Topical revision checklist for AQA UK GCE A Level Physics — specification 7408. Track confidence for each topic and sub-topic; aligned to 2026 specification headings. Rate your confidence (1–5) for each specification topic.
| Topic | Sub-topic | Resources | Confidence (1–5) | Last reviewed | Next review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Measurements and their errors | SI base units; derived units | ||||
| 1. Measurements and their errors | Prefixes and standard form | ||||
| 1. Measurements and their errors | Random and systematic errors; precision and accuracy | ||||
| 1. Measurements and their errors | Uncertainty in measurements; combining uncertainties | ||||
| 1. Measurements and their errors | Significant figures in calculations | ||||
| 1. Measurements and their errors | Estimation of physical quantities | ||||
| 2. Particles and radiation | Electromagnetic force; interactions | ||||
| 2. Particles and radiation | Hadrons, leptons, baryon number, lepton number | ||||
| 2. Particles and radiation | Particles and antiparticles; conservation laws | ||||
| 2. Particles and radiation | Photoelectric effect: Einstein’s equation; threshold frequency | ||||
| 2. Particles and radiation | Electron energy levels; emission spectra | ||||
| 2. Particles and radiation | The nucleus; strong nuclear force | ||||
| 2. Particles and radiation | Alpha, beta, gamma decay; decay equations | ||||
| 2. Particles and radiation | Activity, half-life, decay constant | ||||
| 2. Particles and radiation | Nuclear fission and fusion; binding energy per nucleon | ||||
| 3. Waves | Progressive waves: phase, path difference, c = fλ | ||||
| 3. Waves | Longitudinal and transverse | ||||
| 3. Waves | Stationary waves: nodes, antinodes, harmonics | ||||
| 3. Waves | Refraction: refractive index; critical angle and TIR | ||||
| 3. Waves | Fibre optics: multimode and monomode (introductory) | ||||
| 3. Waves | Superposition; Young double-slit; coherence | ||||
| 3. Waves | Interference: path difference, fringe spacing | ||||
| 3. Waves | Diffraction gratings; single-slit diffraction | ||||
| 4. Mechanics and materials | Vectors: resolving, adding components | ||||
| 4. Mechanics and materials | Moments; couples; equilibrium of bodies | ||||
| 4. Mechanics and materials | Displacement, velocity, acceleration; SUVAT | ||||
| 4. Mechanics and materials | Projectile motion | ||||
| 4. Mechanics and materials | Newton’s laws; free-body diagrams | ||||
| 4. Mechanics and materials | Momentum; conservation; impulse | ||||
| 4. Mechanics and materials | Work, energy, power; conservation of energy | ||||
| 4. Mechanics and materials | Elastic deformation: Hooke’s law; elastic potential energy | ||||
| 4. Mechanics and materials | Stress, strain, Young modulus; brittle vs ductile | ||||
| 5. Electricity | Current, drift velocity, I = nAve | ||||
| 5. Electricity | Potential difference; emf and internal resistance | ||||
| 5. Electricity | Resistance; Ohm’s law; resistivity ρ = RA/L | ||||
| 5. Electricity | I–V for metals, semiconductors, diode | ||||
| 5. Electricity | Series and parallel circuits | ||||
| 5. Electricity | Kirchhoff’s laws; potential dividers | ||||
| 5. Electricity | Power P = VI; energy in circuits | ||||
| 6. Further mechanics and thermal physics | Circular motion: angular speed, centripetal force | ||||
| 6. Further mechanics and thermal physics | Simple harmonic motion: displacement, velocity, acceleration | ||||
| 6. Further mechanics and thermal physics | SHM energy: kinetic and potential | ||||
| 6. Further mechanics and thermal physics | Forced oscillations; resonance; damping | ||||
| 6. Further mechanics and thermal physics | Thermal properties: specific heat capacity, latent heat | ||||
| 6. Further mechanics and thermal physics | Ideal gas equation pV = nRT; mole and Boltzmann constant | ||||
| 6. Further mechanics and thermal physics | Kinetic theory model; mean square speed | ||||
| 7. Fields and their consequences | Gravitational fields: g, Newton’s law, gravitational potential | ||||
| 7. Fields and their consequences | Orbits; Kepler’s laws (introductory) | ||||
| 7. Fields and their consequences | Electric fields: Coulomb’s law, field lines | ||||
| 7. Fields and their consequences | Electric potential; equipotentials | ||||
| 7. Fields and their consequences | Capacitors: Q = CV, energy stored, charging/discharging | ||||
| 7. Fields and their consequences | Magnetic fields: forces on moving charges and currents | ||||
