Question 1

What does Cambridge International IGCSE Physics cover?

Accepted Answer

The Physics component of Cambridge IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences (0654) is organised into six chapters: P1 Motion, forces and energy; P2 Thermal physics; P3 Waves; P4 Electricity and magnetism; P5 Nuclear physics; and P6 Space physics. As an Extended candidate, you study both the Core and Supplement content across all six chapters, which means going deeper into explanations and quantitative problem-solving than the Core route requires. It's worth keeping in mind that 0654 is a Double Award covering Biology, Chemistry and Physics together, so your papers draw on all three sciences rather than Physics in isolation. Our notes walk through each chapter step by step, and our by-topic view makes it straightforward to track your progress across the Physics content and spot any gaps before exam season.

Question 2

How is practical work assessed in Cambridge International IGCSE Physics?

Accepted Answer

Practical work is assessed through a dedicated written paper worth 20% of your overall Cambridge IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award) grade. As an Extended candidate, you'll sit either Paper 5 (the Practical Test, lasting 2 hours) or Paper 6 (the Alternative to Practical, lasting 1 hour 30 minutes); your school decides which one you enter.

Both papers test AO3 experimental skills exclusively: selecting and safely using techniques, planning investigations, recording observations, interpreting data, and evaluating methods and suggesting improvements. Written questions about practical procedures are how these skills are examined; practical work is carried out in the lab during your course, where you build up these skills across all three sciences.

There is no fixed named list of practicals in the 0654 specification. Instead, experimental skills are embedded throughout the content, meaning any topic area can appear in the practical paper. Our notes walk you through practical methods across the Physics chapters, and our exam practice covers the data-analysis and evaluation questions you'll meet in Paper 5 or Paper 6.

Question 3

How does the Core tier differ from the Extended tier?

Accepted Answer

**Grades:** Core leads to grades CC–GG; Extended leads to grades A*A*–GG.

**Topics:** Extended students study everything in the Core, plus additional Supplement material across all six Physics chapters (P1–P6).

**Required practicals:** Both routes sit the same practical paper: either Paper 5 (Practical Test, 2 hours) or Paper 6 (Alternative to Practical, 1 hour 30 minutes), each worth 20% of the qualification.

**Exam structure:**

| | Core | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| MCQ | Paper 1, 45 min, 40 marks (30%) | Paper 2, 45 min, 40 marks (30%) |
| Theory | Paper 3, 2 hours, 120 marks (50%) | Paper 4, 2 hours, 120 marks (50%) |
| Practical | Paper 5 (2h) or Paper 6 (1h 30m) | Same options, 20% for both routes |

**Question types:** Both MCQ papers contain 40 four-option multiple-choice questions; both theory papers use short-answer and structured questions, though Extended theory (Paper 4) draws on Core and Supplement content together.

Question 4

Where should I start with IGCSE Physics revision?

Accepted Answer

Feeling unsure where to begin is completely normal, and a clear structure is built right into the syllabus. Our notes cover all six Physics chapters in order (P1 Motion, forces and energy through to P6 Space physics), so working through them chapter by chapter gives you a solid foundation to build on.

Because you're on the Extended route, each chapter includes both Core and Supplement material, so we'd suggest reading our notes carefully and using active recall as you go rather than simply re-reading the same pages. Since knowledge and understanding accounts for 50% of your overall marks, securing that content first puts you in a strong position before moving on to exam practice.

Question 5

What's on Cambridge International IGCSE Physics?

Accepted Answer

Cambridge IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award, 0654) covers Biology, Chemistry, and Physics together in one qualification, awarding two IGCSE grades. The Physics content is organised into six chapters: P1 Motion, forces and energy; P2 Thermal physics; P3 Waves; P4 Electricity and magnetism; P5 Nuclear physics; and P6 Space physics. As an Extended candidate, you sit three papers, and every paper tests all three sciences together rather than Physics in isolation.

| Paper | Topics covered | Length | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 2: Multiple Choice (Extended) | All three sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) | 45 minutes | 30% |
| Paper 4: Theory (Extended) | All three sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) | 2 hours | 50% |
| Paper 5: Practical Test | Experimental skills across all sciences | 2 hours | 20% |
| Paper 6: Alternative to Practical | Experimental skills across all sciences | 1 hour 30 minutes | 20% |

You sit either Paper 5 or Paper 6 for the practical component, not both. Our notes cover each of the six Physics chapters in full, so you can work through the content topic by topic and build confidence across P1 to P6 alongside your Chemistry and Biology revision.

Question 6

Can I use these notes as my Cambridge International IGCSE Physics textbook?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Our notes cover all six Physics chapters (P1–P6) in the Cambridge IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences (0654) Extended syllabus, mapped directly to the Cambridge International specification so you can be confident the content aligns with what your exams test.

That said, our notes work best as a focused study companion rather than a traditional course textbook. A printed textbook will typically include more extended reading and laboratory context, whereas our notes are concise and exam-focused by design. We'd suggest using our notes alongside your school resources and pairing them with our quizzes and exam practice to consolidate understanding through active recall.

Question 7

How do I get a grade A* in Cambridge International IGCSE Physics Extended?

Accepted Answer

Reaching A*A* (the top grade on this Double Award qualification, where you earn two IGCSE grades rather than one) means demonstrating real strength across all three assessment objectives Cambridge International uses to award marks.

AO1 accounts for 50% of the qualification and tests knowledge and understanding of Physics content across chapters P1–P6, so our notes and flashcards are a great starting point for building that base through active recall. AO2 makes up 30% and is often where the highest grades are decided: these questions present unfamiliar data or scenarios and ask you to apply your Physics knowledge in new contexts, which is why working through our exam practice regularly is so valuable.

AO3 covers experimental skills and investigations at 20% of the qualification, tested in either Paper 5 (the Practical Test) or Paper 6 (the Alternative to Practical), so practising how to plan experiments, interpret data and evaluate methods is just as important as content revision. The exact grade boundary for A*A* is set by Cambridge International each year based on how the paper performs, so we'd suggest focusing on genuine mastery across all three AOs rather than targeting a fixed percentage.