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Physics 0625 · for examination in 2026, 2027 and 2028

Topic 4 · Electricity and magnetism

Magnetism, charge and current, circuit calculations, electrical safety in the home, the motor effect, induction and transformers.

Written in the format of: Papers 1 and 2 (multiple choice), Papers 3 and 4 (theory), Paper 6 (alternative to practical)

Written by GioPhysics from the published syllabus. These are practice papers in the style of Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625; they are not Cambridge papers, contain no past-paper questions, and the official syllabus and specimen materials remain the authority. Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 syllabus

Marks
4119
Questions
105
Multiple choice
63
Suggested time
50 minutes
PDFPrint the paperThe paper with writing space, then the mark scheme as a second booklet. Free.PPTXTeach it from the boardOne slide per question with its figure, each followed by its mark scheme. Editable.

How hard the questions are

Pitched at the board's own level, not above it. Multiple choice is mostly one step, with a couple of two-step items and one that rewards the candidate who does not take the obvious route. Structured questions open on a 1-mark recall and close on an explanation or a suggestion worth two marks — the marks real candidates most often drop.

  • 22RecallOne idea, one step. The mark is for knowing it.
  • 41RoutineThe standard application — the named equation, the usual graph read.
  • 32DemandingSeveral steps, and you have to choose them. Nothing says which comes first.
  • 10DiscriminatingThe part that separates the top grade: an unfamiliar context, a derivation, or an argument that has to hold together to earn anything.
Multiple choiceRecallCore4.1[1]

Which statement about a permanent magnet and a piece of unmagnetised iron is correct?

  1. AThe magnet attracts the iron, and the iron attracts the magnet.
  2. BThe magnet attracts the iron, but the iron has no effect on the magnet.
  3. CThe magnet repels the iron if the south pole is brought close.
  4. DThe iron must first be magnetised before any force acts.
Ready to self-mark?Reveal the detailed answerAO11 mark

Answer overview

AThe magnet attracts the iron, and the iron attracts the magnet.

Multiple choiceRoutineSupp.4.2[1]

A current of 250 mA flows in a lamp for 4.0 minutes. How much charge passes through the lamp?

  1. A1.0 C
  2. B60 C
  3. C1000 C
  4. D60 000 C
Ready to self-mark?Reveal the detailed answerAO21 mark

Answer overview

B60 C

Multiple choiceRoutineSupp.4.3[1]

Two resistors of 6.0 Ω and 3.0 Ω are connected in parallel. What is their combined resistance?

A 6.0 ohm resistor and a 3.0 ohm resistor connected in parallel6.0 Ω3.0 Ω
Fig. 3.1 A circuit diagram of two resistors connected side by side between the same pair of points. A wire arrives from the left and reaches a junction, marked with a dot, where it divides into two branches. The upper branch contains a resistor labelled 6.0 ohm and the lower branch a resistor labelled 3.0 ohm. The two branches rejoin at a second junction dot on the right, from which a single wire continues away to the right.
  1. A0.50 Ω
  2. B2.0 Ω
  3. C4.5 Ω
  4. D9.0 Ω
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Answer overview

B2.0 Ω

Multiple choiceDemandingCore4.4[1]

An electric heater is rated at 230 V, 2.0 kW. Fuses of 3 A, 5 A, 10 A and 13 A are available. Which is the most suitable fuse for the heater?

  1. A3 A
  2. B5 A
  3. C10 A
  4. D13 A
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Answer overview

C10 A

Multiple choiceRecallCore4.5[1]

A straight wire carrying a current is placed at right angles to a magnetic field. In which direction does the force on the wire act?

A current-carrying wire crossing the field between two magnet polesNmagnetSmagnetmagnetic fieldIwire carrying a current
Fig. 5.1 Two magnets face each other across a gap, the left one presenting its north pole and the right one its south pole, with the flat pole faces vertical and parallel. Four horizontal arrows drawn across the gap from the north pole to the south pole represent the magnetic field. A straight wire runs vertically down the page through the middle of the gap, so that it crosses the field lines at right angles, and a short arrow on the wire labelled I shows the current flowing up the page.
  1. Aalong the wire, in the direction of the current
  2. Balong the magnetic field lines
  3. Cat right angles to both the current and the field
  4. Dthere is no force unless the wire moves
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Answer overview

Cat right angles to both the current and the field

Multiple choiceRoutineSupp.4.5[1]

A transformer has 200 turns on the primary coil and 5000 turns on the secondary coil. The primary is connected to a 12 V a.c. supply. What is the output voltage?

