OCR Higher Physics learning books by topic
Nine free PDF learning books for OCR GCSE Physics A (Gateway Science), one for every topic from P1 Matter to P9 Practical skills, that teach the Higher course from scratch: 105 lessons across P1 to P8, each with a teaching page, worked reasoning and three or four practice questions, with answers at the back, written for grades 4 to 9.
Use them as revision notes that do something. Every lesson names the OCR learning outcomes it covers, every book has practical pages and an end-of-topic assessment with suggested answers, and the P9 book takes you through all eight Practical Activity Groups.
Free to download. No sign up, no email required. Independent resources aligned to OCR GCSE (9-1) Physics A (Gateway Science) J249, not produced, approved or endorsed by OCR or Cambridge University Press & Assessment.
Which Higher topics can I learn?
You can learn all nine OCR Gateway topics, grades 4 to 9, from these Higher books. P1 to P4 are examined on Paper 3, P5 to P8 on Paper 4, and P9 on both. Need the basics first? See the OCR Foundation Physics learning books. Taking AQA instead? Use the AQA Higher Physics learning books.
Matter
12 lessons, 3 of them Higher only, 36 practice questions with answers, 2 practical or workshop pages and a 22-mark end-of-topic assessment with suggested answers.
Download the Matter bookForces
15 lessons, 4 of them Higher only, 45 practice questions with answers, 2 practical or workshop pages and a 22-mark end-of-topic assessment with suggested answers.
Download the Forces bookElectricity
10 lessons, 40 practice questions with answers, 3 practical or workshop pages and a 28-mark end-of-topic assessment with suggested answers.
Download the Electricity bookMagnetism and Magnetic Fields
12 lessons, 6 of them Higher only, 36 practice questions with answers, 4 practical or workshop pages and a 36-mark end-of-topic assessment with suggested answers.
Download the Magnetism and Magnetic Fields bookWaves in Matter
15 lessons, 4 of them Higher only, 45 practice questions with answers, 5 practical or workshop pages and a 37-mark end-of-topic assessment with suggested answers.
Download the Waves in Matter bookRadioactivity
12 lessons, 1 of them Higher only, 36 practice questions with answers, 4 practical or workshop pages and a 35-mark end-of-topic assessment with suggested answers.
Download the Radioactivity bookEnergy
11 lessons, 1 of them Higher only, 44 practice questions with answers, 4 practical or workshop pages and a 32-mark end-of-topic assessment with suggested answers.
Download the Energy bookGlobal Challenges
18 lessons, 5 of them Higher only, 54 practice questions with answers, 6 practical or workshop pages and a 53-mark end-of-topic assessment with suggested answers.
Download the Global Challenges bookPractical Skills
Four working-scientifically lessons on planning, measurement and uncertainty, tables and graphs, and conclusions and evaluation, with 16 practice questions, then a page of illustrative data and a record sheet for each of the eight PAGs, and a 32-mark practical skills assessment with suggested answers.
Download the Practical Skills bookHow does each lesson work?
Each lesson is two pages: a teaching page with worked reasoning, then a practice page with marked questions. Answers to every practice question sit at the back of the book, followed by suggested answers for the practicals and the end-of-topic assessment.
The learning cycle in every lesson
- Learn: the OCR learning outcome codes at the top of the page, a short explanation and a labelled diagram where it helps
- See: a worked reasoning box that shows the method or the chain of evidence before the questions start
- Do: three practice questions per lesson, four in P3 and P7, each with its marks shown
- Check: full answers at the back of the book, then an end-of-topic assessment with suggested credit points
What else is inside
- a tier note at the start of each book listing the Higher-only outcomes, with those lessons placed after the common ones
- practical investigation and workshop pages in every topic from P1 to P8
- an end-of-topic assessment in every book, 22 to 53 marks, with suggested credit points
- a revision or equation bank and a final checklist at the end of every book
- a P9 book with illustrative data and a personal record sheet for each of the eight PAGs
- 32 to 59 printable A4 pages per book, 380 pages in all
What does each book teach?
The eight Higher topic books teach 105 lessons with 336 practice questions, and the P9 book adds four skills lessons and eight PAG pages. P8 Global challenges is the longest, with 18 lessons, and P3 Electricity the shortest, with 10. Lesson titles follow each book.
