0625

Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625) - October-November 2023 Past Papers

Download 41 free IGCSE Physics past papers, mark schemes, and examiner reports from the October-November 2023 Cambridge examination session. Includes question papers for all variants with full solutions.

About IGCSE Physics (0625)

IGCSE Physics examines fundamental concepts including motion, forces, energy, waves, electricity, magnetism, and nuclear physics. Candidates must demonstrate understanding of physical phenomena, apply mathematical equations, and analyze experimental data.

What this exam tests: Key skills tested include calculations, graph interpretation, practical methodology, and explaining scientific concepts.

Papers available in variants 11, 12, 13 for different time zones. All variants cover the same Physics syllabus with equal difficulty.

Grade Thresholds

Study Resources for Physics

Prepare for your exam with these complementary resources:

Revision Notes
58 topics
Flashcards
650 cards
Practice Quiz
Test your knowledge

0625 October-November 2023 Papers

0625 Paper 1 - Multiple Choice (Core)

45 min • 40 marks

Tests broad syllabus knowledge with 40 questions. Each question has four options (A-D). Core tier paper.

Select variant:
Question Paper
Mark Scheme
QP + MS QP + ER

All variants (different time zones):

QP:
v1
v2
v3
MS:
v1
v2
v3

0625 Paper 2 - Multiple Choice (Extended)

45 min • 40 marks

Extended tier multiple choice with more challenging questions covering the full syllabus. 40 questions, 45 minutes.

Select variant:
Question Paper
Mark Scheme
QP + MS QP + ER

All variants (different time zones):

QP:
v1
v2
v3
MS:
v1
v2
v3

0625 Paper 3 - Theory (Core)

1 hr 15 min • 80 marks

Structured and free-response questions testing understanding and application. Core tier, grades available C-G.

Select variant:
Question Paper
Mark Scheme
QP + MS QP + ER

All variants (different time zones):

QP:
v1
v2
v3
MS:
v1
v2
v3
View syllabus topics tested in Paper 3 (11 topics, 80 marks total)

This 0625 Paper 3 from October-November 2023 tests 11 different syllabus topics. The highest-weighted topic is Mass and weight (Motion, forces and energy) worth 10 marks out of 80 total marks. Other significant topics include Kinetic particle model of matter (10 marks) and Electrical quantities (9 marks).

Mark distribution by topic:

Mass and weight 10/80
Kinetic particle model of matter 10/80
Electrical quantities 9/80
Earth and the Solar System 8/80
Motion 7/80
Electromagnetic effects 7/80
Electric circuits 7/80
General properties of waves 6/80
Electromagnetic spectrum 6/80
Light 5/80
The nuclear model of the atom 5/80

Understanding which topics carry the most marks helps you prioritize your Physics revision. Practice questions from high-mark topics like Mass and weight to maximize your score.

0625 Paper 4 - Theory (Extended)

1 hr 15 min • 80 marks

Extended tier theory paper with more demanding questions. Full grade range A*-G available with this paper.

Select variant:
Question Paper
Mark Scheme
QP + MS QP + ER

All variants (different time zones):

QP:
v1
v2
v3
MS:
v1
v2
v3
View syllabus topics tested in Paper 4 (7 topics, 80 marks total)

This 0625 Paper 4 from October-November 2023 tests 7 different syllabus topics. The highest-weighted topic is Energy, work and power (Motion, forces and energy) worth 22 marks out of 80 total marks. Other significant topics include Forces (13 marks) and The nuclear model of the atom (10 marks).

Mark distribution by topic:

Energy, work and power 22/80
Forces 13/80
The nuclear model of the atom 10/80
Stars and the Universe 10/80
Electrical quantities 9/80
Pressure 8/80
Light 8/80

Understanding which topics carry the most marks helps you prioritize your Physics revision. Practice questions from high-mark topics like Energy, work and power to maximize your score.

0625 Paper 5 - Practical Test

1 hr 15 min • 40 marks

Tests practical skills including planning experiments, recording data, and drawing conclusions from results.

Select variant:
Question Paper
Mark Scheme
QP + MS QP + ER

All variants (different time zones):

QP:
v1
v2
v3
MS:
v1
v2
v3
View syllabus topics tested in Paper 5 (3 topics, 40 marks total)

This 0625 Paper 5 from October-November 2023 tests 3 different syllabus topics. The highest-weighted topic is Mass and weight (Motion, forces and energy) worth 11 marks out of 40 total marks. Other significant topics include Electrical quantities (11 marks) and Light (11 marks).

