The general consensus is that mathematics is a little easier if you compare Edexcel mathematics with Edexcel physics (since these are the courses taught at my university). Level A Physics is the second science we see on this list, and the fourth most difficult Level A you can currently take. There is much more mathematics involved than at the GCSE level, and this could be the reason why students find it difficult. There is an easy refutation of this line of “reasoning”.
First, there is no “hard mathematics” at Level A Physics. Most of the mathematical content (especially calculus) was removed years ago. Secondly, the percentage of students taking Level A Mathematics in the UK who are women is more than 40% than 20%. The argument that girls are discouraged from physics because it includes mathematics is, therefore, demonstrably false.
Mathematics and physics are two of the most challenging subjects available at A Level. Both require logical thinking, decision-making, and problem solving. In fact, 40% of the marks on your Level A Physics exams come from mathematics alone. This is because it is very difficult to complete the Level A Physics course without Level A Mathematics concepts.
In the first year at Cambridge, physical chemistry was basically physics, inorganic chemistry was more like normal chemistry and well, but organic chemistry, as taught through the movement of electrons of arrows undulating in reactions, led me up the wall. A-Level Further Maths is incredibly difficult, and it's a big step up from GCSE Maths and A-Level Maths. The first is that, despite the strenuous efforts of many parties, the fraction of female students studying physics at level A has stabilized at around 20% for at least two decades. But it makes me wonder if that would lead to physics disappearing from the curriculum altogether.
You must have both an aptitude for physics and the ability to work hard if you want to have a chance at Level A Physics. His topics will cover some of the most difficult aspects of the subject, including nuclear and particle physics, thermodynamics and oscillations. However, that doesn't mean that studying physics doesn't bring with it some interesting career opportunities. It's easy to assume that physicists care about why the universe exists and how everything works.
In fact, at the University female students generally outperform male students in Physics when it comes to final results; it's just that there are few to begin with. A-Level Psychology is very similar to GCSE English in the way you have to write a lot in a short amount of time. Level A physics, because they have eliminated all mathematics, but they still expect you to gain a full understanding just from words. An alternative explanation of the numbers is that schools (especially the one led by Katharine Birbalsingh, where participation is even worse than the national average) provide an environment that actively discourages girls from taking an interest in physics by reinforcing gender stereotypes even in schools.
offer Level A Physics in the first place.