Transformer with a 200-turn primary and a 5000-turn secondary on an iron coreiron coreprimary coil200 turns12 V a.c.secondary coil5000 turnsoutput
Fig. 6.1 A transformer drawn as a rectangular iron core with a hollow centre. Wound around the left limb is the primary coil, labelled 200 turns and drawn as five loops encircling the limb; its two ends run out to the left to a 12 V a.c. supply, drawn as a circle containing one cycle of a sine wave. Wound around the right limb is the secondary coil, labelled 5000 turns and drawn as seven closer-spaced loops; its two ends run out to the right to a pair of open output terminals.
  1. A0.48 V
  2. B12 V
  3. C300 V
  4. D1200 V
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Answer overview

C300 V

StructuredDemandingSupp.4.2 · 4.3[10]

A 12 V battery of negligible internal resistance is connected to a 40 Ω resistor in series with a parallel combination of a 30 Ω resistor and a 60 Ω resistor.

A 40 ohm resistor in series with a parallel pair of 30 ohm and 60 ohm resistors40 Ω30 Ω60 Ω12 V
Fig. 7.1 Circuit diagram. From the positive terminal of the 12 V battery, drawn at the foot of the circuit with its long plate on the left, the wire runs round to a resistor labelled 40 ohm. Beyond that resistor the circuit reaches a junction and divides into two parallel branches, the upper one containing a resistor labelled 30 ohm and the lower one a resistor labelled 60 ohm. The branches rejoin at a second junction, and a single wire returns from there to the negative terminal of the battery.
  1. (a)

    Calculate Calculate the combined resistance of the parallel pair.

    [2]
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    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. 1/R = 1/30 + 1/60 = 3/60

    2. R = 20 Ω

  2. (b)

    Calculate Calculate the current drawn from the battery.

    [2]
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    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. total resistance = 40 + 20 = 60 Ω

    2. I = V / R = 12 / 60 = 0.20 A

  3. (c)

    Determine Determine the potential difference across the parallel pair.

    [2]
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    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. p.d. across the 40 Ω resistor = 0.20 × 40 = 8.0 V

    2. p.d. across the pair = 12 − 8.0 = 4.0 V (or 0.20 × 20 = 4.0 V)

  4. (d)

    Determine Determine the current in the 60 Ω resistor.

    [2]
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    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. I = V / R = 4.0 / 60

    2. I = 0.067 A (67 mA)

  5. (e)

    Explain The 60 Ω resistor is now removed from the circuit, leaving a break in that branch. Explain what happens to the current drawn from the battery.

    [2]
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    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. the total resistance increases, because the parallel pair is replaced by the 30 Ω resistor alone, giving 70 Ω instead of 60 Ω

    2. so the current from the battery decreases (to about 0.17 A)

StructuredDiscriminatingSupp.4.5[9]

A bar magnet is pushed, north pole first, into a coil of insulated wire connected to a sensitive centre-zero ammeter. The ammeter needle deflects to the right while the magnet is moving in.

A bar magnet pushed north pole first into a coil connected to a centre-zero ammetercoil of insulated wireAcentre-zero ammeterSNbar magnetmagnet pushed in
Fig. 8.1 A bar magnet lies to the left of a coil of insulated wire, on the same horizontal axis as the coil. The magnet's south pole is at its left-hand end and its north pole at the right-hand end, so the north pole faces the coil. An arrow above the magnet points towards the coil, showing the direction in which the magnet is pushed. The coil is drawn as six loops, and wires from its two ends run down and join a centre-zero ammeter, whose face is shown as a circle marked A with no needle drawn on it.
  1. (a)

    State State what happens to the ammeter reading while the magnet is held stationary inside the coil.

    [1]
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    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. the reading returns to (and stays at) zero

  2. (b)

    Explain Explain, in terms of magnetic field lines, why a current is produced only while the magnet is moving.

    [3]
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    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. an e.m.f. is induced when the magnetic field lines linking the coil change

    2. moving the magnet changes the number of field lines through the coil, cutting the turns of wire

    3. a stationary magnet gives an unchanging field through the coil, so no e.m.f. and no current

  3. (c)

    State State two changes to the experiment that would each increase the size of the deflection.

    [2]
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    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. move the magnet faster

    2. any one of: use a stronger magnet; use a coil with more turns; use a coil of smaller cross-sectional area wound closer to the magnet

  4. (d)

    Explain The magnet is now pulled out of the coil, south pole first, at the same speed. Explain what is observed on the ammeter, and why.

    [3]
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    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. the needle deflects to the left — the current is in the opposite direction

    2. because the field through the coil is changing in the opposite sense as the magnet is withdrawn

    3. the size of the deflection is the same, because the rate of change of the field is the same

StructuredRoutineCore4.4[8]

A household electric shower is connected to the 230 V mains supply through a fuse and an earth wire. The shower has a metal case and is marked 8.5 kW.