Mark distribution by topic:

Mass and weight 11/40
Electrical quantities 11/40
Light 11/40

Understanding which topics carry the most marks helps you prioritize your Physics revision. Practice questions from high-mark topics like Mass and weight to maximize your score.

0625 Paper 6 - Alternative to Practical

1 hr • 40 marks

Written paper testing practical skills through questions about experimental methods, data, and analysis.

Select variant:
Question Paper
Mark Scheme
QP + MS QP + ER

All variants (different time zones):

QP:
v1
v2
v3
MS:
v1
v2
v3
View syllabus topics tested in Paper 6 (3 topics, 40 marks total)

This 0625 Paper 6 from October-November 2023 tests 3 different syllabus topics. The highest-weighted topic is Forces (Motion, forces and energy) worth 11 marks out of 40 total marks. Other significant topics include Electrical quantities (11 marks) and Light (11 marks).

Mark distribution by topic:

Forces 11/40
Electrical quantities 11/40
Light 11/40

Understanding which topics carry the most marks helps you prioritize your Physics revision. Practice questions from high-mark topics like Forces to maximize your score.

Other Resources

Additional materials to help you prepare and understand how exams are marked.

Examiner Report

Insights from examiners on how students performed. Learn common mistakes to avoid and what examiners look for in top answers.

View

Confidential Instructions

Instructions for teachers on practical exams. Useful for understanding experiment setups and expected procedures.

P5
P5
P5

0625 October-November 2023 - Topics Breakdown by Paper

Each Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625) paper tests specific syllabus topics. Below is a breakdown of topics for each paper in October-November 2023, showing how marks are distributed. Use this to focus your revision on topics relevant to your papers.

0625 Paper 3 (Theory (Core))

80 marks total
Mass and weight (Motion, forces and energy)
Notes 10 cards
10m
Kinetic particle model of matter (Thermal physics)
10m
Electrical quantities (Electricity and magnetism)
9m
Earth and the Solar System (Space physics)
8m
Motion (Motion, forces and energy)
Notes 26 cards
7m
Electromagnetic effects (Electricity and magnetism)
7m

+ 5 more topics

0625 Paper 4 (Theory (Extended))

80 marks total
Energy, work and power (Motion, forces and energy)
22m
Forces (Motion, forces and energy)
13m
The nuclear model of the atom (Nuclear physics)
10m
Stars and the Universe (Space physics)
10m
Electrical quantities (Electricity and magnetism)
9m
Pressure (Motion, forces and energy)
Notes 8 cards
8m

+ 1 more topics

0625 Paper 5 (Practical Test)

40 marks total
Mass and weight (Motion, forces and energy)
Notes 10 cards
11m
Electrical quantities (Electricity and magnetism)
11m
Light (Waves)
11m

0625 Paper 6 (Alternative to Practical)

40 marks total
Forces (Motion, forces and energy)
11m
Electrical quantities (Electricity and magnetism)
11m
Light (Waves)
11m

Study tip: If you're taking the Extended tier, focus on Papers 2, 4, and 6. For Core tier, prepare for Papers 1, 3, and 5/6. Review the topics above for your specific papers and practice past questions from those syllabus areas.

Examiner Insights - October-November 2023

Key feedback from Cambridge examiners on how students performed

Key Takeaways

  • • Pay close attention to the wording of questions and answer precisely what is being asked.
  • • Always include the correct units and appropriate number of significant figures in numerical answers.
  • • Review the definitions and applications of key physics concepts, such as momentum, energy, and radioactivity.
  • • Practice unit conversions and calculations to avoid common errors.
  • • Make sure that all graphs are well labelled.
Paper 11 - Multiple Choice (Core)

Many candidates performed well and showed a good understanding of the syllabus. Some questions highlighted misconceptions about accuracy, renewable energy sources, and electromagnetic induction.

Study Tips:

  • ✓ Carefully read the question to understand precisely what is being asked
  • ✓ Review definitions and examples of renewable energy sources.

Common Mistakes:

Q1 (Measurement and Accuracy)
✗ Believing digital instruments are inherently more accurate.
→ Understand that accuracy depends on proper technique (e.g., multiple measurements) not just the instrument type.
Q4 (Mass vs. Weight)
✗ Believing weighing devices measure mass instead of force (weight).
→ Remember a spring balance (newton-meter) measures force, even if the scale is in kilograms.
Q9 (Renewable Energy)
✗ Thinking geothermal energy is not renewable.
→ Remember geothermal energy is considered renewable due to the long-term decay of radioisotopes.
Q10 (Power Calculation)
✗ Forgetting to convert time into seconds and failing to divide energy by time.
→ Always convert units to SI units (seconds for time, etc.) before plugging into formulas. Understand power is energy/time.
Paper 12 - Multiple Choice (Core)

Many candidates performed well, demonstrating good syllabus understanding. Challenges arose in understanding graphs, applying definitions, and converting units.

