Cognivia Tutoring offers 1:1 A-Level Physics lessons with Archie Dyer, who studies Theoretical Physics at UCL. Each lesson lasts one hour, runs online on Google Meet or in person around Marylebone, London, and follows your own exam board. Lessons cost £45 an hour online or £55 in person, with a free 30-minute trial.
By Archie Dyer, founder and tutor · Last updated 11 October 2026
Three written papersPlus a practical endorsement, reported separately from the grade.
At least 40% of marks need mathsStated in the AQA, Pearson Edexcel and OCR specifications.
Taught by Archie DyerSecond-year Theoretical Physics at UCL, after a First in his first year.
£45 online, £55 in personOne hour, 1:1. No group classes.
Free 30-minute online trialNo card needed.
Enhanced DBS checkedArchie is the founder and the only tutor.
How A-Level Physics is assessed
A-Level Physics has two parts that are reported separately. The grade, A* to E, comes entirely from three written papers sat at the end of the course. Alongside it sits a practical endorsement, assessed by the student’s own teachers and shown on the certificate as its own result.
The three specifications below reach the same qualification by different routes. The number of papers is the same; their lengths, weightings and content are not.
A-Level Physics written paper structure by exam board and specification
Specification
Written papers
AQA (7408)
Three 2-hour papers. Paper 1 (85 marks, 34%) covers sections 1 to 5 and periodic motion. Paper 2 (85 marks, 34%) covers thermal physics, fields and nuclear physics, with the Paper 1 content assumed. Paper 3 (80 marks, 32%) has 45 marks on practical skills and data analysis and 35 marks on one optional topic: astrophysics, medical physics, engineering physics, turning points in physics or electronics.
Pearson Edexcel (9PH0)
Paper 1, Advanced Physics I, and Paper 2, Advanced Physics II, are each 1 hour 45 minutes, 90 marks and 30%. Paper 3, General and Practical Principles in Physics, is 2 hours 30 minutes, 120 marks and 40%, and may draw on any topic in the specification.
OCR A (H556)
Modelling physics is 2 hours 15 minutes, 100 marks and 37%, on modules 1, 2, 3 and 5. Exploring physics is 2 hours 15 minutes, 100 marks and 37%, on modules 1, 2, 4 and 6. Unified physics is 1 hour 30 minutes, 70 marks and 26%, on all six modules.
When
All papers in one summer series. AQA: “students must complete all exams in May/June in a single year”. OCR: “All examined components must be taken in the same examination series at the end of the course.”
Practical endorsement
A minimum of 12 practical activities, assessed by teachers. Pearson: it appears “on all students’ certificates as a separately reported result, alongside the overall grade for the qualification”.
Pass or Not Classified
The endorsement is not graded A* to E. OCR: candidates who reach the standard “will be awarded a Pass grade”, and those who do not “will be recorded as ‘Not Classified’”.
Does it count?
Not towards the grade. AQA: “A-level grades will be based only on marks from written exams.” Pearson: “The Endorsement will not contribute to the overall grade for this qualification”.
Maths content
At least 40% of the marks. Pearson: “a minimum of 40% of the marks across the three papers will be awarded for mathematics at Level 2 or above”. AQA and OCR state the same 40% figure.
Practical work on paper
AQA: “At least 15% of the overall assessment of A-level Physics will assess knowledge, skills and understanding in relation to practical work.”
Paper structures, timings, weightings, the practical endorsement and the mathematics requirement checked against each board’s own specification: AQA 7408 at a glance, scheme of assessment and practical assessment; the Pearson Edexcel 9PH0 specification (Issue 3); and the OCR H556 specification. Checked on 11 October 2026. Cognivia Tutoring is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any exam board; your school can confirm which specification you are entered for.
Where A-Level Physics is demanding
These are observations drawn from the specifications, not statistics about results and not claims about any particular student.
A large share of the marks needs maths. With at least 40% of marks requiring mathematics, a student can understand the physics and still lose marks to rearranging equations, units, graphs or standard form. OCR describes this as mathematics “in the context of physics”, which is the point: the maths arrives inside a physical situation, not as a separate exercise.
Practical skills are examined in writing. The endorsement is separate, but practical work still appears in the papers. AQA’s Paper 3 gives 45 marks to “practical experiments and data analysis”, and AQA says such questions “may draw on, or range beyond, the practical activities included in the specification”. Pearson’s Paper 3 assesses “conceptual and theoretical understanding of experimental methods”. OCR’s practical skills module is assessed in all three of its papers.
Later papers assume earlier content. AQA’s Paper 2 assumes knowledge of the Paper 1 sections. Pearson’s Paper 3 “will include synoptic questions that may draw on two or more different topics”. OCR states that “all components include synoptic assessment”.
Contexts are not always familiar. Pearson: “Students will be expected to apply their knowledge and understanding to familiar and unfamiliar contexts.”
