Revised Nuffield advanced physics

Abstract

The revised Nuffield A-level physics course is being published in 1985, with the first A-level examination based on the revised course scheduled for 1987. There are significant changes in the revised course. The course was first published in 1971-2 and has proved popular and successful with many teachers and students. The special A-level physics examination for students taking the Nuffield course is now taken by nearly 10000 students every year-more than 20% of the total entry for physics at A-level. In 1981 the Nuffield-Chelsea Curriculum Trust decided to undertake a revision of the course. The course was in general well received by higher education, with institutions and admissions tutors treating 'Nuffield' candidates in just the same way as any others. The course has certainly found favour with school teachers, and after ten years many are confirmed enthusiasts for the course. On the negative side there was some evidence that students were worried by the uncertainty caused by the lack of course 'textbook'. Some students at least have felt unsure of what they were expected to know, and be able to do, as a result of studying the course. And inevitably, a decade after publication, parts of the course were beginning to look dated. These points have led to the revised format for the published material, and changes in content.