This document provides guidance and resources for teachers implementing the practical assessment component of A-Level physics courses in the UK. It discusses the requirements for record keeping of student practical work, feedback from monitoring visits conducted by exam boards, and planning considerations for the second year of the two-year A-Level course. Key recommendations include completing 5-6 of the required practical experiments by the first year, developing students' planning and decision making skills, and aiming to finish all practical work by Easter of the second year. FAQs and additional details on the assessment criteria are provided in appendices.

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UPDATED:
A Level Practical Endorsement
Lessons Learned from
the First Year
(and what needs to be your focus next year)

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3. Have You Done This?
Here are some rough guidelines on what you should have done
in the first year to ensure the practical assessment in A Level
goes smoothly:
• Completed 5 or 6 “required” practicals. These practicals
will be those recommended by your exam board and will
have fit in with you order of teaching.
• The practicals will have been carried out under normal
teaching conditions - not practiced or under exam
conditions
• Each student will have a lab book or folder (I personally
prefer an A4 binder folder) with the record of their practical
work in it.
• You will hold a record of which practicals have been
carried out, on what dates and student attendance for
these. A copy of any worksheets given will also be held.
• You will hold a record of which students met the criteria
and who did not. A simple “yes” or “no” is fine to record.
No further detail is required. However, more detailed
feedback may be useful to the students.
NOTE:
If you need a reminder of the
practical assessment basics,
there is a full summary in
Appendix A of this document.
Have you done this?
Yes!
Go to page 4
No!
Go to page 3

4. 3
Don’t Panic!
Let’s look at the minimum requirements for record keeping.
Students:
In the event of a monitoring visit (100% of schools will be
visited - but more on that later), the students records should be
available for review
Each student’s folder or lab book should include a record of
each experiment. However, it could simply be a results table
with observations as a minimum.
Going forward, comprehensive write-ups would be better for
the students to revise from. Don’t forget that they will be
examined on this stuff!
If student records are lost, it will not be held against you - it will
disadvantage students. Teacher records will be available and
the student records should be kept from that day forward.
Teachers:
If you haven’t completed 5 or 6 experiments yet, make sure
you have planned them firmly into your scheme of work for
next year
Still Panicking?
Click here for more help!
NOTE:
15% of the final written exams
will assess their knowledge of
practical skills. Students
should have open access to
their practical files to allow
revision of techniques.

5. 4
Feedback from
Monitoring Visit:
Westonbirt School
Helen Rogerson is the Head of Science at Westonbirt School in
Gloucestershire and the ASE West of England Chair. She
shared her experience of the A-Level monitoring visit at her
school.
Main points include:
• The advisor was keen to see the schemes of work and
how practicals and core practicals were planned into the
normal teaching scheme.
• It was encouraged to develop CPAC and techniques
beyond using solely recommended practicals.
• Encourage students to pre-read about the experiments
(using textbooks)
• The teacher tracking spreadsheet (supplied by the
examboard) was checked.
• A normal practical lesson was observed that included one
of the Core Practicals. The advisor was keen to interact
with the students.
• It was discussed how much guidance could be given to
students during the practical (e.g. how to construct tables)
and concluded that more is better at this stage.
• Westonbirt School passed their visit with flying colours!
Want to read more?
Click here for Helen’s Blog
“We discussed how comment
marking the lab books with
improvements would give
evidence to unhappy students
and parents if it were the case
that we had to 'fail' them on
the practical endorsement.”

6. 5
Feedback from
Monitoring Visit:
AQA Advisor
Matthew Bennett – Head of A-level Science at AQA – has
written a blog post about his personal experience of an
advisory visit with another AQA advisor.
Main points include:
• The students at the school he visited recognised the
importance of the visit and they were proud to support
their school through it.
• The school was a little behind with their plans for the
practical endorsement, but advanced in their teaching of
effective practicals:
• They had misunderstood the need for assessment against
the CPAC, but had amended this quickly.
• AQA offered support pre-visit and they had managed to
catch up with their record-keeping too.
• The discussions between advisor and teachers were
invaluable. They lasted longer than expected and were
very positive.
• The school passed the visit and their subsequent report
included additional advice to ensure that the school stays
on track.
Want to read more?
Click here for Matthew’s Blog
“I drove back down south
feeling really happy that this
process was working. It’s all
about empowering teachers to
help their students become
better scientists, and I really
think it’s going to work.”

