BPhO Junior Physics Challenge (Y10)

Junior Physics Challenge Online
This is aimed at Year 10 (UK), although we do allow Year 9 and Year 11 participants.

• Competition date: can be sat anytime during the dates Friday 26^thApril 2024 - Friday 17^th May 2024 under teacher supervision.
• Length - 2 x 25 minutes (can be sat on different days if required). 30 questions per paper.
• Sat within your school and supervised by the teacher.
• Marked online and results returned to schools with the award boundaries.
• Cost: £20 for a school entry of up to 999 students.
• Prizes: Certificates.
• Details of how to run the competition and the competition itself are on the Competitions Platform
  The questions will be based on an assortment from Dynamics, Electricity, Optics, Heat, Units, small amounts of Astronomy, Waves, to give the main topics. Some questions are done by a process of elimination, some are general knowledge and not classroom physics, and some from the school curriculum. It is a Quiz not an exam.

Please see some sample questions here: Sample Questions

Registering your school: (This is for use by teachers only.) Teachers need to register for the Competitions Platform by going to Teacher registration

When to take the test: The Junior Physics Challenge 2024 will take place between Friday 26th April - Friday 17th May 2024. The competition consists of two, 25-minute online tests, each of 30 questions, that can be sat continuously or on two separate occasions. The two sections are taken in school under staff-supervised conditions at any time convenient during the competition dates. A desktop or laptop is needed for this exam. iPads can be used but the system is not optimised for small or touch screens. Calculators, pens and paper should be available.

Sitting the Competition

1. The competition must be run at the same time for the group of students in a class. It can be run for two different, separated classes at the same time.
2. The class teacher is needed to control the starting and stopping times for the two sections.
3. Teachers can run the competition at any time convenient during the competition dates, but keeping their classes as classes and not allowing individuals to participate at separate times.
4. Students may not have a second go at the competition.
5. The key issue is to provide a good experience for pupils, ensuring that they enjoy participating and have a reasonable expectation of recognition for their achievements.
6. Pupils’ scores are used to set grade boundaries shortly after the close of the competition. Certificates will downloadable from the Competitions platform.

Prizes: Schools will be able to conduct the Junior Physics Challenge in whatever way best suits their pupils, ensuring that they enjoy participating and have a reasonable expectation of recognition for their achievements. Schools will be encouraged to award their own prizes and to make use of certificates provided for them.

Further details: The Junior Physics Challenge competition is designed to engage and challenge students of all abilities by offering them a range of problems to solve. Although most of the questions are based around the current GCSE curriculum, students will be able to gain more marks if they have a general knowledge in physics as well as taking a keen interest in practical work in lessons. The key aim is that students enjoy taking part and are encouraged to do more physics. They do not need to cover technical topics outside the syllabus, but they might be shown some pictures of famous physicists and asked to identify one (Hawking, Galileo or Newton for example). Some general knowledge and everyday interest in physics would be an advantage. The purpose is to be fun for the student and to be inclusive rather than discriminating between very able candidates.

Report and Grade Boundaries the Competition

The report and grade boundaries are downloadable from the Competitions platform