Irish Leaving Certificate Physics Tutor Online
My Physics Buddy (MPB) offers 1:1 online tutoring & homework help in Physics and related subjects — and Irish Leaving Certificate Physics is one of our dedicated tutoring areas for senior cycle students in Ireland and Irish curriculum students internationally. Leaving Certificate Physics is both a two-year academic course and a high-stakes standardized examination assessed by the State Examinations Commission (SEC), with results contributing directly to CAO points and university entry in Ireland. It is offered at Higher Level and Ordinary Level, and strong performance is particularly important for students targeting medicine, engineering, science, and technology programs at Irish universities. Whether you are a Fifth Year student building your foundation, a Sixth Year student facing mock exams and the Leaving Cert itself, or a parent looking for structured, expert online support, MPB connects you with tutors who understand the LC Physics syllabus, mandatory experiments, and examination demands thoroughly. If you’ve been searching for an Irish Leaving Certificate Physics tutor near me and want the flexibility and depth of personalized online learning, you are in the right place. Our sessions are designed to improve conceptual understanding, experiment knowledge, exam technique, and problem-solving accuracy — with honest, structured guidance and no over-promises.
- 1:1 live sessions — fully personalized to your Higher or Ordinary Level, current topics, and exam timeline
- Expert tutors with strong knowledge of the LC Physics syllabus, mandatory experiments, and SEC examination format
- Flexible time zones — sessions conveniently scheduled for Ireland, UK, US, Canada, Australia, and Gulf students
- Structured learning plan built around your level, current topics, mock exam dates, and Leaving Cert examination schedule
- Ethical homework and assignment guidance — we explain and guide; you complete and submit your own work
Who This Irish Leaving Certificate Physics Tutoring Is For
Leaving Certificate Physics is studied by Fifth and Sixth Year students across Ireland and by Irish curriculum students at schools internationally. This tutoring is for students who want focused, expert 1:1 support — not generic revision resources or group grinds.
- Fifth Year students beginning the Leaving Cert Physics course who want to build strong topic foundations from the start of senior cycle
- Sixth Year students in full LC Physics preparation mode — managing mock exams, school assessments, and the Leaving Cert itself
- Higher Level students dealing with the additional depth and mathematical demands of HL Physics and targeting top CAO points
- Ordinary Level students who want structured support to perform consistently and confidently across all exam sections
- Students who are struggling with specific topics — electromagnetic induction, circular motion, wave optics, or the mandatory experiments — who need targeted help
- Students targeting medicine, engineering, or science programs at Irish universities where strong LC Physics points are critical
- Irish students studying abroad in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, or Gulf who are following the Irish curriculum at an Irish school internationally
- Parents seeking an accountable, subject-specialist tutor who understands the LC system and can provide reliable, consistent support
Outcomes: What You’ll Be Able To Do in Irish Leaving Certificate Physics
Structured, consistent work with an MPB Leaving Certificate Physics tutor is designed to build real, observable skills across every section and every exam skill the Leaving Cert Physics paper assesses.
Solve calculation-based problems across all LC Physics topics — from mechanics and electricity to waves, heat, and modern physics — accurately and with clearly shown working that matches SEC marking scheme expectations. Recall and explain mandatory experiment procedures, results, and sources of error in the precise, structured way the SEC marking scheme rewards — one of the most consistently underestimated skill areas in LC Physics preparation. Analyze data, graphs, and experimental results using scientific reasoning skills assessed across both Section A (experiments) and Section B (theory) of the LC Physics paper. Apply physics principles to unfamiliar problem contexts — particularly the higher-difficulty questions at the end of Section B options — which is where Higher Level students either gain or loose significant marks depending on their depth of understanding. Write precise definitions, laws, and principle statements that earn full marks against the SEC marking scheme — a skill that requires practice with exact phrasing, not just general understanding.
What We Cover in Irish Leaving Certificate Physics (Syllabus / Topics)
Leaving Certificate Physics is specified by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and examined by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). The syllabus covers a broad range of physics topics across the two senior cycle years. Higher Level and Ordinary Level cover the same broad syllabus but differ in depth of treatment and the mathematical demands of examination questions. Always share your level and current topic with your tutor so sessions are precisely aligned. Exact examination structure may vary — verify current details with the SEC.