7. 6
Planning for Next
Year
You should consider the following when planning practicals for
the second year of the A-Level practical assessment:
1. Making allowances for proper assessment of CPAC 2
CPAC 2 is about the ability to make choices. Each of the
sub-criteria (See Appendix B) suggests that students
should make choices in using instruments, and in
identifying, measuring and controlling variables. There is
certainly an element of planning experiments required in
this competency. In addition, questions on planning
experiments could be asked in the written exams.
Therefore, the worksheets (or scripts) you give your
students to guide them through the experiment should
gradually include less detailed instruction. Perhaps you
could have one open-ended experiment (We use a design
practical on potential dividers for this) that allows students
to conduct their own prior research on the experiment s
and to plan their own experiments around the uses of
potential dividers circuits.
2. You should aim to complete all practicals by Easter.
The students will want to have their folders back to revise
from over the holidays.
NOTE:
If you give students a method
for every practical they won’t
have had the chance to
demonstrate their own ability
t o f o l l o w i n v e s t i g a t i v e
approaches. One experiment
is enough to allow this.
Want our Help?
Click here for the Potential Divider
Experiment Worksheet

8. FAQ’s for All Sciences
Can teachers demonstrate the skills in the practicals before the students do them?
Yes, depending on the skills being assessed. If a teacher was, for example, demonstrating the
correct use of a pipette, they would want to show the students how to do this. Demonstrations
would not be appropriate if ‘following written instructions’ was being assessed, and they
cannot be used as a substitute for doing practical work.
Some apparatus techniques give a choice of different apparatus as measuring
instruments - should students understand them all for the exam?
For written exams, exam boards suggest that teachers treat “or” statements as “and”
statements in the apparatus techniques.
So, for example, in Chemistry, students can pass the endorsement if they have measured pH
using pH charts or a pH meter or a pH probe on a data logger. To best prepare students for
exams, teachers should ensure that all students understand each of the alternatives so they
can answer questions on practical work that involve any of these methods.Therefore, all “or”
statements in the apparatus and techniques list should be viewed as “and” statements for the
exams.
Why should teachers do more than 12 practicals?
Some techniques need more practise and you can provide increased opportunities for students
to develop a mastery against the five CPAC areas. Some students may be absent when you
deliver the core practical. Finally, practicals underpin teaching and learning, helping students to
fully grasp the harder theoretical concepts - it should be embraced fully!

9. FAQ’s for Physics
The practical guidelines state that a ruler has an uncertainty of +/- a whole division as it
records a reading at each end. Does the same apply to a micrometer? Or voltmeter?
The assumption for these instruments is that the zero has been calibrated correctly. For a ruler,
the person carrying out the measurement must judge where to start and where to end the
measurement, so there are errors at either end.
Can UV count as ionising radiation?
The required practical that students are expected to have completed is the use of gamma
radiation. Schools will need to find ways to allow their students to complete this practical if
they do not have a gamma source in school.
With some of the physics apparatus, if you only had one bit of kit for a couple of the
experiments could you do a circus of experiments so that not all students do the same
experiment on each practical session?
That would be fine if you felt that was the best way of ensuring all practical work was covered.
It does run the risk of divorcing the practical from the theory, and would be difficult to assess
different competencies on each of the ‘stations’ without very careful planning.
Must students know how to read a vernier scale?
The Physics Apparatus and techniques list statement ATe states ‘digital or vernier scale’. It is
clear that, for the endorsement, either digital or vernier is acceptable. For exam papers,
students are expected to be able to use both types of scales and could assess understanding
of both.