Study Tips:

  • ✓ Review the definitions of key terms and their corresponding equations
  • ✓ Practice unit conversions.

Common Mistakes:

Q3 (Motion Graphs)
✗ Calculating distance over the wrong time interval or calculating the acceleration during the whole period.
→ Pay close attention to the specific time interval asked for in the question. Understand the difference between acceleration and constant velocity.
Q4 (Mass vs. Weight)
✗ Misidentifying weight as mass and vice versa.
→ Understand the relationship between weight (force) and mass. Weight = mass * gravity.
Q5 (Density)
✗ Thinking 'per' in density (mass per unit volume) means 'multiplied by' instead of 'divided by'.
→ 'Per' means 'divided by'. Review the definition and equation for density.
Q10 (Unit Conversion)
✗ Forgetting to convert time to seconds and just multiplying numbers together without understanding
→ Always check units and convert to SI units (seconds, meters, etc.) before using formulas. Understand the meaning of a formula.
Paper 13 - Multiple Choice (Core)

Many candidates performed well and understood the syllabus. Challenges arose with renewable energy sources, the relationship between pressure and volume, and the process of melting.

Study Tips:

  • ✓ Review the specifications for the renewable and non-renewable energy sources.
  • ✓ Carefully analyze diagrams, paying attention to labels and details.

Common Mistakes:

Q2 (Motion graphs)
✗ Interpreting the question incorrectly.
→ Read the x and y axis labels carefully. Review the question.
Q9 (Renewable Energy)
✗ Not understanding the renewability of geothermal and nuclear energy.
→ Review the definitions of renewable and non-renewable energy sources. Geothermal is renewed from radio isotopes and nuclear needs fuels from earth crust
Q13 (Pressure-Volume Relationship)
✗ Thinking high pressure goes with high volume, or that pressure doesn't change during compression/expansion.
→ Know how pressure changes as volume changes (inversely proportional).
Q15 (Change of State)
✗ Believing there *is* a temperature change during melting.
→ Understand that temperature remains constant during a change of state.
Paper 21 - Multiple Choice (Extended)

Many candidates demonstrated a good understanding of the syllabus. Some challenges were present regarding vectors and gas relationships.

Study Tips:

  • ✓ Practice sketching ray diagrams and understanding the behavior of light
  • ✓ Review and practice vector addition and subtraction.

Common Mistakes:

Q5 (Forces)
✗ Not understanding that constant terminal speed means zero resultant force
→ Constant speed means 0 acceleration and therefore zero resultant force
Q13 (Gas Pressure)
✗ Not understanding that gas particles have more momentum and decrease in frequency with more energy
→ With more energy, gas particles increase momentum and decrease collisions.
Q19 (Ray diagrams)
✗ Not recognising that when both rays point down and right, the object points there.
→ Sketch out the ray diagrams yourself to see direction of the object.
Q25 (Electric circuits)
✗ Not understanding Syllabus Section 4.2.1.9
→ Review the section in detail and practice questions.

Insights extracted from the official Cambridge Examiner Report for 0625 October-November 2023. View full report →

About Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625)

Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625) is one of the most popular qualifications taken by students worldwide. The October-November 2023 examination session included 6 paper components, each testing different skills and knowledge areas.

This page contains all 0625 past papers from October-November 2023, including question papers (QP), mark schemes (MS), and examiner reports (ER). Use these resources to practice under timed conditions and understand how examiners award marks.

View all 0625 past papers → | All 2023 sessions →

Get Physics Study Tips

Join students preparing for 0625. Get weekly study tips, new past papers alerts, and exam reminders.

0625 Study Tips & FAQ

What are paper variants?

Cambridge releases multiple variants of each paper (e.g., Paper 11, 12, 13) to accommodate different time zones around the world and maintain exam security.

  • Variant 1 (e.g., 11, 21): Usually for Zone 1 (Americas)
  • Variant 2 (e.g., 12, 22): Usually for Zone 2 (Europe, Africa)
  • Variant 3 (e.g., 13, 23): Usually for Zone 3 (Asia, Oceania)

All variants cover the same syllabus and have similar difficulty. Practice with any variant to prepare effectively for your exam.