Track 1: Mechanics
- Linear motion: displacement, velocity, acceleration, equations of motion
- Vectors and scalars; resolution of forces
- Newton’s three laws of motion and their applications
- Momentum, impulse, and conservation of momentum
- Work, energy, and power; conservation of mechanical energy
- Circular motion: centripetal force and acceleration
- Gravity: Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation, gravitational field strength
- Mandatory experiments: measurement of g, verification of Newton’s second law, conservation of momentum
- Problem types: multi-step calculations, experiment recall, graph analysis
Track 2: Waves
- Wave properties: amplitude, wavelength, frequency, period, wave speed
- Transverse and longitudinal waves; examples from sound and light
- Reflection, refraction, and diffraction of waves
- Interference and Young’s double-slit experiment
- Sound: speed, pitch, loudness, resonance, the Doppler Effect
- Stationary waves: strings and air columns
- Mandatory experiments: measurement of the speed of sound, verification of Snell’s Law, measurement of wavelength of light
- Problem types: wave calculations, diffraction grating, experiment procedure and error questions
Track 3: Heat
- Temperature, thermometers, and the Celsius and Kelvin scales
- Heat and internal energy; specific heat capacity and calorimetry
- Specific latent heat of fusion and vaporization
- Conduction, convection, and radiation as heat transfer mechanisms
- The gas laws: Boyle’s Law, Charles’s Law, Gay-Lussac’s Law, and the Ideal Gas Law
- Mandatory experiments: specific heat capacity of a metal and a liquid, specific latent heat of fusion and vaporization, verification of Boyle’s Law
- Problem types: calorimetry calculations, gas law problems, experiment recall
Track 4: Electricity
- Electrostatics: Coulomb’s Law, electric field, electric potential, capacitance
- Current, potential difference, resistance, and Ohm’s Law
- Series and parallel circuits; internal resistance and EMF
- Electrical power and energy; domestic electricity and safety
- Capacitors: charging, discharging, and energy stored
- Mandatory experiments: verification of Ohm’s Law, resistivity of a wire, measurement of capacitance
- Problem types: circuit analysis, Ohm’s Law, EMF and internal resistance, capacitor calculations
Track 5: Magnetism and Electromagnetism
- Magnetic fields: permanent magnets, field patterns, Earth’s magnetic field
- Force on a current-carrying conductor; the motor effect; Fleming’s left-hand rule
- Electromagnetic induction: Faraday’s Law, Lenz’s Law
- The transformer: turns ratio, voltage, current, and efficiency
- AC and DC generators: structure and operation
- Mandatory experiments: demonstration of electromagnetic induction, use of a Hall probe or compass
- Problem types: transformer calculations, induced EMF, force on conductor scenarios
Track 6: Light and Optics
- The nature of light: particle and wave models; the electromagnetic spectrum
- Reflection: laws of reflection, plane and curved mirrors, image formation
- Refraction: Snell’s Law, total internal reflection, refractive index
- Lenses: converging and diverging lenses; lens formula; ray diagrams
- Dispersion of white light; the spectrometer
- Mandatory experiments: measurement of the focal length of a lens, verification of Snell’s Law
- Problem types: lens and mirror calculations, refractive index problems, experiment recall
Track 7: Modern Physics
- The electron: thermionic emission, cathode ray tube, specific charge of the electron
- Photoelectric effect and photon energy; Einstein’s photoelectric equation
- Wave-particle duality; de Broglie wavelength
- The nuclear atom: Rutherford’s model, atomic number, mass number, isotopes
- Radioactivity: alpha, beta, gamma decay; half-life; radiation safety
- Nuclear fission, fusion, and mass-energy equivalence
- Particle physics: fundamental particles, the Standard Model (high level)
- Problem types: photoelectric threshold calculations, half-life problems, mass-energy equivalence, nuclear equations
Track 8: Option Topics (Higher Level)
- Particle Physics: quarks, leptons, hadrons, conservation laws, accelerators
- Applied Electricity: semiconductor devices, rectification, amplification
- Atmospheric Physics: the atmosphere, solar radiation, greenhouse effect, ozone layer
- Option coverage confirmed with your tutor based on your school’s chosen option and examination year
Students who are also preparing for other physics qualifications or looking to build deeper subject knowledge can explore MPB’s pages for A/AS Level Physics (9702), IB Physics HL/SL, and university-level Physics.