10. Appendix A:
Practical Assessment Basics
Practical assessments have been divided into those that can be assessed in written exams and those that can only be
directly assessed whilst students are carrying out experiments.
A-level grades will be based only on marks from written exams.
The practical endorsement will be taken alongside the A-level. Final grade of the practical endorsement is awarded
separately from A-level grade. This will be assessed by teachers and will be based on direct observation of students’
competency in a range of skills that are not assessable in written exams.
The practical endorsement consists of two main groups of skills:
1. Generic skills specified in the Common Practical Assessment Criteria (CPAC).
These skills include following instructions, keeping records, etc. They are the same across all awarding bodies and
all sciences. Students should be competent in all these skills
2. Competence in apparatus and techniques
These are specific for each science and will help assess the student’s competencies in CPAC. It is recommended
that these skills are covered using a set of required practicals (recommended by your exam board). It is also
recommended that additional practicals are used to develop these skills
Each student should complete aa practical that meets each of the apparatus and technique practical skills. They do
not need to work indiviudally, as long as they each demonstrate the skill competently. The practical should be carried
out in normal class conditions.
Assessment requires students to consistently and routinely display the skills - not on one specific time to be perfect
At the end of the course, the students should have
• Covered all required apparatus and technique skills
• Met the CPAC
• Carried out at least 12 required practicals
• Use their practical knowledge gained to answer questions in
the written exam.

11. Appendix B:
CPAC - Sub-Criteria
The 5 Competencies within CPAC can be split into the following sub-criteria:The 5 Competencies within CPAC can be split into the following sub-criteria:
1. Follows written
procedures
Correctly follows instructions to carry out the experimental techniques or
procedures
2. Applies investigative
approaches and methods
when using instruments
and equipment
Correctly uses appropriate instrumentation, apparatus and materials (including
ICT) to carry out investigative activities, experimental techniques and procedures
with minimal assistance or prompting.
2. Applies investigative
approaches and methods
when using instruments
and equipment
Carries out techniques or procedures methodically, in sequence and in
combination, identifying practical issues and making adjustments when necessary.
2. Applies investigative
approaches and methods
when using instruments
and equipment
Identifies and controls significant quantitative variables where applicable, and
plans approaches to take account of variables that cannot readily be controlled.
2. Applies investigative
approaches and methods
when using instruments
and equipment
Selects appropriate equipment and measurement strategies in order to ensure
suitably accurate results.
3. Safely uses a range of
practical equipment and
materials
Identifies hazards and assesses risks associated with these hazards when carrying
out experimental techniques and procedures in the lab or field.
3. Safely uses a range of
practical equipment and
materials
Uses appropriate safety equipment and approaches to minimise risks with minimal
prompting.
3. Safely uses a range of
practical equipment and
materials
Identifies safety issues and makes adjustments when necessary.
4. Makes and records
observations
Makes accurate observations relevant to the experimental or investigative
procedure.
4. Makes and records
observations
Obtains accurate, precise and sufficient data for experimental and investigative
procedures and records this methodically using appropriate units and conventions.
5. Researches, references
and reports
Uses appropriate software and/or tools to process data, carry out research and
report findings.
5. Researches, references
and reports
Sources of information are cited demonstrating that research has taken place,
supporting planning and conclusions.

12. References
• Explaining the Practical Endorsement in science A Levels (viewed on 24/04/
2016) Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtzR6sheDAMG1YtelV5YJuijZHy0xQfn
a
• A-Level Monitoring Visit, By Helen Rogerson (viewed on 24/04/2016), Retrieved
from http://staffrm.io/@helenrogerson80/tmyY680s0C
• A-Level Practical Sciences, By Catherine Witter (Senior Advisor of Practical Sci-
ences), information retrieved from 8th/9th January 2016 practical session slides.
Available
http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/science/AQA-A-LEVEL-SCIENCE-CPAC.P
DF
• Practical monitoring visit: our Head of Science drops by, Written by Matthew
Bennet (Head of A-Level Science) (viewed on 24/04/2016), Retrieved from
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/practically-speaking/practical-monitori
ng-visit-our-head-of-science-drops-by
• A-level sciences: Practical FAQs, By AQA (viewed on 24/04/2016), Retrieved
from
http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/science/AQA-AS-A-LEVEL-SCIENCE-WEB
INAR-PRACTICAL-FAQ.PDF
Disclaimer
You must not rely on the information in the report as an alternative to advice from the exam board you follow. If you have any specific
questions about any part of the A-Level Practical Endorsement process, you should consult your exam board.
Information is obtained from online sources believed to be reliable, but is in no way guaranteed. No guarantee of any kind is implied or
possible where projections of future conditions are attempted. In no event should the content of this report be construed as an express or
implied promise, guarantee or implication that you will have covered all bases in respect to the A-Level Practical Endorsement. Past
experiences are no indication of future performance. While these individuals had great results, results are not the same for everyone.