EL PHYSICS2021
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PAPER 3 MARK S
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CHEME
,A-level
PHYSICS7 m
408/3A
Paper 3 Section A
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Mark scheme
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June 2021
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Version:m1.1mFinal
, MARKmSCHEMEm–mA-LEVELmPHYSICSm–m–
mJUNEm2021
7408/3A
MarkmschemesmarempreparedmbymthemLeadmAssessmentmWritermandmconsidered,mtogethermwithmthemrelev
antmquestions,mbymampanelmofmsubjectmteachers.mThismmarkmschememincludesmanymamendmentsmmademat
mthemstandardisationmeventsmwhichmallmassociatesmparticipateminmandmismthemschememwhichmwasmusedmby
mthemminmthismexamination.mThemstandardisationmprocessmensuresmthatmthemmarkmschememcoversmthemstu
dents’mresponsesmtomquestionsmandmthatmeverymassociatemunderstandsmandmappliesmitminmthemsamemcorre
ctmway.
Asmpreparationmformstandardisationmeachmassociatemanalysesmamnumbermofmstudents’mscripts.mAlternative
manswersmnotmalreadymcoveredmbymthemmarkmschememaremdiscussedmandm legislatedmfor.mIf,maftermthemstan
dardisationmprocess,massociatesmencountermunusualmanswersmwhichmhavemnotmbeenmraisedmtheymaremreq
uiredmtomrefermthesemtomthemLeadmExaminer.
Itmmustmbemstressedmthatmammarkmschememismamworkingmdocument,minmmanymcasesmfurthermdevelopedman
dmexpandedmonmthembasismofmstudents’mreactionsmtomamparticularmpaper.mAssumptionsmaboutmfuturemmark
mschemesmonmthembasismofmonemyear’smdocumentmshouldmbemavoided;mwhilstmthemguidingmprinciplesmof mas
sessmentmremainmconstant,mdetailsmwillmchange,mdependingmonmthemcontentmofmamparticularmexaminationm
paper.
Furthermcopiesmofmthismmarkmschememaremavailablemfrommaqa.org.uk
, MARKmSCHEMEm–mA-LEVELmPHYSICSm–m–
mJUNEm2021
AQAm retainsm them copyrightm onm allmitsm publications.m However,m registeredm schools/collegesm formAQAm arempermittedm tom copym materialm frommthism bookletm fo
rmtheirm ownminternalm use,m withm them followingm important m exception: mAQAm cannotm givem permissionm tom schools/collegesm tom photocopym anym materialm thatm is
m acknowledged m tom amthirdmpartym evenmforminternalm usemwithinmthem centre.
Copyrightm© m 2021m AQAm andmitsm licensors.m Allm rightsm reserved.
2
7408/3A
Physics - Mark scheme instructions to examiners
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1. General
Themmarkmschememformeachmquestionmshows:
• themmarksmavailablemformeachmpartmofmthemquestion
• themtotalmmarksmavailablemformthemquestion
• themtypicalmanswermormanswersmwhichmaremexpected
• extraminformationmtomhelpmthemExaminermmakemhismormhermjudgementmandmhelpmtomdelineatemwhatmismac
ceptablemormnotmworthymofmcreditmor,minmdiscursivemanswers,mtomgivemanmoverviewmofmthemareaminmwhich
mam
markmormmarksmmaymbemawarded.
Themextraminformationmismalignedmtomthemappropriatemanswerminmthemleft-
handmpartmofmthemmarkmschememandmshouldmonlymbemappliedmtomthatmitemminmthemmarkmscheme.
Atmthembeginningmofmampartmofmamquestionmamremindermmaymbemgiven,mformexample:mwheremconsequentialm
markingmneedsmtombemconsideredminmamcalculation;mormthemanswermmaymbemonmthemdiagrammormatmamdiffer
entmplacemonmthemscript.
Inmgeneralmthemright-
handmsidemofmthemmarkmschememismtheremtomprovidemthosemextramdetailsmwhichmconfusemthemmainmpartmofm
themmarkmschememyetmmaymbemhelpfulminmensuringmthatmmarkingmismstraightforwardmandmconsistent.
2. Emboldening
2.1 Inmamlistmofmacceptablemanswersmwheremmoremthanmonemmarkmismavailablem‘anymtwomfrom’mismus
ed,mwithmthemnumbermofmmarksmemboldened.mEachmofmthemfollowingmbulletmpointsmismampotential