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OXFORDAQA · IGCSE · PHYSICS

Will your child pass their IGCSE Physics exam?

Not content tutorials. Every workshop is a paper-mapped session led by a facilitator who knows what OxfordAQA examiners reward — including the required practicals examined in the written papers — followed by community support 7 days a week.

What This Qualification Actually Is

Single tier.
One grade scale, 9 down to 1.

OxfordAQA International GCSE Physics (9203) is a single-tier qualification — unlike the tiered Foundation/Higher structure used by AQA and Edexcel's UK GCSE Physics. Every student sits the same two papers and is graded on the same 9-to-1 scale.

Two equal-weight papers

Paper 1 and Paper 2, each 90 marks, 1 hour 30 minutes — both can draw on any part of the specification, with no guaranteed topic split between them.

Reduced word count

OxfordAQA deliberately reduces wording in questions to remove anything not required to answer — designed to support students sitting exams in a second language, without lowering the physics demand.

Written by AQA's own team

Brought to you by Oxford University Press and AQA — independently benchmarked as comparable to UK GCSE standard, but with its own specification and paper structure.

Small cohorts, always

Capped at 15 students. Every facilitator works specifically with this specification's own paper structure and command-word conventions.

Grade Boundaries

Know exactly what
each grade requires.

Boundaries vary by series — always verify current thresholds at the official board site before relying on these for a live decision.

Overall (single tier, grades 9–1) — Papers 1 + 2

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Jun 20251401271141018876604429

Out of 180 (Papers 1+2, 90 marks each). Source: OxfordAQA official grade boundary documents, June 2025 series. Note: this page covers the full International GCSE Physics (9203). OxfordAQA also offers a separate "Core Physics" (9223) covering a reduced subset of content — that qualification is being withdrawn, with final exams in May/June 2026, so it isn't covered on this page.

Command Word Mastery

Mark scheme literacy,
not just content knowledge.

Knowing the content isn't the same as knowing how marks are awarded. The terms below decide whether correct knowledge actually converts into marks on the page.

TermWhat It RequiresWhere Marks Are Commonly Lost
CalculateWork out a numeric answer using a given equation, showing substitution and a unit.Marks are lost when a student gives a correct equation but skips showing the substitution step explicitly — OxfordAQA mark schemes typically award separate marks for each.
ExplainState what happens and give a reason linking cause to effect.Multi-mark "explain" questions need a complete chain of reasoning, not just the first correct link — a true but incomplete explanation caps the available marks.
DescribeState what is observed or what happens, without needing to justify why.Often confused with "explain" — a "describe" answer that only gives reasons without first stating what's actually observed can lose marks for missing the descriptive part entirely.
DetermineWork out a specific value from given data, typically by reading a graph or table before calculating.Skipping the data-reading step and assuming a value, rather than reading it from the given graph or table, is a common source of lost marks even when the subsequent calculation method is correct.
Frequently Asked

OxfordAQA International GCSE Physics — Common Questions

Is this the same as AQA's UK GCSE Physics?
No — OxfordAQA International GCSE Physics (9203) is a separate, internationally-focused qualification with its own specification and paper structure, though it's written by the same AQA team and independently benchmarked as comparable to UK GCSE standard.
Is there a Foundation and Higher tier?
No. This qualification is single tier — every student sits the same two papers and is graded on the same 9-to-1 scale, unlike AQA or Edexcel's UK GCSE Physics.
What's OxfordAQA's Core Physics, and is it covered here?
Core Physics (9223) is a separate, reduced-content version OxfordAQA also offers. It's being withdrawn, with final exams in May/June 2026 — so we don't cover it on this page, since it won't be a live option for long.
Are required practicals examined?
Yes — written-exam questions are based on the specification's required practicals, testing whether a student can apply the same thinking to a new context, not just recall the method.
Is this instead of school lessons?
No — workshops reinforce exam technique and mark-scheme understanding alongside what your child's school teaches, scheduled around school timetables, not instead of them.
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