One-hour 1:1 GCSE and IGCSE Physics lessons with Archie Dyer, a second-year Theoretical Physics student at UCL. Online on Google Meet for £40 an hour, or in person around Marylebone, London for £50. Chemistry is taught at the same levels and price; Biology is not offered. The first 30-minute trial is free.
By Archie Dyer, founder and tutor · Last updated 11 October 2026
Separate Physics or Combined ScienceGCSE and IGCSE, to your child’s own board and tier.
Chemistry too, not BiologySame levels, same price.
Taught by Archie DyerSecond-year Theoretical Physics at UCL, after a First in his first year.
£40 online, £50 in personOne hour, 1:1. A 5-pack saves £15.
Enhanced DBS checkedArchie is the founder and the only tutor.
Free 30-minute online trialNo card needed.
GCSE Physics: separate science or Combined Science
The first thing to find out is which course your child is on. Separate GCSE Physics is its own GCSE with two long papers. In Combined Science, physics is two shorter papers out of six, alongside biology and chemistry, and the result is reported as a pair of grades.
GCSE Physics and Combined Science papers by exam board
Specification
Papers
Grades
AQA GCSE Physics (8463)
Two papers, 1 hour 45 minutes and 100 marks each, 50% each. Paper 1 covers energy, electricity, the particle model of matter and atomic structure; Paper 2 covers forces, waves, magnetism and electromagnetism, and space physics.
9 to 1
Pearson Edexcel GCSE Physics (1PH0)
Two papers, 1 hour 45 minutes and 100 marks each, 50% each.
9 to 1
OCR Gateway Science Physics A (J249)
Two papers, 1 hour 45 minutes and 90 marks each, 50% each. Papers 1 and 2 are Foundation; Papers 3 and 4 are Higher.
9 to 1
AQA Combined Science: Trilogy (8464)
Six papers: two biology, two chemistry and two physics. Each is 1 hour 15 minutes and 70 marks.
A 17-point scale from 1–1 to 9–9
Pearson Edexcel GCSE Combined Science (1SC0)
Six papers: two biology, two chemistry and two physics. Each is 1 hour 10 minutes and 60 marks.
A 17-grade scale from 9–9 to 1–1
Foundation tier
Grades 1 to 5 in separate Physics, or 1–1 to 5–5 in Combined Science.
Higher tier
Grades 4 to 9 in separate Physics, or 4–4 to 9–9 in Combined Science. In separate Physics, AQA and Edexcel allow a grade 3 for a Higher candidate who just misses grade 4.
The rules on physics equations have changed in recent years. This is what Ofqual and AQA currently publish.
Exams in 2027
AQA says the full equations sheet will be “included as an insert with every question paper”, and that its content is unchanged from 2026.
Exams from 2028
Ofqual “will continue to require exam boards to provide students with formulae and equations sheets for GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science exams for the remaining lifetime of the current specifications”.
The catch
From 2028, boards must “not set questions that can be answered solely by transferring information from the formulae or equations sheets”. A sheet supplies the equation; it does not choose it, rearrange it or handle the units.
Practicals
Practical work is examined in the written papers. AQA sets ten required practical activities for GCSE Physics, and questions drawing on them “will count for at least 15% of the overall marks”. Edexcel sets eight mandatory core practicals.
The two IGCSE Physics qualifications below are built differently from GCSE and from each other.
IGCSE Physics papers by exam board
Qualification
Papers
Tiers and grades
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Physics (4PH1)
Paper 1: 2 hours, 110 marks, 61.1%. Paper 2: 1 hour 15 minutes, 70 marks, 38.9%. A calculator may be used in both.
Untiered. Graded 9 to 1.
Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625)
A multiple-choice paper (45 minutes, 40 marks, 30%), a theory paper (1 hour 15 minutes, 80 marks, 50%), and either Paper 5 Practical Test (1 hour 15 minutes) or Paper 6 Alternative to Practical (1 hour), worth 20%. Core candidates take Papers 1 and 3; Extended candidates take Papers 2 and 4.
Graded A* to G. Core candidates are eligible for grades C to G; Extended candidates for A* to G.
Equations work differently at IGCSE. The Ofqual equations-sheet rule covers GCSEs. The Edexcel International GCSE specification lists a set of relationships and states that they “will not be provided for students either in the form given or in rearranged form”, so those have to be known. Cambridge also publishes a separately coded 9–1 version, Cambridge IGCSE (9–1) Physics (0972).
