IB Physics Tuition Online (SL and HL)
IB Physics at SL and HL, first assessed in 2025: five themes from motion to quantum physics, two papers and a scientific investigation.
Founder & Head of School, Afterkelas
Afterkelas teaches IB Physics online at SL and HL. University tutors run live classes, 1-to-1 or in small groups, on the five themes, the data-based questions of Paper 1, the longer Paper 2 questions and the scientific investigation.
What IB Physics covers
The five themes and their subtopics, numbered as the guide numbers them within each theme. Subtopics marked HL only are not in the SL course.
A. Space, time and motion
5 topics- Kinematics
- Forces and momentum
- Work, energy and power
- Rigid body mechanics (HL only)
- Galilean and special relativity (HL only)
B. The particulate nature of matter
5 topics- Thermal energy transfers
- Greenhouse effect
- Gas laws
- Thermodynamics (HL only)
- Current and circuits
C. Wave behaviour
5 topics- Simple harmonic motion
- Wave model
- Wave phenomena
- Standing waves and resonance
- Doppler effect
D. Fields
4 topics- Gravitational fields
- Electric and magnetic fields
- Motion in electromagnetic fields
- Induction (HL only)
E. Nuclear and quantum physics
5 topics- Structure of the atom
- Quantum physics (HL only)
- Radioactive decay
- Fission
- Fusion and stars
A syllabus built on themes
The course first examined in 2025 groups physics into five themes in place of the numbered topics of the previous course: space, time and motion; the particulate nature of matter; wave behaviour; fields; and nuclear and quantum physics. HL adds whole subtopics, rigid body mechanics, relativity, thermodynamics, induction and quantum physics, and goes further in most of the others.
Older revision books follow the previous syllabus, so tutors map past-paper questions onto the new themes and skip the parts that no longer apply.
Where marks are lost
Paper 1B and Paper 2 reward data handling as much as recall: reading a graph, finding a gradient, carrying uncertainties and giving answers to sensible significant figures. Explanations lose marks when they skip the physics principle, so students practise naming the law before using it, as the worked question below does with conservation of momentum.
The scientific investigation
The internal assessment is a scientific investigation worth 20 percent, with about 10 hours of class time. Tutors can explain experimental design, uncertainties and data analysis, and what the criteria reward, but the investigation and the report are the student's own.
A question, worked through
A question from A.2, Forces and momentum. Momentum is conserved in the collision; kinetic energy is not.
Question
A trolley of mass 2.0 kg moving at 3.0 m s⁻¹ collides with a stationary trolley of mass 1.0 kg, and they move off together. Find (a) their common velocity and (b) the kinetic energy lost in the collision.
- Momentum before = 2.0 × 3.0 = 6.0 kg m s⁻¹. Momentum is conserved, so 6.0 = (2.0 + 1.0)v.
- (a) v = 6.0 ÷ 3.0 = 2.0 m s⁻¹.
- Kinetic energy before = ½ × 2.0 × 3.0² = 9.0 J; after = ½ × 3.0 × 2.0² = 6.0 J.
- (b) Kinetic energy lost = 9.0 − 6.0 = 3.0 J, transferred mostly to internal energy and sound.
Answer (a) 2.0 m s⁻¹. (b) 3.0 J.
Frequently asked questions
Does my child need books for the new syllabus?
Ideally, yes. The course first examined in 2025 reorganised physics into themes, so older books cover the content in a different order and include material that has moved or gone. Tutors map older past-paper questions onto the new themes.
What does HL add in IB Physics?
More depth in most subtopics, plus five HL-only subtopics: rigid body mechanics, Galilean and special relativity, thermodynamics, induction and quantum physics. The HL papers are also longer.
When should IB Physics tuition start?
Early in the first year, while kinematics and forces are taught, since most of the later themes use them.
How much does IB Physics tuition cost?
The fee depends on the format (1-to-1 or a small group), how many classes a week and the tutor, so there is no single figure. Send an academic advisor the level, the school and the latest predicted grade on WhatsApp, and you will get the current packages and a quote, usually within one working day.