How to teach Physics at home: a guide for home educators

Physics has a reputation as the most challenging of the three sciences, and the most mathematical. That reputation is not entirely undeserved, but it can be misleading.

At its heart, Physics is the science of how things work - from the forces acting on a falling object to the behaviour of electromagnetic waves to the structure of the nucleus. The ideas and the applications are everywhere, and students who are taught to understand the underlying principles rather than memorise disconnected formulas tend to find it far more engaging.

This guide covers how to teach Physics at home from Key Stage 3 (KS3) Science, all the way through GCSEs and on to A-level.

What makes Physics different from other sciences

Physics is the most mathematically demanding of the three sciences.

While Biology leans on memory and recall, and Chemistry combines memory with mathematical reasoning, Physics requires students to apply mathematical thinking flexibly across a wide range of unfamiliar contexts. Equations need to be rearranged and applied, units need to be converted, and graphs need to be constructed and interpreted, all under timed exam conditions.

This is worth being clear about upfront because it shapes how Physics can be taught at home, because this is a subject where simply passive reading notes is unlikely to be particularly effective. Instead, Physics tends to come alive for students who regularly practise solving problems - making and learning from mistakes as they go - and developing fluency with calculation methods through repeated repetition.

The mathematical demand also means that a solid GCSE Maths foundation can pay dividends in both GCSE and A-level Physics. 

Key Stage 3 Physics (Years 7, 8 and 9, ages 11 to 14)

At Key Stage 3 (KS3), Physics is taught as part of integrated Science rather than as a standalone subject.

Students cover forces, motion, energy, waves, electricity, magnetism, and space - all at an introductory level that establishes the conceptual vocabulary that GCSE will develop in depth. 

Across Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, KS3 Science develops two skills that will be essential when they move up to GCSE Physics: drawing and labelling diagrams accurately, and showing their workings in calculations.

To support home educated students with KS3 Science, we have subject-specialist teachers in Dr Davinder Bhachu and Hannah Shuter (@HannahDoesPhysics) in Year 7, Manny Opoku and Hannah in Year 8, before Dario Papavassilou (@DarioDoesPhysics) and Manny guide them through Year 9 and into GCSEs.

Useful free resources for teaching KS3 Science at home

• BBC Bitesize KS3 Physics - topic-by-topic resources covering all KS3 Physics content, including video explanations and interactive quizzes

• Oak National Academy KS3 Science - curriculum-aligned lessons for KS3 Science including all Physics content, with slides, worksheets, and assessment materials. 

• IOPSpark - the Institute of Physics' education resource hub, offering over 2,000 interlinked physics classroom resources for every aspect of teaching pre-19 physics, including resources designed to identify and address common student misconceptions

Teaching GCSE Physics at home

GCSE Physics is one of the three Triple Science subjects, alongside Biology and Chemistry. 

Students can also study it as part of Combined Science, resulting in two GCSEs qualifications that cover all three sciences.

For home educated students considering university courses in Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, or Architecture, Triple Science GCSE Physics is worth considering, for the extra qualification it provides. 

GCSE Physics (AQA) is organised into nine topic areas assessed across two papers:

• Paper 1 - Energy, Electricity, Particle model of matter, and Atomic structure

• Paper 2 - Forces, Waves, Magnetism and electromagnetism, and Space physics (Triple Science only)

Physics is one of the most mathematically intensive GCSEs.

A significant proportion of marks across both papers require students to select and apply the correct equation, substitute values correctly, and present answers with appropriate units.

An equations sheet is provided in the exam, but understanding when and how to apply each equation matters far more than memorising them. Students who practise applying equations throughout Year 10 and Year 11 - rather than only reviewing them before exams - tend to perform considerably better.

Required practicals: what home educated students need to know

AQA GCSE Physics includes required practicals built into the specification.

As with GCSE Biology and Chemistry, these feed into questions on the written papers rather than being assessed through a separate practical endorsement. Home educated students sit the same two written papers as school-educated students, as home educated candidates who sit their exams privately at a registered exam centre, with results that are directly comparable.

To help home educated students, we cover each practical skill in a dedicated live, online lesson, where students are taken through an example method before planning an experiment and working through related practice questions.

You don't have to carry out the practicals but knowledge of the methods and common errors are required.  

