Q: What does A-Level Physics Syllabus: 2026 onwards (H2 9478) cover? A: A friendly walkthrough of the new 2026 A-Level, H2 Physics syllabus for IP students and their parents.
TL;DR From the 2026 sitting onward, H2 Physics (code 9478) weighs the spreadsheet-ready Paper 4 Practical at 20 %, compresses the rest into three written papers, and expects candidates to manipulate calculus, vectors and uncertainty almost on autopilot. This article maps every paper, flags the most teacher-quoted pitfalls, and links out to official SEAB documents plus specimen papers you can download tonight.
1 Quick-Glance Table - All Four Papers
Paper
Duration / Marks
Weight
Core skills & common slips
1 MCQ
1 h / 30 Q
15 %
fast unit checks; sign logic \(\sum F\), \(E = -\nabla V\)
2 Structured
2 h / 90 marks
30 %
multi-topic algebra; calculus fluency
3 Long Q
2 h / 75 marks
35 %
data handling; planning & evaluation mini-design
4 Practical
2 h 30 / 40 marks
20 %
MMO, PDO, ACE with spreadsheet LINEST() & uncertainty
Spreadsheet skills become explicit Specimen Paper 4 asks candidates to determine gradient ± standard error using =LINEST() and to quote R=(5.12±0.07)Ω. Specimen Paper 4
No optional “Stretch” questions All candidates answer the same number of marks; depth is tested through cross-topic synthesis instead.
Practical paper still 20 % but with digital rigour The weighting stays at one-fifth, yet 9478 requires spreadsheet analysis and explicit uncertainty phrasing instead of the largely manual treatment centres used under 9749.
Command words tightened Determine now signals spreadsheet calculation, while state with uncertainty flags a table check. See Appendix B of the syllabus for definitions.
3 Skills Lattice - How Topics Interlock
3.1 Mechanics ↔ Fields ↔ Modern
Parents are often surprised that the same calculus shows up three times:
F=−∇U,E=−∇V,B=∇×A
Grasping the gradient/divergence language early turns a memorisation treadmill into one concept applied thrice.
3.2 Uncertainty Propagation
The specimen mark scheme awards 2 marks in Paper 3 for quoting percentage uncertainty of the gradient:
%Δm=mSE×100
Make the fractional-then-percentage chain a reflex by Sec 4 IP - it recurs in every ACE paragraph.
4 Year-4 IP Implications
IP Y4 topic
9478 echo
Why master it now
SUVAT & free-body diagrams
Paper 2 Q1-3 mechanics
vector-sign discipline travels unchanged
Uncertainty tables
Paper 4 PDO & ACE
half-division rule → ± % cascade
Spreadsheet graphing
Paper 4 gradient ± SE
saves ≥4 marks vs hand-drawn fit
Energy bar charts
Fields & SHM synthesis
same work-energy algebra in E-fields
MOE's 2023 removal of mid-year exams means many IP students will meet their first 3 h physics paper only at the JC 1 Promos. MOE press release
5 Paper-by-Paper Drill Checklist
5.1 Paper 1 MCQ (15 %)
Pace rule: 2 min / 4 questions - aim to finish in 45 min, bank 15 min for review.
Drill: 30 Q speed round every fortnight using the specimen MCQ.
5.2 Paper 2 Structured (30 %)
Target 1 mark : 1.5 min.
Keep an error-journal: classify each slip as content, process or careless.
5.3 Paper 3 Long Q (35 %)
Practise a full data-analysis set weekly - include units & final-line rounding.
Write planning answers in bullet tables (apparatus | variable | step) for easy method marks.
5.4 Paper 4 Practical (20 %)
Home lab hack: pendulum T2 vs L - import CSV, use =LINEST(), quote g±Δg.
Key sentence frame: “The gradient m=(4.02±0.04)s2⋅m−1 gives g=m4π2=9.81m⋅s−2 with 0.4 % uncertainty, agreeing with literature within error.”
