May/June 2025

The diagram shows a measuring cylinder filled with liquid. What volume of liquid does the measuring cylinder contain?

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

Which pair of changes, when made together, will always increase the pressure exerted by a brick on the ground?

Pressure

Two separate pure substances, X and Y, are heated. At the start, both substance X and substance Y are in the solid state. The graph shows how the temperature of each substance changes with time. What information does the graph provide about the substances?

Thermal properties and temperature

A liquid turns into a gas. Which property of the substance stays unchanged?

Kinetic particle model of matter

At room temperature, iron is hard to compress. Under the same conditions, oxygen can be compressed far more easily. Which comparison between the particles in iron and the particles in oxygen accounts for this?

Kinetic particle model of matter

A teacher traps a gas in a sealed syringe fitted with a plunger that can move. The teacher gradually pulls the plunger outward. The gas temperature stays unchanged. Which row describes the change in the pressure of the gas inside the syringe?

Pressure

Evaporation takes place at the surface of a pool of water. Which statement describes this change of state?

Kinetic particle model of matter

Students compare how effectively four rods made from different materials, W, X, Y and Z, transfer thermal energy. All four rods have the same size and shape. Wax is used to attach a pin to one end of the first rod. When it gets warm, the wax melts. The opposite end of the rod is heated, and the time for the pin to drop off is measured. This procedure is carried out again for each rod. The students then draw a graph of the time taken for each pin to fall. Which statement is correct?

Transfer of thermal energy

A student has four metal containers, each holding the same volume of water at a temperature of $80\,^{\circ}\text{C}$. The containers are placed in a room at $20\,^{\circ}\text{C}$. Apart from the texture and colour of their surfaces, the containers are identical. Which surface will emit energy at the greatest rate?

Transfer of thermal energy

A water wave travels at a speed of $2.0\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. Every $10\,\text{s}$, $4.0$ full waves pass a fixed point. What is the wavelength of this wave?

General properties of waves

Which row gives the correct description of the vibrations in a transverse wave and also states a correct example of a transverse wave?

General properties of waves

Which statement correctly describes an object's speed and velocity?

Motion

The diagram presents a top view of ripples on the surface of a pond after the water has been disturbed at point P. Which labels are correct for X and Y?

General properties of waves

The diagram displays the image of a clock as seen by a person standing before a plane mirror. What is the clock’s actual time?

Light

The diagram depicts a ray of light striking the surface of a glass block. Part of the ray is reflected back into the air, and part is refracted into the glass block. Which row correctly states the angle of reflection and the angle of refraction?

Light

The amplitude and the frequency of a sound wave both rise. What change occurs in the loudness, and what change occurs in the pitch of the sound?

Sound

Which statements concerning sound and ultrasound are correct?

Sound

Which row shows the magnetic properties of soft iron and steel?

Simple phenomena of magnetism

Two charged rods, X and Y, are each brought, one after the other, close to a negatively charged rod. X experiences attraction to the negatively charged rod, whereas Y is repelled. What are the charges on X and Y?

Electrical quantities

The table presents data for four different electrical devices. Which device produces the greatest power?

Electrical quantities

A mains-operated radio is a double-insulated appliance. Which statement is true?

Electrical safety

Which statement best explains a magnetic field?

Simple phenomena of magnetism

The table gives a student’s times for three races. What is the sequence of the student’s average speeds in each race, starting with the lowest and ending with the highest?

Motion

A plastic rod is charged through friction. The rod ends up with a positive charge. Which particles move from one object to the other during this process?

Electrical quantities

A teacher builds a circuit with three $1.5\,\text{V}$ cells and two $20\,\Omega$ resistors arranged in series. Which row shows the total electromotive force (e.m.f.) of the cells and the total resistance of the resistors?

Electric circuits

A student examines the turning effect on a current-carrying coil in a magnetic field. The student varies the current in the coil and the number of turns on the coil. Which two changes together must increase the turning effect?

Electromagnetic effects

A conductor carries a current of $3.0\,\text{A}$. The current is then altered to $6.0\,\text{A}$ in the reverse direction. What effect does this have on the magnetic field surrounding the conductor?

Electromagnetic effects

The table gives the contribution to background radiation from the four most common sources. What percentage of background radiation is due to all other sources?

Radioactivity

A radioactive decay occurs in the unstable nucleus of an element. Its proton number does not change. Which statement correctly describes this radioactive decay event?

