Topical revision checklist for Pearson Edexcel Pearson Edexcel A Level Physics — specification XPH11. Track confidence for each topic and sub-topic; aligned to 2026 specification headings. Topic headings follow the Pearson Edexcel International A Level structure used on Tutopiya (overlaps with UK GCE content; confirm with your school). Rate your confidence (1–5) for each specification topic.
| Topic | Sub-topic | Resources | Confidence (1–5) | Last reviewed | Next review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Working as a physicist | SI units; checking homogeneity of equations | ||||
| Working as a physicist | Random and systematic uncertainties; error bars | ||||
| Working as a physicist | Significant figures; combining uncertainties | ||||
| Working as a physicist | Plotting graphs: linearisation, gradients, intercepts | ||||
| Working as a physicist | Scalar and vector quantities; resolving vectors | ||||
| Mechanics | Motion graphs; suvat for uniform acceleration | ||||
| Mechanics | Newton’s laws; free-body diagrams | ||||
| Mechanics | Momentum conservation; elastic and inelastic collisions | ||||
| Mechanics | Work done by a force; kinetic and gravitational potential energy | ||||
| Mechanics | Power; efficiency | ||||
| Mechanics | Stress, strain, Young modulus; elastic strain energy | ||||
| Electric circuits | Ohm’s law; I–V characteristics | ||||
| Electric circuits | Resistivity; temperature dependence of resistance | ||||
| Electric circuits | Series and parallel combinations | ||||
| Electric circuits | Kirchhoff’s laws; bridge circuits (introductory) | ||||
| Electric circuits | Potential dividers; potentiometers | ||||
| Electric circuits | emf, internal resistance; terminal pd | ||||
| Waves and particle nature of light | Wave equation; phase difference and coherence | ||||
| Waves and particle nature of light | Stationary waves on strings and in pipes | ||||
| Waves and particle nature of light | Refraction; Snell’s law; critical angle | ||||
| Waves and particle nature of light | Two-source interference; Young’s slit | ||||
| Waves and particle nature of light | Diffraction grating | ||||
| Waves and particle nature of light | Photoelectric effect; photon model | ||||
| Further mechanics | Circular motion: angular speed, centripetal force | ||||
| Further mechanics | Simple harmonic motion: displacement, velocity, acceleration | ||||
| Further mechanics | Energy in SHM | ||||
| Further mechanics | Damping; forced oscillations; resonance | ||||
| Electric and magnetic fields | Coulomb’s law; electric field strength | ||||
| Electric and magnetic fields | Motion of charged particles in fields | ||||
| Electric and magnetic fields | Capacitors: series and parallel; energy stored | ||||
| Electric and magnetic fields | Magnetic flux density; force on current and charge | ||||
| Electric and magnetic fields | Electromagnetic induction: Faraday’s law; Lenz’s law | ||||
| Electric and magnetic fields | Alternating current and transformers | ||||
| Thermodynamics | Ideal gas: pV = nRT | ||||
| Thermodynamics | Kinetic theory; derivation of pressure (introductory) | ||||
| Thermodynamics | Internal energy; molar heat capacities | ||||
| Nuclear and particle physics | Rutherford scattering; nuclear radius | ||||
| Nuclear and particle physics | Alpha, beta, gamma decay; conservation laws | ||||
| Nuclear and particle physics | Half-life; exponential decay | ||||
| Nuclear and particle physics | Mass defect; binding energy curve | ||||
| Nuclear and particle physics | Fission and fusion applications | ||||
| Nuclear and particle physics | Standard model overview (introductory) | ||||
| Space, time, and cosmology | Newtonian gravitation; gravitational field strength | ||||
| Space, time, and cosmology | Satellite motion; geostationary orbits | ||||
| Space, time, and cosmology | Stellar evolution; HR diagram | ||||
| Space, time, and cosmology | Hubble’s law; age of universe (introductory) | ||||
| Medical physics (applications) | Attenuation of X-rays; half-value thickness | ||||
| Medical physics (applications) | CT and MRI principles (introductory) | ||||
| Medical physics (applications) | PET and tracer isotopes (introductory) | ||||
| Medical physics (applications) | Radiation dosimetry basics |
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 Pearson Edexcel Pearson Edexcel A Level Physics XPH11 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 Pearson Edexcel Pearson Edexcel A Level Physics XPH11 specification published by Pearson Edexcel. 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.