How My Physics Buddy Tutors Help You with Irish Leaving Certificate Physics (The Learning Loop)
Diagnose: Every engagement starts with a structured diagnostic. The tutor asks about your Higher or Ordinary Level, current topic, school mock exam dates, recent test or Christmas exam results, and which areas feel most unclear — whether that’s electromagnetic induction, the mandatory experiments, circular motion, or modern physics. This shapes the entire structure of your sessions from the first booking.
Explain: The tutor builds each topic from the LC Physics syllabus using clear, SEC-appropriate language, step-by-step reasoning, and live worked examples on a digital whiteboard. Tricky concepts — Lenz’s Law, the photoelectric effect, the derivation of equations of motion — get explained in ways that connect directly to how the SEC examination paper tests them, so explanations are immediately useful for marks, not just for general understanding.
Practice: You work through past SEC examination questions and school assessment-style problems across all topics. Section A experiment questions, short Section B definitions, and longer multi-step calculations are all practiced — covering the full range of question types and difficulty levels in the LC Physics paper, including the harder Higher Level questions that determine the top grade bands.
Feedback: After each practice block, your tutor reviews your answers in detail — not just the final mark, but whether definitions are precise enough for the marking scheme, whether experiment recall is complete and accurate, and where marks are being dropped. Common LC Physics traps — incomplete experiment error analysis, vague law statements, missing units in calculations — get caught and corrected with specific, actionable guidance.
Retest/Reinforce: Topics where errors are consistant are revisited in later sessions with fresh question types and varied difficulty. Reinforcement is deliberately spaced so that understanding holds under actual examination conditions — not just in the session where a topic was first reviewed.
Plan: Your tutor maintains a clear session roadmap anchored to your school’s mock exam schedule and the Leaving Cert examination timetable published by the SEC. The plan adapts as mock results come in and remaining preparation priorities become clearer through Fifth and Sixth Year.
Accountability: For students who want it, tutors set structured tasks between sessions — past paper sections, mandatory experiment recall reviews, definition lists — and check completion at the start of each session to keep consistent momentum across the months before the Leaving Cert.
All sessions run on Google Meet, with a digital pen-pad or iPad + Pencil for live worked examples, circuit diagrams, wave diagrams, ray diagrams, and force sketches. Tutors adapt explanation depth and mathematical rigour to Higher or Ordinary Level — HL students receive fuller derivation treatment and are pushed toward the higher-difficulty Section B questions the marking scheme rewards most.
First session flow: Your first session starts with a short diagnostic — the tutor asks about your level, current topic, recent school exam marks, mock exam dates, and the topics giving you the most trouble. The tutor then moves into live teaching on a priority topic with worked examples and Q&A. The session closes with a clear plan for the sessions ahead. Before the session, it helps to share your school physics notes or textbook, a recent test paper, and your mock and Leaving Cert examination schedule.
Tutor Match Criteria (How We Pick Your Tutor)
MPB selects your Leaving Certificate Physics tutor based on several interconnected criteria — LC-specific knowledge is just as important as subject depth.
Level and syllabus fit: Your tutor will have direct familiarity with the current LC Physics syllabus, the SEC examination format, the mandatory experiment list, and the marking scheme language and structure — including the specific phrasing the SEC rewards for definitions, laws, and experiment descriptions.
Topic strengths and tools: For LC Physics, we look for tutors who are confident across all syllabus sections — mechanics, electricity, waves, heat, magnetism, optics, and modern physics — and who understand the specific demands of the SEC examination, particularly the Section A experiment format and the option topic questions. Tools used include Google Meet and digital pen-pad or iPad + Pencil for live diagrams and worked examples.
Time zone and availability: Tutors are matched for availability across Irish Standard Time (IST/GMT), as well as UK, US, Canada, Australia, and Gulf time zones for Irish students studying abroad. After-school and weekend slots are commonly available for students in Irish schools.
Learning style and pace: Some students learn best starting from conceptual understanding and real-world examples before equations; others learn better working directly from past paper questions and building understanding from their errors. Your tutor adapts to whichever approach builds both understanding and SEC exam performance most effectively.
Language and communication preferences: All MPB tutors communicate in clear English, adjusting technical depth to HL or OL level and ensuring explanations connect directly to the LC syllabus and marking scheme language rather than going beyond what the examination requires.
Goals: Whether your priority is a specific CAO points threshold, improving performance on a weak topic before mocks, maintaining consistent weekly support across senior cycle, or intensive revision in the final weeks before the Leaving Cert, the tutor’s session structure is calibrated to that goal.
