Cambridge AS and A Level Physics (9702), explained
Cambridge 9702 is the A Level Physics course taken at many international schools, in India and worldwide. It has 25 topics across AS and A Level and five papers, two of them about practical skills. This guide sets it all out.
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The five papers
- Paper 1: Multiple Choice: 1 hour 15 minutes, 40 questions, 40 marks, on AS content. 31% of AS, 15.5% of A Level.
- Paper 2: AS Level Structured Questions: 1 hour 15 minutes, 60 marks. 46% of AS, 23% of A Level.
- Paper 3: Advanced Practical Skills: 2 hours, 40 marks, a practical exam in the lab. 23% of AS, 11.5% of A Level.
- Paper 4: A Level Structured Questions: 2 hours, 100 marks, on A Level content with AS knowledge assumed. 38.5% of A Level.
- Paper 5: Planning, Analysis and Evaluation: 1 hour 15 minutes, 30 marks, two compulsory written questions on experimental skills. 11.5% of A Level.
AS Level is Papers 1, 2 and 3. The full A Level adds Papers 4 and 5, either all in one series or staged over two years with the AS result carried forward.
The AS Level topics (1 to 11)
- Physical quantities and units
- Kinematics
- Dynamics
- Forces, density and pressure
- Work, energy and power
- Deformation of solids
- Waves
- Superposition
- Electricity
- D.C. circuits
- Particle physics
The A Level topics (12 to 25)
- Motion in a circle
- Gravitational fields
- Temperature
- Ideal gases
- Thermodynamics
- Oscillations
- Electric fields
- Capacitance
- Magnetic fields
- Alternating currents
- Quantum physics
- Nuclear physics
- Medical physics
- Astronomy and cosmology
Medical physics and astronomy are compulsory topics in 9702, not options, so plan time for both.
How the topics connect
The 25 topics are not separate boxes. Many A Level questions build directly on AS ideas, which is why Paper 4 assumes AS knowledge.
- Motion in a circle (12) and gravitational fields (13) both rely on Newton's laws from dynamics (3): the gravitational force provides the centripetal force for an orbit.
- Electric fields (18) mirror gravitational fields, with Coulomb's law in place of Newton's law of gravitation, and lead into capacitance (19).
- Oscillations (17) use the ideas of waves (7) and energy (5), and link to resonance in superposition (8).
- Ideal gases (15) and thermodynamics (16) use the energy ideas from work, energy and power (5).
- Quantum physics (22) and nuclear physics (23) extend particle physics (11) from AS.
- Medical physics (24) draws on waves, electricity and nuclear physics, while astronomy (25) uses waves, the Doppler effect and gravitation.
Revising in these linked groups is more efficient than going topic by topic, and it prepares you for questions that mix ideas.
The practical papers
Together, Papers 3 and 5 are worth 23% of the A Level, so practical skills cannot be left to chance.
- Paper 3 is done in a lab: you take measurements, record them in tables with units and uncertainties, plot graphs and draw conclusions.
- Paper 5 is written: you plan an investigation, then analyse given data, often by linearising with logarithms, and evaluate it with uncertainties.
An AS question (Paper 2 style)
A wire of length 2.0 m and cross-sectional area 1.0 × 10−7 m² has resistance 3.4 Ω. Find the resistivity of the metal.
- ρ = RA / L = 3.4 × 1.0 × 10−7 / 2.0 = 1.7 × 10−7 Ω m.
An A Level question (Paper 4 style)
A capacitor of 470 μF is charged to 12 V. Find the energy stored.
- W = ½CV² = 0.5 × 470 × 10−6 × 144 = 0.034 J.
A Paper 5 style idea
A student suspects that the period T of a mass on a spring depends on the mass m as T = kmn. How should the data be analysed?
- Take logs: lg T = n lg m + lg k.
- Plot lg T against lg m: the gradient is n and the intercept is lg k.
- Include error bars from the uncertainties in T and m, and draw a worst acceptable line to find the uncertainty in n.
Exam conditions
- Each paper begins with a page of data and formulae. It does not list every relationship, so learn the rest.
- A calculator is expected.
- Definitions must be precise: the examiner reports show the wording that earns the mark.
How to plan
- Master units and uncertainties early (topic 1): they appear in every paper.
- Practise Paper 1 for speed: 40 questions in 75 minutes.
- Build practical skills all year, not just before Paper 3.
- Leave time for medical physics and astronomy, which come late in many schemes of work.
- Use variants: Paper 41, 42 and 43 are variants of Paper 4, all good practice.
Common mistakes
- Leaving Paper 5 skills, especially logarithmic graphs, until the final term.
- Learning definitions loosely instead of in the precise words examiners accept.
- Forgetting that AS content is assumed in Paper 4.
- Skipping medical physics or astronomy, which are compulsory.
Practice questions
Try each one before opening the answer.
Q1. Which papers make up AS Level?
Show answer
Q2. A satellite orbits at radius 7.0 × 106 m with speed 7.5 × 103 m s−1. Find its centripetal acceleration.
Show answer
Q3. What fraction of the A Level do the two practical papers make up together?
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Frequently asked questions
Is 9702 harder than UK A Level Physics?
It is different rather than harder: 9702 has a multiple-choice paper, a lab practical exam and compulsory medical physics and astronomy. Both demand strong maths.
Is a formula sheet provided in 9702?
Yes. Each paper starts with a page of data and formulae, but it does not include everything.
Where can I find 9702 past papers?
Cambridge publishes recent papers on its website; our 9702 past papers page links to them with mark schemes.
Key takeaways
- Five papers; AS is 1, 2 and 3.
- 11 AS topics and 14 A Level topics.
- Paper 4 is the largest single paper: 38.5%.
- Practical skills (Papers 3 and 5) are 23% of A Level.
- Medical physics and astronomy are compulsory.