| 7. Fields and their consequences | Electromagnetic induction: Faraday’s and Lenz’s laws | ||||
| 7. Fields and their consequences | Alternating current: rms, transformers | ||||
| 8. Nuclear physics | Rutherford scattering; nuclear radius | ||||
| 8. Nuclear physics | Mass defect and binding energy | ||||
| 8. Nuclear physics | Radioactive decay: exponential law; half-life | ||||
| 8. Nuclear physics | Nuclear instability; decay chains | ||||
| 8. Nuclear physics | Fission reactors: moderation, control, waste | ||||
| 8. Nuclear physics | Fusion: conditions and challenges | ||||
| 9. Optional topic (e.g. Astrophysics) | Telescopes: refracting vs reflecting; resolving power | ||||
| 9. Optional topic (e.g. Astrophysics) | Classification of stars: HR diagram | ||||
| 9. Optional topic (e.g. Astrophysics) | Stellar evolution: main sequence, red giant, white dwarf | ||||
| 9. Optional topic (e.g. Astrophysics) | Supernovae; neutron stars; black holes (introductory) | ||||
| 9. Optional topic (e.g. Astrophysics) | Hubble’s law; red-shift; cosmological model | ||||
| 9. Optional topic (e.g. Astrophysics) | Big Bang; cosmological microwave background (introductory) |
Use with our Past Paper Finder for exam practice. Always cross-check topic coverage with your school’s route and the official board specification.
Quick answers about this free revision checklist, how to use it for exam prep, and how it relates to the official syllabus.
This revision checklist mirrors the official AQA UK GCE A Level Physics 7408 syllabus for the 2026 examination series. Every topic and sub-topic on the page is taken from the published syllabus document, so working through the list in order gives you full coverage of what your exam can assess. For the authoritative version, always cross-check with the latest syllabus PDF on your exam board's website before your final revision push.
The number of top-level topic groups varies by subject, but you can see the exact count on this page — each major heading in the checklist corresponds to one syllabus topic group, and each row below it is a syllabus-level sub-topic. Use the confidence column (1–5) to flag which sub-topics need more work, and re-score yourself weekly to track real progress instead of guessing.
12–16 weeks of focused revision, working through one topic group per week with weekly past-paper practice, is a realistic target for most A Level students. Use this checklist to plan your weeks: filter by topics you have rated 1–3 and spend your first revision block there. Subjects with heavy practical or extended-writing components (e.g. sciences, English) need more past-paper time in the final block than the topic-by-topic phase.
Revise in roughly the order the syllabus lists the topics — exam boards build later topics on earlier ones, so taking them in syllabus order avoids gaps. Once you have rated every topic, switch to weakest-first: filter the checklist by confidence ≤ 2 and prioritise those topics in your next study block. This is more effective than re-revising topics you already score 4–5 on.
You can find past papers and mark schemes via Tutopiya's Past Paper Finder and on your exam board's official site. Once you have rated each sub-topic on this checklist, attempt past-paper questions on your weakest topics first — practising under timed conditions is the single best predictor of exam performance, more so than re-reading notes.
Use the Download CSV or Print PDF button at the bottom of the checklist. CSV opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets so you can sort by confidence and re-arrange revision order. The PDF is print-ready for offline use. A free Tutopiya account is required for download — this also unlocks the matching topic resources, notes and worked examples on the Learning Portal.
Yes, the checklist itself is free — you can view, score and re-score every topic on this page without an account. The CSV / PDF downloads and access to matching Tutopiya Learning Portal resources require a free account. There is no payment required at any point; teachers and parents can also use this checklist freely with their students.
Yes. The topics and sub-topics on this page are drawn from the current 2026 AQA UK GCE A Level Physics 7408 specification published by AQA. Exam boards occasionally tweak weighting or assessment structure mid-cycle, so do a quick sanity-check against the official syllabus PDF when you start your revision and again 4 weeks before the exam.