P1: Matter
- Atomic structure and changing models
- Particles, states and density
- Measuring density accurately
- Changes of state and internal energy
- Specific heat capacity
- Specific latent heat
- Gas motion, temperature and pressure
- Gas volume and Boyle’s relationship
- Atmosphere and pressure differences
- Work done on gases (Higher only)
- Liquid pressure with depth (Higher only)
- Upthrust, floating and sinking (Higher only)
P2: Forces
- Speed, displacement and measurement
- Motion graphs and acceleration
- Uniform acceleration and kinetic energy
- Interactions and Newton’s first law
- Newton’s second law and linked calculations
- Work, stored energy and power
- Newton’s third law
- Deformation, springs and elastic energy
- Gravity, weight and gravitational energy
- Moments, levers and gears
- Fluid pressure and hydraulics
- Vector constructions and graph area (Higher only)
- Free-body diagrams and terminal velocity (Higher only)
- Inertia and momentum (Higher only)
- Circular motion and changing velocity (Higher only)
P3: Electricity
- Charge and electron transfer
- Electric fields and sparks
- Current, charge and time
- Circuit diagrams and meters
- Potential difference and resistance
- I-V characteristics
- LDRs and NTC thermistors
- Series circuits
- Parallel circuits
- Electrical power and energy
P4: Magnetism and Magnetic Fields
- Magnets and induced magnetism
- Magnetic fields and field maps
- Earth and the dipping compass
- Fields around a straight wire
- Solenoids and electromagnets
- Using and testing electromagnets
- Motor effect and magnetic force (Higher only)
- Rotation in electric motors (Higher only)
- Electromagnetic induction (Higher only)
- Alternators and dynamos (Higher only)
- Transformers and turns ratios (Higher only)
- Microphones, speakers and headphones (Higher only)
P5: Waves in Matter
- Describing waves and reading graphs
- Transverse, longitudinal and energy transfer
- Wave speed calculations
- Sound at boundaries and echoes
- Measuring water-wave and sound speeds
- The electromagnetic spectrum
- Uses of electromagnetic waves
- Radiation hazards and informed choices
- Reflection and refraction ray diagrams
- Convex and concave lenses
- Colour, filters and surfaces
- The ear and hearing limits (Higher only)
- Detecting hidden structures (Higher only)
- Radio waves and oscillating circuits (Higher only)
- EM waves interacting with materials (Higher only)
P6: Radioactivity
- Nuclei, isotopes and nuclear notation
- Alpha, beta, gamma and neutron emission
- Balancing nuclear equations
- Electron energy levels and ionisation
- Random decay, activity and detection
- Half-life and decay graphs
- Penetration and ionising power
- Contamination, irradiation and protection
- Uses of radiation and choosing a half-life
- Nuclear fission and chain reactions
- Nuclear fusion and energy release
- Half-life ratios and net decline (Higher only)
P7: Energy
- Energy stores, transfers and conservation
- Explaining common energy changes
- Work done and gravitational energy
- Kinetic and elastic energy
- Electrical energy and domestic supplies
- Heating and thermal calculations
- Power, time and kilowatt-hours
- Dissipation and energy efficiency
- Reducing unwanted energy transfers
- Buildings, walls and cooling
- Evaluating ways to increase efficiency (Higher only)
P8: Global Challenges
- Everyday speeds, acceleration and units
- Human reaction time
- Thinking, braking and stopping distances
- Large decelerations and vehicle safety
- Energy resources and generation
- Resource choices and changing trends
- The grid and transformer power balance
- Domestic supply: a.c. and d.c.
- Live, neutral, earth and insulation
- The solar system and satellites
- Formation and life cycle of stars
- Red-shift and the Big Bang
- Thermal radiation and temperature
- Estimating forces on public roads (Higher only)
- Transformer turns and transmission losses (Higher only)
- Gravity and stable circular orbits (Higher only)
- Earth’s radiation balance (Higher only)
- Probing Earth and deep water (Higher only)
P9: Practical Skills
- Planning a valid investigation
- Measurements, units and uncertainty
- Tables, graphs and gradients
- Conclusions and evaluation
- PAG P1 Materials: density
- PAG P2 Forces: springs
- PAG P3 Motion: trolley acceleration
- PAG P4 Measuring waves
- PAG P5 Energy: specific heat capacity
- PAG P6 Circuit components: I-V curves
- PAG P7 Series and parallel circuits
- PAG P8 Interactions of waves
How should a student use these?
