If you have studied A-level physics, much of the gaokao physics syllabus will look familiar: kinematics and Newton's laws, work and energy, momentum, circular motion and gravitation, electric and magnetic fields, circuits, electromagnetic induction, and some thermal, optical and modern physics. The units and most notation are the same.
The format is different. Under the 3+1+2 system physics is a first-choice subject counted at its raw score, usually out of 100, in a paper that in many provinces lasts around 75 minutes. It starts with multiple-choice questions, some single-answer and some multiple-answer with partial credit for a correct but incomplete selection, followed by two experiment questions and then several calculation problems.
Two practical differences matter most. First, calculators are not allowed, so numbers are chosen to work out by hand and g is commonly taken as 10 m/s² when the question says so. Second, there is no data and formulae booklet: every formula has to be known. Students used to looking things up need to memorise them, including derived results.
The problem style is more demanding in some areas. Gaokao calculation problems often chain several stages together — a block sliding down a slope, colliding with another, then moving onto a rough surface — and expect energy and momentum methods to be combined fluently. Charged particles moving through electric and magnetic fields, with careful geometry of circular paths, are a perennial favourite and have no close A-level equivalent in difficulty.
Experiments are assessed on paper rather than through a practical endorsement. Candidates read instruments, choose apparatus, analyse data and graphs, and explain sources of error. A-level practical experience transfers well here, but the expected answers are concise and use standard terminology.
If you are moving between the systems, the best preparation is to practise multi-stage mechanics and field problems without a calculator, keep a formula sheet you rewrite from memory every week, and work through recent provincial past papers. Exact paper formats differ by province, so use papers from the format you will face.