An electric shower wired to the mains through a fuse, with its metal case earthed230 Vmainsfuselive wireneutral wireearth wiremetal caseheating elementelectric shower, 8.5 kW
Fig. 9.1 A wiring diagram of the electric shower. A box on the left marked 230 V mains has two wires leaving it: the live wire, which passes through a fuse drawn as a small rectangle with a line through it, and the neutral wire, which runs straight across. Both enter the outline of the shower, where they are joined to each other by the heating element. The shower's outline is labelled metal case and the appliance is marked 8.5 kW. A third wire, the earth wire, runs from an earth symbol of three shortening horizontal bars across to the metal case, meeting it at a solid connecting dot.
  1. (a)

    Calculate Calculate the current in the shower when it is operating normally.

    [2]
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    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. I = P / V = 8500 / 230

    2. I = 37 A

  2. (b)

    Explain Explain how the earth wire and the fuse together protect a person who touches the metal case if a live wire comes loose inside the shower.

    [3]
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    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. the earth wire connects the metal case to earth through a very low resistance path

    2. if the live wire touches the case, a very large current flows to earth rather than through the person

    3. this current melts the fuse, breaking the live wire and isolating the appliance

  3. (c)

    Calculate The shower is used for a total of 30 minutes each day. Electrical energy costs 24 cents per kilowatt-hour. Calculate the cost of using the shower for 30 days.

    [3]
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    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. energy per day = 8.5 kW × 0.50 h = 4.25 kWh

    2. energy in 30 days = 127.5 kWh

    3. cost = 127.5 × 24 = 3060 cents = $30.60

Practical skillsDemandingCore4.3[8]

A student investigates how the current in a filament lamp depends on the potential difference across it. She connects the lamp to a variable power supply, with an ammeter in series and a voltmeter across the lamp.

The student's results
V / V0.01.02.03.04.05.06.0
I / A0.000.170.280.360.420.470.51
  1. (a)

    State State how the ammeter and the voltmeter must each be connected in the circuit.

    [2]
    Ready to self-mark?Reveal the detailed answerAO32 marks

    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. the ammeter is connected in series with the lamp

    2. the voltmeter is connected in parallel with (across) the lamp

  2. (b)

    Determine Determine the resistance of the lamp when the potential difference across it is 1.0 V, and again when it is 6.0 V.

    [3]
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    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. R = V / I used at both points

    2. at 1.0 V: R = 1.0 / 0.17 = 5.9 Ω

    3. at 6.0 V: R = 6.0 / 0.51 = 11.8 Ω (accept 12 Ω)

  3. (c)

    Explain Explain, in terms of the filament, why the resistance changes in the way your answers to (b) show.

    [3]
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    Mark-by-mark answer

    1. as the current increases the filament gets hotter

    2. the metal ions in the filament vibrate with greater amplitude

    3. so the electrons collide with them more often and the resistance increases

The cheapest marks on any paper

What the command words are asking for

Every board publishes these and marks to them. A candidate who explains where the question said state has spent four minutes earning one mark; one who states where it said explain has earned none.

Calculate
Work out from given facts, figures or information.
Define
Give the precise meaning.
Describe
State the points of a topic; give characteristics and main features.
Determine
Establish an answer using the information available.
Estimate
Suggest an approximate value.
Explain
Set out purposes or reasons; make relationships evident; give why and/or how.
Give
Produce an answer from a given source or recall.
Identify
Name, select or recognise.
Show (that)
Provide structured evidence that leads to a given result.
State
Express in clear terms.
Suggest
Apply knowledge and understanding to situations where there is a range of valid responses in order to make proposals.

What is being tested

IGCSE assessment objectives, and how this paper divides between them

Every candidate sits two theory papers and one practical-skills paper. Core takes Papers 1 and 3 and is capped at grade C; Extended takes Papers 2 and 4 and reaches A*. Both then take either Paper 5 (practical test) or Paper 6 (alternative to practical), which carries 20% either way. Theory papers give you no formula sheet.

AO111 marks · 27%5 marks · 26%

Knowledge with understanding

Recall, describe, explain and use physics ideas, terminology, instruments and conventions.

Across the whole qualification: 50%

AO228 marks · 68%12 marks · 63%

Handling information and problem-solving

Locate and interpret information, translate between forms, calculate, reason, and apply physics to unfamiliar situations.

Across the whole qualification: 30%

AO32 marks · 5%2 marks · 11%

Experimental skills and investigations

Plan, use apparatus, record and present observations, analyse, evaluate, and suggest improvements.

Across the whole qualification: 20%