What a tutor can and cannot do here. Lessons can cover the written papers: the theory, the calculations and the practical-skills and data-analysis questions. The practical endorsement itself is assessed by the student’s teachers through direct observation of practical work, so no tutor can assess it or sign it off.
The ESAT is the Engineering and Science Admissions Test, which some engineering and science courses ask applicants to sit. UAT-UK says the ESAT “uses science and mathematics that you are likely to have already learned in your school studies” and that its focus “is on your ability to use and apply your science and mathematics knowledge”.
The format is nothing like an A-Level paper. There are five modules, Mathematics 1, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics 2, and each “lasts 40 minutes and contains 27 multiple choice questions”, sat without a calculator. The TMUA, for mathematics-related degrees, is two 75-minute multiple-choice papers, also without a calculator.
So the A-Level is where the knowledge comes from, but preparing for these tests is separate work. Archie tutors the ESAT in Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics and Chemistry, and the TMUA: see the ESAT page and the TMUA page. Which courses ask for which test changes between admissions cycles, so check the university’s own course page.
Lessons are with Archie Dyer, the founder of Cognivia Tutoring and its only tutor. Physics is the subject he chose to study at university.
Second-year Theoretical Physics student at UCL (University College London), after a First in his first year.
43 out of 45 in the IB, with 7s in HL Physics, Maths and Economics.
10 A*s at IGCSE.
Tutoring for over two years. Enhanced DBS checked.
Based in Marylebone, London.
Archie did not sit A-Levels. He took the IB Diploma, with Higher Level Physics and Higher Level Maths, and went on to Theoretical Physics at UCL. He tutors the A-Level specifications without holding A-Level grades himself. Lessons follow the student’s own exam board and specification, so say which one at the trial.
He also tutors A-Level Maths, so a student taking both subjects does not need two tutors. He will not promise a grade: A-Levels are marked by the exam boards, not by tutors.
How he teaches. In Archie’s words: “I find where the understanding actually breaks down, which is usually two or three topics further back than where the marks were lost, and we rebuild from there. I keep lessons relaxed. I would far rather a student asked me something they think is obvious than sat quietly and nodded.” The free 30-minute trial is the way to judge that for yourself: bring a topic you find difficult. There is more on the About Archie page.
Prices and practical details
A-Level Physics prices at Cognivia Tutoring
What
Online
In person
One 1-hour 1:1 lesson
£45
£55
5-pack — five 1-hour lessons, £15 off
£210
£260
30-minute trial lesson
Free
Online only
A-Level Physics is priced as IB, TMUA and ESAT, whichever exam board the student is on. A 5-pack is held in a My lessons account, so the five lessons can be booked one at a time.
1 hour, 1:1. Every lesson is with Archie, built around one student. There are no group classes.
Online on Google Meet, or in person around Marylebone, London (+£10). The Meet link is in your confirmation email; times are shown in your own time zone.
Free 30-minute online trial, no card needed. A relaxed session to meet and see if it clicks.
24 hours’ notice to cancel, by email or phone. See the refund policy.
Payment by Stripe at booking. Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Full prices for every subject and level are on the pricing section of the home page. Parents receive a short note after each lesson on what was covered and what to practise next.
At Cognivia Tutoring, A-Level Physics lessons are £45 an hour online, or £55 an hour in person around Marylebone, London. A 5-pack of five 1-hour lessons saves £15: £210 online or £260 in person. The 30-minute online trial is free and needs no card.
Lessons follow the student’s own exam board and specification. This page sets out the paper structure for AQA (7408), Pearson Edexcel (9PH0) and OCR A (H556). Archie did not sit any of them himself, because he took the IB Diploma with Higher Level Physics, so tell him the board at the trial.
Yes. Online lessons run on Google Meet, with the link in the booking confirmation email. The booking calendar shows times in your own time zone, and students join from the UK and across Europe.
Yes. In-person lessons take place around Marylebone, London, and cost £10 more than online, at £55 an hour. See the Marylebone page for details.
Not with the endorsement itself. It is assessed by the student’s teachers through direct observation of practical work, and it is reported separately from the grade. Lessons can cover the practical-skills and data-analysis questions that appear in the written papers.
At least 40% of the marks. Pearson states that “a minimum of 40% of the marks across the three papers will be awarded for mathematics at Level 2 or above”, and AQA and OCR state the same 40% figure in their own specifications.
There is no single right moment. All the papers are sat at the end of the course, and later papers assume earlier content, so a topic that is shaky in the first year is still examined in the second. A sensible time to start is when a specific topic has stopped making sense. The free 30-minute trial is a way to decide without committing.
Book the free 30-minute online trial and bring a topic you find difficult. You will see how Archie explains it and whether his teaching suits you before paying anything, and no card is needed. After every paid lesson, parents receive a short note on what was covered and what to practise next, so progress stays visible.
Where to go next
A free 30-minute trial is the simplest way to find out whether this is the right fit. Nothing is charged and no card is needed.