Studying GCSE Physics at home

Our Year 10 GCSE Physics daytime timetable is taught live by Hannah Shuter and perfect for home educated students. Then, Dario Papavassilou takes over the daytime cohort for Year 11, guiding students all the way through to their GCSE exams - including covering off exam technique, as well as the full AQA curriculum.

Both Hannah and Dario boast almost a decade of teaching experience. Hannah holds a Master’s in Physics from the University of Bristol and Dario has a PhD in Physics from the University of Warwick, alongside three published papers.

Free GCSE Physics revision resources

• MyResources GCSE Physics (AQA) - a comprehensive library of curriculum-aligned revision notes, step-by-step video explanations, practice-questions model answers, and exam skills guidance, produced by our expert teachers and former examiners. Resources cover all nine modules of the AQA GCSE Physics curriculum, with each module broken down into topics and sub-topics, each accompanied by explanations of key terms and a practice question

• Oak National Academy GCSE Physics - curriculum-aligned GCSE Physics resources for GCSE Physics including lesson plans, slides, and worksheets

• BBC Bitesize GCSE Physics - video explanations and interactive practice covering all nine topic areas on the GCSE Physics curriculum

Teaching A-level Physics at home

A-level Physics is widely regarded as one of the most demanding A-levels, and the step up from GCSE is significant: mathematical complexity increases sharply, the range of topics expands considerably, and the depth of conceptual understanding required in exam answers goes well beyond GCSE. But, it can also be one of the most rewarding.

AQA A-level Physics spans eight compulsory core topics and one optional topic - optional topics include Astrophysics, Medical Physics and Turning Points - assessed across three papers at the end of Year 13:

• Paper 1 - Measurements and their errors, Particles and radiation, Waves, Mechanics and materials, Electricity, and periodic motion

• Paper 2 - Further mechanics and thermal physics, Fields and their consequences, and Nuclear physics

• Paper 3 - Practical skills and data analysis, plus the chosen optional topic

A-level Physics and the practical endorsement: what home educated students need to know

The assessment of practical skills is a compulsory requirement of the course of study for A-level qualifications in Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

A separate endorsement of practical skills will be taken alongside the A-level Physics exam, and is assessed by teachers based on direct observation of students' competency in a range of skills not assessable in written exams. 

The endorsement is reported on the certificate as Pass or Not Classified and does not contribute to the A/B/C grade. But, at least 15% of the marks across the three written papers assess practical skills, meaning practical knowledge needs to be understood and applied in written contexts regardless of the endorsement.

To help prepare home educated students, each practical skill is covered in detail in dedicated live, online lessons. Students are guided through an example method, planning an experiment and working through related practice questions.

Studying A-level Physics at home

Our Year 12 A-level Physics group is taught live by Dario, with Hannah (OCR) and Brook Edgar (AQA) taking students through Year 13 and into their A-level exams. 

Year 12 lessons are 60 minutes, while Year 13 lessons are 90 minutes per week, reflecting the increased content depth and exam preparation demands of the final year. Both courses include bespoke workbooks, targeted, exam-style practice questions, model answers and step-by-step video explanations. 

Given the complexity, the benefits of subject-specialist teaching at A-level Physics are pronounced. For example, in 2025, 67% of MyEdSpace A-level Physics students achieved A or A*, compared to a national average of 32%. 

Free A-level Physics revision resources

• MyResources A-level Physics (AQA) - a comprehensive library of curriculum-aligned detailed revision notes, step-by-step video explanations, model answers, and exam skills guidance for AQA A-level Physics, produced by our subject-specialist teachers and former examiners

• Oak National Academy A-level Physics - curriculum-aligned resources for A-level Physics including lesson plans, slides, and worksheets

• BBC Bitesize A-level Physics - topic-by-topic revision materials aligned to major exam boards

Try before you buy

Choosing the right online learning platform depends on your needs, budget, and learning style.

Whether you are looking for structured academic courses, hands-on skill development, or flexible self-paced learning, there is a platform that fits your goals. By considering key factors like course variety, pricing, and teaching style, you can find the best option to support your education and career growth.

Take the time to explore different platforms and make the most of trials, like our own £10 for 10-days offer, to help you choose the one that aligns best with your learning journey.

And, most importantly of all, whatever and wherever you choose to study, enjoy it.