Urgency and timelines: Students with mock exams or the Leaving Cert weeks away get an intensive, topic-triage structure. Students beginning support in Fifth Year or early Sixth Year get a thorough, paced topic-by-topic build. Both are planned explicitly after the diagnostic session.
Study Plans (Pick One That Matches Your Goal)
MPB offers three broad plan types for Irish Leaving Certificate Physics: a catch-up plan (typically 1–2 weeks of intensive sessions) for students with an imminent mock exam or the Leaving Cert itself who need rapid consolidation across key topics and mandatory experiments, an exam prep plan (typically 4–8 weeks) that works systematically through all LC Physics syllabus sections with progressive past paper practice, experiment recall, and marking scheme technique focus, and ongoing weekly support across Fifth and Sixth Year for students who want consistent expert guidance as they move through the curriculum and school assessments. The specific session plan — topic sequence, past paper selection, experiment review, and extended-question practice — is built by your tutor after the diagnostic session, fully aligned to your HL or OL level, current gaps, and examination schedule.
Pricing Guide
Irish Leaving Certificate Physics tutoring at MPB starts at USD 20 per hour and typically ranges up to USD 40 per hour for standard weekly support and exam preparation sessions. Pricing varies based on the tutor’s experience level, the intensity of support required, and the timeline. Shorter, high-urgency intensive revision sessions or requests for very thorough syllabus coverage may be priced toward the higher end. Supply and demand also plays a role — tutor availability and session frequency can influence the final rate.
For a specific quote based on your level, timeline, and goals, WhatsApp for quick quote.
FAQ
Is Leaving Certificate Physics hard?
LC Physics is widely regarded as one of the more demanding Leaving Certificate science subjects, particularly at Higher Level. The combination of mathematical problem-solving, mandatory experiment recall, precise definition writing, and multi-step Section B questions makes it a genuinely challanging subject without structured support. With consistent 1:1 tutoring, both the content and the examination technique become significantly more manageable well before the Leaving Cert.
How many sessions are needed?
It depends on your current level, target grade, and timeline. Sixth Year students doing intensive exam prep over 4–8 weeks typically benefit from 2–3 sessions per week. Students on an ongoing Fifth or Sixth Year weekly support plan usually do 1–2 sessions per week. Your tutor will give a specific estimate after the first diagnostic session once your topic gaps and exam schedule are known.
Can you help with LC Physics homework and assignments?
Yes — MPB provides guided homework and classwork help throughout the school year. Tutors explain the relevant concepts, walk through similar worked examples, and review your reasoning and approach. Our services aim to provide personalized academic guidance to help you understand concepts and improve your skills. Materials provided are for learning purposes only. Submitting another person’s work as your own or misusing guidance in ways that violate your school’s academic integrity policy is strongly discouraged. You complete and submit your own work.
How important are the mandatory experiments in the LC Physics exam?
Extremely important. Section A of the LC Physics examination paper is dedicated entirely to mandatory experiments — typically 3 questions, each based on a specific experiment from the official mandatory list. Students must know the procedure, the measurements taken, the calculations performed, the precautions, and the sources of error for each experiment. Many students underestimate this section, and tutors at MPB give mandatory experiment recall the serious, structured attention it deserves throughout preparation.
What happens in the first session?
The first session begins with a short diagnostic — the tutor asks about your HL or OL level, current topic coverage, recent school test marks, mock exam dates, and the areas you find most difficult. The tutor then moves into live teaching on a priority topic with worked examples and Q&A. The session closes with a clear plan for the sessions ahead. Bring your school physics notes, a recent test or mock paper, and your examination timetable to make the most of the session.
Is online tutoring as effective as in-person grinds for LC Physics?
For most students, online 1:1 tutoring is equally effective — and more flexible — than traditional in-person grinds. Sessions use Google Meet with a digital pen-pad or iPad + Pencil, so worked examples, circuit diagrams, wave diagrams, and ray diagrams are drawn live just as clearly as on a physical whiteboard. Students across Ireland find online sessions particularly convenient given flexible scheduling around school hours, sport, and other commitments in senior cycle.
How does the LC Physics examination work?
The Leaving Certificate Physics examination is set and marked by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). It is a written paper of approximately 3 hours duration. Section A consists of mandatory experiment-based questions. Section B consists of questions on the full syllabus content, from which students answer a set number. Higher Level and Ordinary Level sit separate papers with different question demands and marking schemes. Exact structure and marking scheme details may vary year to year — always verify current examination format details directly with the SEC.