How to use Mark Schemes effectively

Mark schemes show exactly how examiners award marks for each question. Understanding them helps you write answers that earn full marks.

Example from a Physics mark scheme:

Q: Calculate the speed of a car that travels 150m in 5 seconds. [2]

Mark scheme answer:

• speed = distance / time [1 mark for formula]

• speed = 150 / 5 = 30 m/s [1 mark for correct answer with unit]

Tips:

  • Look for key words that must appear in your answer
  • Note how many points are needed for each mark
  • Check if units are required for the final mark
  • Understand the difference between "state" (brief) and "explain" (detailed)
Understanding Grade Thresholds

Grade thresholds show the minimum marks needed for each grade. They vary each session based on paper difficulty — harder papers have lower thresholds.

Example Grade Thresholds (out of 100 total):

A*
90+
A
80-89
B
70-79
C
60-69

* Actual thresholds vary by subject and session

How to use thresholds:

  • Set realistic target marks based on your goal grade
  • Track your practice paper scores against thresholds
  • Remember: you don't need 100% for an A* — aim for consistency
  • Compare thresholds across sessions to gauge difficulty trends
How is the topic breakdown calculated?

The "Topics Breakdown by Paper" section above shows which syllabus topics are tested in each paper and how many marks they carry. Here's how we calculate this:

Our methodology:

  1. Extract questions: We analyze each question paper (QP) and identify individual questions and their mark allocations (shown in square brackets, e.g., [3]).
  2. Match to syllabus: Each question is matched to the official Cambridge 0625 syllabus topics based on keywords, concepts, and question content.
  3. Sum marks per topic: For each paper, we add up the marks for all questions testing the same topic. For example, if Q1 (4 marks) and Q5b (3 marks) both test "Enzymes", that topic shows as "7 marks" for that paper.

Example: If Paper 3 shows "Photosynthesis - 13 marks", it means questions worth a total of 13 marks (out of the paper's 80 marks) tested the Photosynthesis topic from the Plant Nutrition unit of the syllabus.

How to use this: Look at the paper(s) you'll be taking (e.g., Papers 2, 4, 6 for Extended tier). The topics with the highest marks in YOUR papers are where you should focus your revision. A topic worth 15 marks deserves more study time than one worth 3 marks.

Note: Our topic matching may be inaccurate for questions that span multiple topics. Use this as a guide alongside the official syllabus.

How to Use IGCSE Physics Past Papers

📝 Timed Practice

Complete papers under exam conditions. 0625 Paper 4 is 1 hr 15 min - practice finishing within this time to build exam stamina.

✅ Self-Marking

Use the mark scheme to score your answers. Look for marking points you missed and understand what examiners expect in Physics responses.

📊 Examiner Reports

Read the 0625 examiner report to see common mistakes. Focus revision on topics where candidates typically lose marks.

🎯 Grade Targets

Check grade thresholds to see how many marks you need for your target grade. An A* in IGCSE Physics typically requires 85-90%.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I download IGCSE Physics October-November 2023 past papers?
You can download all IGCSE Physics (0625) October-November 2023 past papers directly from this page. We provide 41 files including question papers, mark schemes, and examiner reports for all variants (11, 12, 13). Click "View" to open in browser or "Download" to save the PDF.
Are 0625 mark schemes included?
Yes, mark schemes for all 0625 October-November 2023 papers are included. Each question paper has a corresponding mark scheme showing expected answers and mark allocation.
What papers are available for IGCSE Physics 0625?
IGCSE Physics (0625) has 6 papers: Paper 1 (Multiple Choice (Core)), Paper 2 (Multiple Choice (Extended)), Paper 3 (Theory (Core)), Paper 4 (Theory (Extended)), Paper 5 (Practical Test), Paper 6 (Alternative to Practical). Core tier students take Papers 1, 3, 5/6. Extended tier students take Papers 2, 4, 5/6.
What is the difference between paper variants 11, 12, and 13?
The three variants (11, 12, 13) are different versions of the same paper used in different time zones to prevent cheating. All variants test the same syllabus content at the same difficulty level. You can practice with any variant as they are equally valid for revision.
How can I practice these past papers effectively?
Use our free Exam Hub to practice past papers like real exams. It lets you view question papers and mark schemes side-by-side, so you can self-mark your answers. No sign-up required, works with any PDF, and your files stay completely private.

Continue Studying Physics

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Revision Notes
58 topics covered
Flashcards
650 cards to master
Practice Quiz
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