Radioactivity

When electrons are lost, ......1...... produce ......2...... positively charged ......3...... . Which words correctly complete this sentence?

The nuclear model of the atom

One isotope of krypton has an atomic number of $36$ and a mass number of $78$. How many protons are present in a krypton nucleus?

The nuclear model of the atom

How long does the Earth take to complete one rotation on its axis and one orbit around the Sun?

The Earth and the Solar System

Electromagnetic radiation emitted by distant galaxies appears redshifted when it is detected on Earth. This provides evidence for the Big Bang Theory. Which statement is correct?

Stars and the Universe

Which row shows the correct weight of the mass when it is on the Earth’s surface?

Mass and weight

Which of the following statements about the Milky Way is correct?

Stars and the Universe

The masses and volumes for four objects are given. Which object would float in a liquid with density $1.4\ \text{g cm}^{-3}$?

Density

A car starts from rest on a long straight road. The car engine applies a constant driving force. The diagram shows the horizontal forces acting on the car. The resistive forces are proportional to the car’s speed. Why does the car finally attain a maximum speed?

Forces

A mattress on a bed has many compression springs. When a person lies on the bed, which energy store in the mattress increases?

Energy, work and power

Which energy resource has no store of chemical energy?

Energy, work and power

A person lifts $20$ tiles from the ground up to the roof of a house. Each tile has a mass of $1.2\ \text{kg}$. The roof of the house is $15\ \text{m}$ above the ground. How much work does the person do against gravity on the tiles in carrying them to the roof?

Energy, work and power

A pendulum is set moving, and its motion is timed. The measured time for 20 full swings is $30\,\text{s}$. What is the time for a single full swing of the pendulum?

Motion

A scientist warms a solid substance until it changes into a liquid, and then into a gas. Which row shows the two changes of state of the substance during heating?

Kinetic particle model of matter

Gases can be compressed, but liquids cannot be compressed. Which statement accounts for this difference?

Kinetic particle model of matter

A fixed mass of gas at constant temperature is enclosed in a cylinder with a movable piston. Which row states and explains what happens to the pressure of the gas in the cylinder as the gas volume increases?

Kinetic particle model of matter

Which quantity stays the same when the temperature rises?

Thermal properties and temperature

A person is holding an empty glass beaker and pours hot water into it. Why does his hand not begin to feel hot until a few seconds later?

Transfer of thermal energy

A liquid is heated, causing it to expand. In what way does this result in a convection current forming?

Transfer of thermal energy

Some electric hotplates are made of metal and do not glow while they are hot. Other hotplates are made of glass and have a heater below them that glows red. The heater heats the glass. For both hotplates, there is no air gap between the hotplate and a metal pan placed on it. Which of these statements is correct?

Transfer of thermal energy

A boat anchored at sea is passed by twelve wave crests in a time of $180\ \text{s}$. The separation between neighbouring crests is $10\ \text{m}$. What is the speed of the wave?

General properties of waves

The diagrams illustrate examples of wave motion. Which of the waves are longitudinal?

General properties of waves

A ray of light travels through a glass block. What path does the light follow?

Light

Which apparatus is used to measure the volume of an irregularly shaped solid?

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

The diagram illustrates an image formed by a converging lens. Find the focal length of the converging lens.

Light

What type of radiation is used by a remote controller to transmit its commands to a television (TV)?

Electromagnetic spectrum

If a person is exposed to too much radiation from some regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, cell damage is likely to occur. Which radiations are able to cause cell damage?

Electromagnetic spectrum

The diagram illustrates the ranges for human hearing and for ultrasound waves. Which property of sound waves do the figures on the diagram refer to?

Sound

A student is given a bar magnet and two metal blocks. The student first puts the bar magnet beside end W and end X of metal block 1. The student then puts the bar magnet beside end Y and end Z of metal block 2. The diagram indicates which ends of the metal blocks are attracted to or repelled by the bar magnet. Which of the metal blocks are bar magnets?

Simple phenomena of magnetism

A glass rod is rubbed using a silk cloth, and the glass rod ends up positively charged. Which statement explains why this occurs?

Electrical quantities

Which statement explains what is occurring when an electric current flows in a metal wire?

Electrical quantities

Which pair of electrical quantities are measured using the same unit?

Electrical quantities

A d.c. power supply of $10\,\text{V}$ is connected across a resistor. The current through the resistor is $0.050\,\text{A}$. What is the resistance of the resistor?