What is the difference between Higher Level and Ordinary Level LC Physics?
Both levels cover the same broad LC Physics syllabus, but Higher Level demands deeper conceptual understanding, more advanced mathematical treatment, and the ability to tackle multi-step problems and derive equations under examination conditions. HL also carries higher CAO point weighting. Ordinary Level requires solid knowledge of the core content and experiment recall but at a less mathematically intensive level. Your tutor calibrates session depth and past paper selection precisely to your level from the first session.
Can MPB help with the option topic in LC Physics?
Yes. LC Physics Higher Level includes an option topic section — Particle Physics, Applied Electricity, or Atmospheric Physics — from which students answer questions in Section B. Your tutor will cover your school’s chosen option topic in the same structured way as the core syllabus, including past paper practice and marking scheme technique for that specific option.
Does strong LC Physics preparation help with university science and engineering?
Yes — significantly. Students who genuinely understand their LC Physics content find the transition into first-year university physics, engineering mechanics, and applied science courses considerably smoother. Understanding built through 1:1 tutoring holds up under university assessment in a way that surface-level exam preparation does not. Students looking ahead can explore MPB’s pages for Classical (Newtonian) Mechanics, Electromagnetism, and Modern Physics to understand what university physics looks like.
Academic Integrity Note: Our services aim to provide personalized academic guidance, helping students understand concepts and improve skills. Materials provided are for reference and learning purposes only. Misusing them for academic dishonesty or violations of academic integrity policies is strongly discouraged.
Trust & Quality at My Physics Buddy
Tutor selection: Every MPB tutor goes through a subject knowledge screening, a live demo session evaluation, and an ongoing student feedback review process. For Irish Leaving Certificate Physics, we specifically look for tutors who understand the SEC examination format, the mandatory experiment framework, the marking scheme language, and the specific demands of both HL and OL papers — not just the physics content in isolation. Tutors are evaluated on their ability to teach within the LC syllabus structure, build exam technique alongside conceptual understanding, and give students the precise, mark-winning phrasing the SEC marking scheme rewards.
Academic integrity: MPB’s role is to guide and explain — not to do the work for students. In all homework, classwork, and assignment support, tutors explain concepts, work through analogous examples, and provide feedback on the student’s own reasoning. Students write, calculate, and submit their own work. This is the approach that builds genuine understanding — and genuine grade improvement — under Leaving Cert examination conditions.
About My Physics Buddy: MPB is a Physics-focused online tutoring platform serving secondary school students, early college students, graduate students, and their families across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and Gulf regions. Our core is Physics and closely related quantitative subjects. Students preparing for Irish Leaving Certificate Physics can also explore subject-specific depth through MPB’s pages for Waves and Optics, Thermodynamics, Electrostatics, and Nuclear Physics. Students progressing to university or considering international qualifications can also look ahead with our pages for IB Physics HL/SL and A/AS Level Physics (9702).
“The Leaving Certificate is Ireland’s main national examination at the end of senior cycle. It serves both as a terminal examination and as a university entry qualification — results directly determine CAO points and access to higher education programs across the country.”
State Examinations Commission (SEC), Ireland — official Leaving Certificate examination overview
“Physics education at second level is central to Ireland’s capacity to produce the scientists and engineers the country needs. Students who develop genuine physical intuition at senior cycle are far better equipped for the quantitative demands of third-level STEM programs.”
As broadly reflected in Irish STEM education policy — see the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) STEM Education Policy statements
Explore Related Physics Subjects and Qualifications at MPB: Leaving Certificate Physics content overlaps directly with several core physics disciplines and leads naturally into multiple university and international qualification pathways. MPB has dedicated tutoring pages for Irish Leaving Certificate Physics, GCSE Physics, Kinematics, Optics, and Electromagnetism — all relevant whether you are reinforcing current LC content or planning what comes next after the Leaving Cert.
Content reviewed by an Irish Leaving Certificate Physics tutor at My Physics Buddy.
Next Steps
Getting started is straightforward. Share your Higher or Ordinary Level, your current topic, the areas you find most difficult, your mock exam dates, and your Leaving Cert examination schedule. Let us know your preferred session times and time zone. MPB will match you with a tutor whose LC Physics syllabus knowledge, availability, and teaching approach fits your needs. Your first session is a diagnostic and live teaching session — so you leave with a clearer understanding of a priority topic and a concrete plan for the sessions ahead.