s ideas. One minor flaw is the fact that the section about which countries use wind power runs into the section about what landscapes are good for wind farm construction. Although they are linked, they should ideally be separated into distinct paragraphs. The candidate’s conclusion works well, speculating about the future of wind power as a renewable energy source. It effectively examines why countries would/would not build wind farms, showing intelligent insight into the advantages/disadvantages of wind power. Overall the piece is veryw ell done, effectively answering the question eloquently."