Archie tutors Physics and Chemistry at GCSE and IGCSE, at the same price. He does not tutor Biology. For a student on Combined Science, that means the physics and chemistry papers can be covered here, and the biology papers would need a different tutor.
Where marks commonly go missing
These are observations about how the papers are built, not statistics about any group of students.
Rearranging equations. Having the equation in front of you is no help if the quantity you need is not the subject. It is a maths skill as much as a physics one.
Units and prefixes. The Edexcel specification asks students to “recall and use the SI unit for physical quantities” and to work with multiples and sub-multiples. A correct method still gives a wrong answer if kilowatts, milliamps or minutes are not converted first.
Required-practical questions. These ask about method, variables, sources of error and what a graph shows. They cannot be revised from equations alone.
Extended written answers. Both AQA and Edexcel list open or extended response questions among their question types. Explaining in full sentences is a different skill from calculating.
Choosing the equation. Multi-step calculations need two or three relationships chained together, and the question does not say which.
What parents get
A short note after each lesson, saying what was covered and what to practise next.
One tutor, every time. Archie is the only tutor, and he is Enhanced DBS checked.
Booking by a parent or by the student, one lesson at a time or as a 5-pack.
No promises about grades. No tutor can guarantee a result.
Who would be teaching
Lessons are with Archie Dyer, the founder of Cognivia Tutoring and its only tutor. Physics is what he studies: he is a second-year Theoretical Physics student at UCL, after a First in his first year.
43 out of 45 in the IB, with 7s in HL Maths, Physics and Economics.
10 A*s at IGCSE.
Tutoring for over two years, in Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Economics.
Enhanced DBS checked, and based in Marylebone, London.
Lessons follow your child’s own board, tier and specification, whether that is separate Physics, Combined Science or an IGCSE.
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
GCSE and IGCSE Physics lesson prices at Cognivia Tutoring
What
Online
In person
One 1-hour 1:1 lesson
£40
£50
5-pack — five 1-hour lessons, £15 off
£185
£235
30-minute trial lesson
Free
Online only
GCSE and IGCSE Physics and Chemistry are the same price. A 5-pack is held in a My lessons account and booked one lesson at a time.
1 hour, 1:1. Every lesson is with Archie. There are no group classes.
Online on Google Meet, or in person around Marylebone, London (+£10). The Meet link is in your confirmation email and times are shown in your own time zone. In-person meeting places are agreed by email after booking.
Free 30-minute online trial, no card needed.
24 hours’ notice to cancel, by email or phone. See the refund policy.
Payment by Stripe at booking. Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
At Cognivia Tutoring, GCSE and IGCSE Physics lessons cost £40 an hour online, or £50 an hour in person around Marylebone, London. Chemistry is the same price. A 5-pack of five 1-hour lessons saves £15, at £185 online or £235 in person, and the first 30-minute online trial is free.
Physics and Chemistry, yes. Biology, no. Archie tutors Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Economics, so a student taking Combined Science can cover the physics and chemistry papers here and would need a different tutor for the biology papers.
For GCSE Physics and Combined Science, Ofqual requires exam boards to provide an equations sheet with the exam papers, and has decided this continues from 2028 for the remaining lifetime of the current specifications. Edexcel International GCSE Physics is different: its specification lists relationships that will not be provided in the exam.
Neither is officially the harder one. Pearson describes its International GCSE as “comparable to the UK reformed GCSEs in terms of the level of demand and assessment standards”. The structure differs: GCSE Physics is tiered, Edexcel International GCSE Physics is untiered, and Cambridge IGCSE Physics includes a practical test or an alternative-to-practical paper.
Foundation tier awards grades 1 to 5 and Higher tier awards grades 4 to 9. In Combined Science the equivalent ranges are 1–1 to 5–5 and 4–4 to 9–9. The school decides the tier of entry, so the person to ask is your child’s science teacher. Lessons follow whichever tier the school has chosen.
In the written papers. AQA sets ten required practical activities for GCSE Physics and says questions drawing on them count for at least 15% of the overall marks. Edexcel sets eight mandatory core practicals.
It depends on the child, on what needs work and on how far away the exams are. Lessons can be booked one at a time or as a 5-pack, and nothing ties you to a fixed schedule. The free 30-minute trial is the place to talk it through.
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
The free 30-minute online trial is the simplest first step. Nothing is charged and no card is needed.