Electrical quantities

A resistor and a thermistor are joined in a series circuit, as shown. What change is seen in the ammeter and voltmeter readings when the thermistor is heated?

Electric circuits

A speed-time graph is drawn to show a car’s motion. What physical quantity is represented by the area beneath the speed-time graph?

Motion

In which circuit does the ammeter show $2.0\,\text{A}$?

Electric circuits

A vacuum cleaner powered from the $240\,\text{V}$ mains has an output power of $2700\,\text{W}$. Which fuse would be appropriate in the plug of the vacuum cleaner?

Electrical safety

A laptop power supply uses a transformer to reduce the mains voltage from $240\,\text{V}$ to $20\,\text{V}$. The secondary coil has $600$ turns. State what type of transformer this is and determine the number of turns on the primary coil.

Electromagnetic effects

An ion of the element oxygen carries a negative charge. Which change makes the ion into a neutral oxygen atom?

The nuclear model of the atom

A nitrogen nuclide is written as $^{15}_{7}\text{N}$. How many neutrons does this nuclide contain?

The nuclear model of the atom

Which list contains only sources of naturally occurring background radiation?

Radioactivity

A student compares alpha emissions, beta emissions and gamma emissions. Which statement is correct?

Radioactivity

In school laboratories, radioactive sources are kept in boxes lined with lead. Why is lead chosen?

Radioactivity

The Sun, the Earth and the Moon are all objects in the Solar System. The Earth experiences a repeating cycle of day and night and also a repeating cycle of seasons. Which row matches the periods of these cycles to the movements of these bodies?

The Earth and the Solar System

The value of the gravitational field strength on the surface of a planet depends on the ........1........ . The gravitational field strength ........2........ as the distance from the planet gets larger. Which words correctly complete the sentences?

Mass and weight

Which quantity counts as a force?

Forces

The Sun emits the bulk of its energy across three areas of the electromagnetic spectrum. The diagram illustrates the fraction of the total energy emitted in each of these areas. Region P represents visible light, and region Q represents ultraviolet. Which region is R?

Electromagnetic spectrum

Each of the four hollow glass balls, P, Q, R and S, has a volume of $30\,\text{cm}^3$. The mass of each ball is given. Which balls will float in a liquid of density $0.95\,\text{g cm}^{-3}$?

Density

A car moves at constant speed on a straight road that has a slight downward gradient. Which statement is correct?

Forces

A torque wrench is a tool used to make sure nuts or bolts are tightened by the correct amount. A mechanic adjusts the torque wrench so that it provides a moment of $50\,\text{N m}$. The torque wrench has a length from the centre of the bolt to the handle of $600\,\text{mm}$. What is the least force the mechanic must apply to tighten the bolt properly?

Forces

The work done $W$ by a force depends on the magnitude $F$ of that force and the distance $d$ moved in the direction of the force. Which equation for $W$ is correct?

Energy, work and power

Which energy resource needs a power station fitted with a boiler in order to make steam for electricity generation?

Energy, work and power

A pendulum is set in motion and its oscillation is measured. The time taken for 20 full oscillations is $30\,\text{s}$. What is the time for one full oscillation of the pendulum?

Motion

A scientist warms a solid substance until it melts and then vaporises. Which row shows the two changes of state that occur as the substance is heated?

Thermal properties and temperature

Gases may be compressed, whereas liquids may not be compressed. Which statement accounts for this difference?

Kinetic particle model of matter

A fixed mass of gas at constant temperature is enclosed in a cylinder with a movable piston. Which row gives the statement and explanation for what happens to the pressure of the gas in the cylinder when the volume of the gas increases?

Kinetic particle model of matter

Which quantity stays constant when the temperature rises?

Mass and weight

A person is holding an empty glass beaker while hot water is poured into it. Why does it take a few seconds before his hand begins to feel hot?

Transfer of thermal energy

A liquid is heated, causing it to expand. In what way does this cause a convection current to form?

Transfer of thermal energy

Some electric hotplates are made of metal and they do not glow when they are hot. Other hotplates are made of glass and have a heater below them that glows red. The heater heats the glass. For both hotplates, there is no air gap between the hotplate and a metal pan that is placed on it. Which statement is correct?

Transfer of thermal energy

Twelve wave crests move past a boat that is anchored at sea in a time of $180\,\text{s}$. The gap between neighbouring crests of the wave is $10\,\text{m}$. What is the speed of the wave?