Work one lesson at a time, in order. Read the teaching page, cover the worked reasoning and redo it, answer the practice questions without looking back, then mark them against the answers at the back before moving on.
Starting a topic
Work through the lessons in order, one or two a sitting. Redo the worked reasoning with the solution covered, then answer the practice questions from memory before checking.
Revising before mocks
Use the lesson list at the front of each book to skip lessons already mastered, then sit the end-of-topic assessment and mark it against the suggested credit points. Every question dropped points back to a lesson to redo.
Practical questions
About 15% of the marks in the papers test practical skills. Work through the P9 book alongside the topics, and use its PAG data pages to practise processing results, drawing graphs and evaluating methods.
Guide: GCSE past papers
Where to find real past papers and mark schemes to practise with alongside these books.
Read the past papers guideGuide: maths skills for Physics
The equations, rearranging, graphs and standard form that physics questions expect, in one checklist.
Read the maths skills guideGuide: last-minute revision
What to do with the final weeks when there is no time left to cover everything.
Read the last-minute guideLearning book questions
The books are free for personal use, every practice question has an answer, and they are written for the OCR Gateway Higher tier, grades 4 to 9. These answers cover tiers, practicals, papers, answers and licensing.
What does the Higher course add?
The Higher books teach every Foundation lesson and add 24 lessons on outcomes OCR marks as Higher only: work done on gases, liquid pressure with depth, and upthrust, floating and sinking in P1; vector constructions and graph area, free-body diagrams and terminal velocity, inertia and momentum, and circular motion in P2; the motor effect, electric motors, electromagnetic induction, alternators and dynamos, transformers, and microphones and speakers in P4; the ear and hearing limits, detecting hidden structures, radio waves and oscillating circuits, and electromagnetic waves interacting with materials in P5; half-life ratios and net decline in P6; evaluating ways to increase efficiency in P7; and estimating forces on roads, transmission losses, stable circular orbits, Earth’s radiation balance, and probing Earth and deep water in P8. P3 Electricity has no Higher-only outcomes, so its Higher book adds a harder fourth question to each lesson instead, and so does P7.
Are the practice questions different from the Foundation books?
Mostly shared. 329 of the 330 numbered questions in the Foundation books also appear word for word in these Higher books. The Higher books add the Higher-only lessons, extra end-of-topic assessment questions in every topic except P3, and a fourth question per lesson in P3 and P7.
Do the books cover the PAG practicals?
Yes. OCR asks every student to complete at least eight practical activities across eight Practical Activity Groups: P1 Materials, P2 Forces, P3 Motion, P4 Measuring waves, P5 Energy, P6 Circuit components, P7 Series and parallel circuits, and P8 Interactions of waves. The P9 book has a page of illustrative data with exam-style tasks and a record sheet for each one, and topics P1 to P8 add practical investigation pages. The data is illustrative and is no substitute for the activities done at school.
Which topics are on which paper?
Students sit either Foundation, Papers 1 and 2 (J249/01 and J249/02), or Higher, Papers 3 and 4 (J249/03 and J249/04). Each paper is 1 hour 45 minutes, 90 marks and 50% of the GCSE. Papers 1 and 3 assess topics P1 to P4 and P9. Papers 2 and 4 assess topics P5 to P8, with assumed knowledge of P1 to P4 and P9, and include synoptic questions.
Do the books include answers?
Yes. Answers to every lesson practice question are collected at the back of each book, followed by suggested responses for the practical pages and suggested credit points for the end-of-topic assessment. The marks are guidance written for these original questions, not official OCR mark schemes.
Are they free? What is the licence?
The books are free to download for personal and household educational use. Tutors and schools need permission before copying them for learners, and resale, paid redistribution and third-party uploading are not permitted.
My child reads the lesson but still gets the questions wrong. What next?
That usually means the idea needs explaining a different way, not more reading. Try the worked reasoning again with the solution covered, then the first practice question. If the same lesson still goes wrong, get the method retaught by a teacher at school or a tutor. Five of our tutors teach Physics and the first 30 minutes are free.
Practice finds the gaps. A tutor closes them
Five of our tutors teach Physics, led by a doctorate in Physics and two engineering degrees. Lessons are one to one on Zoom, £30 each with no premium for Higher tier, and the first 30 minutes are free with no card details. If a lesson still does not make sense after the worked reasoning, that is usually the sign to have the idea explained a different way.