PHYSICS EXAMINATION – 2014

Bruce WalshChief Assessor

REMINDERS

Study design and textbooks

Examiners report

VASS system

SSMS

On line marking

GENERAL ADVICE

Mark allocation

Writing implements

Multiple attempts

Logical set out of working

GENERAL ADVICE

Explanations must address specific question. Writing everything can lead to contradictions. Dot points good. Diagrams and formulae can help.

Show working

Use unit in answer box

GENERAL ADVICE

Show numbers substituted into formulae

Formulae (including derived) must be correct

Calculators – sci mode, no truncation

Rounding

GENERAL ADVICE

Answers as simplified decimals

Significant figures

Vectors

Realistic answers

Scales on axes

A

SPECIFIC CONCERNS Connected bodies

Energy conversion and conservation

More complex projectile motion

Apparent weightlessness

Modulation

Explaining direction of induced current

SPECIFIC CONCERNS Operation of transformers in transmission

system

Series circuits

Explaining aspects of photoelectric effect

Path difference in interference

Electron and X-ray diffraction patterns

SPECIFIC CONCERNS Electron energy level diagrams and

associated emissions and absorptions

Wave nature of matter and electron energy levels

2014 2013 2012 (Nov)

2012 (June)

Students 7368 7041 7082 7082

Mean 55% 54% 60% 63%

Median 57% 54% 62% 66%

Std deviatio

n23% 24% 22% 23%

STATISTICS

STATISTICS

2005 Jun

2005 Nov

2006 Jun

2006 Nov

2007 Jun

2007 Nov

2008 Jun

2008 Nov

2009 Jun

2009 Nov

2010 Jun

2010 Nov

2011 Jun

2011 Nov

2012 Jun

2012 Nov

2013 Nov

2014 Nov

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

MEAN %

SCALING %GRADE 2014 2013 2012 Jun 2012 Nov

A+ 85 86 91 89

A 77 76 84 82

B+ 68 65 77 73

B 58 53 68 62

C+ 46 42 57 50

C 35 32 46 40

D+ 24 22 36 31

D 16 14 28 22

E+ 9 7 20 12

E 5 4 11 9

Average mark 1b) 49%

2

2b) 20%

2c) 34%, 2d) 13%

3b) 51%

4b) 40%

5a) 59%

9) 30%

12a) 51%

13a) 32%

13c) 37%

14a) 29%

15d) 45%

16) 42%

18a) 35%, 18b) 53%

19a) 59%, 19b) 46%

20b) 26%

21b) 55%, 21c) 35%

21d) 31%

22

22a) 41%, 22b) 40%

23b) 35%

PROBLEM AREASDETAILED STUDIES

DETAILED STUDY DIFFICULT QUESTIONS(<60% correct)

Relativity 1,3,4,6,7,9,10,11

Mat & Struct 5,6,7,8,10

Electronics 1,3,4,7,9,10,11

Synchrotron 5,7,10

Photonics 1,2,3,5,7,8,9,10,11

Sound 3,8