General properties of waves

The diagrams illustrate examples of wave motion. Which of the waves are longitudinal?

General properties of waves

A beam of light travels through a glass block. What route does the light take?

Light

Which piece of apparatus is used to find the volume of a solid with an irregular shape?

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

The diagram illustrates a converging lens producing an image. What is the focal length of the converging lens?

Light

What kind of radiation is used by a remote controller to transmit its instructions to a television (TV)?

Electromagnetic spectrum

A person who is exposed to too much radiation from certain regions of the electromagnetic spectrum is likely to experience cell damage. Which radiations lead to cell damage?

Electromagnetic spectrum

The diagram illustrates the intervals of human hearing and ultrasound waves. Which property of sound waves do the figures on the diagram represent?

Sound

A student has a bar magnet and two metal blocks. The student first puts the bar magnet beside end W and end X of metal block 1. The student then puts the bar magnet beside end Y and end Z of metal block 2. The diagram shows which ends of the metal blocks are attracted to, or repelled by, the bar magnet. Which metal blocks are bar magnets?

Simple phenomena of magnetism

A glass rod is rubbed using a silk cloth. The glass rod ends up positively charged. Which statement accounts for this?

Electrical quantities

Which statement explains what occurs when an electric current flows through a metal wire?

Electrical quantities

Which two electrical quantities are measured using the same unit?

Electrical quantities

A $10\,\text{V}$ d.c. power supply is connected across a resistor. The current through the resistor is $0.050\,\text{A}$. What resistance does the resistor have?

Electrical quantities

A resistor and a thermistor are joined in series in the circuit shown. What change is seen in the ammeter and voltmeter readings when the thermistor is heated?

Electric circuits

A speed-time graph is drawn to show the motion of a car. Which quantity is represented by the area beneath the speed-time graph?

Motion

Which circuit shows an ammeter reading of $2.0\,\text{A}$?

Electric circuits

A $240\,\text{V}$ vacuum cleaner operated from the mains has a power output of $2700\,\text{W}$. Which fuse would be suitable for fitting in the plug of the vacuum cleaner?

Electrical safety

In a laptop power supply, the transformer reduces the mains voltage from $240\,\text{V}$ to $20\,\text{V}$. The secondary coil has $600$ turns. What kind of transformer is this, and how many turns are there on the primary coil?

Electromagnetic effects

An oxygen ion has a negative charge. Which change would make it into a neutral oxygen atom?

The nuclear model of the atom

A nitrogen nuclide is written as $^{15}_{7}\text{N}$. How many neutrons are present in this nuclide?

The nuclear model of the atom

Which list contains only sources of naturally occurring background radiation?

Radioactivity

A student compares alpha emissions, beta emissions and gamma emissions. Which statement is accurate?

Radioactivity

In school laboratories, radioactive sources are kept in boxes lined with lead. Why is lead chosen?

Radioactivity

The Sun, the Earth and the Moon are all objects in the Solar System. The Earth experiences a repeating cycle of day and night and a repeating cycle of seasons. Which row matches the periods of these cycles to the movements of these bodies?

The Earth and the Solar System

The gravitational field strength at the surface of a planet is determined by the ........1........ . As the distance from the planet increases, the gravitational field strength ........2........ . Which words complete the sentences correctly?

Mass and weight

Which of these quantities is an example of a force?

Forces

Most of the Sun's energy is emitted across three parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. The diagram indicates the fraction of the total energy emitted in each of these parts. Region P is visible light and region Q is ultraviolet. What is region R?

Electromagnetic spectrum

There are four hollow glass spheres, P, Q, R and S, and each one has a volume of $30\,\text{cm}^3$. The mass of every sphere is given. Which spheres will float in a liquid with density $0.95\,\text{g cm}^{-3}$?

Density

A car moves at constant speed along a straight road that slopes gently downwards. Which statement is correct?

Forces

A torque wrench is a device used to make sure that nuts or bolts are tightened by the correct amount. A mechanic adjusts the torque wrench so that it produces a moment of $50\,\text{N m}$. The torque wrench has a length from the centre of the bolt to the handle of $600\,\text{mm}$. What is the smallest force the mechanic must apply in order to tighten the bolt correctly?

Forces

The work done $W$ by a force is determined by the magnitude $F$ of the force and the distance $d$ travelled in the direction of the force. Which equation for $W$ is correct?

Energy, work and power

Which energy resource needs a power station equipped with a boiler to generate steam when electricity is produced?

Energy, work and power