About The 50
Overview
The 50 is a set of 50 questions that cover the main ideas in the OCR GCSE Physics course. These questions are designed to develop students’ conceptual understanding of the main topics in the specification.
They will still be useful for other exam boards. They do not cover the entire course, but focus on what I consider to be the key ideas. They are designed to be accessible to all students, so some higher topics, such as electromagnetic induction, are left out.
The summer exams will always test the content covered by The 50 in one way or another. Although it is unlikely that a question from The 50 will be asked exactly, students should be able to apply what they have learned from The 50 to a particular question. For example, question 8 says “explain how a gas exerts pressure” and an exam paper may ask “explain how an airbag is inflated”. Provided students can identify that the question relates to gas pressure, they should be able to answer it successfully.
This website is designed to help students learn the answers to The 50, alongside the routine outlined below.
Using The 50
I use The 50 in every KS4 physics lesson. Students have access to the questions online and there are laminated copies in my classroom. In general, I follow the routine below as a cycle, working in blocks of ten questions:
- 1Students try to find answers to the ten questions.
- 2The solutions are released so students can correct their answers or fill any gaps.
- 3Students learn their answers.
- 4Students complete a class test of ten questions.
The first stage can be completed as a starter activity, as the main body of a lesson or at the end of a lesson. It is hoped that this will help students to develop their ability to learn independently and build resilience. My students write their answers to The 50 in the back of their exercise books, starting from page 50.
Once most students have their answers to the ten questions, I release the solutions. This allows students to check their answers, correct them if necessary, or write answers to questions they were not able to answer. The solutions are also short, so they may be easier for students to learn than their own answers.
Stage three, learning the answers, can be completed in class and as homework. I encourage students to use this website, as well as a “look, cover, write, check” approach to learning the answers. Students attempt to answer the ten questions on blank paper and then check the solutions. Points they missed, or questions they could not answer, are then recorded and studied. Students repeat the process until they can successfully answer all ten questions.
Students then sit a test in stage four. Because the solutions are available to all students, I have found that it engages almost everyone.
After this cycle is complete, the class can move on to the next ten questions. Once the class reaches content in The 50 that has not yet been covered in lessons, I set tests with random questions from the ones they already have answers to. With Year 11, once the class has answers to all 50, they regularly receive a test of ten random questions.
Of course, a quick look at The 50 will show there is no practice of maths or applying equations. This is something I do in lessons and is not within the scope of The 50 itself. The Maths A, Maths B and Exam Pro sections of this website give students extra practice with the equations.
For any further advice on using The 50, please get in touch at info@the50.cloud. I would also welcome any feedback.
Observations
The 50 has been a really effective tool in my teaching. I have found it especially useful for Year 11, as it allows me to recap content from Year 9 and Year 10 in every lesson. Students are able to build a solid understanding of the main ideas in the course and use this successfully in the end-of-topic tests and mock exams they are given at my school.
One of the best outcomes of using The 50 has been the engagement of my lower-ability classes. Although they struggle to find the answers to the questions independently, they fully embrace learning the solutions that are given to them. It is my hope that they will be able to recall these answers in the summer exams and write something for questions that they would typically leave blank. The 50 also helps this group of students to direct their revision.
Acknowledgements
This concept was inspired by Professor Gabor Elek and his course in Real Analysis at Lancaster University.
I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to Justin Grossu, whose valuable contribution and dedication have greatly enhanced the functionality of this website. His expertise and tireless efforts have been instrumental in the success of this project, and I am deeply grateful for his support.