Question 1

What does Cambridge International (CIE / Cambridge Assessment International Education) IGCSE Physics cover?

Accepted Answer

Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625) spans six topic areas set by Cambridge International: Motion, forces and energy; Thermal physics; Waves; Electricity and magnetism; Nuclear physics; and Space physics. As an Extended candidate, you study both the Core content and the Supplement, which adds greater depth and additional material within each topic area. Our notes cover all six areas with the Core and Supplement content clearly signposted, so you can always see exactly which parts apply to your route.

Question 2

How is practical work assessed in Cambridge International (CIE / Cambridge Assessment International Education) IGCSE Physics?

Accepted Answer

Practical work in Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625) is assessed through one dedicated practical paper, worth 40 marks and contributing 20% of your overall grade. Your centre will enter you for either Paper 5 (Practical Test, lasting 1 hour 15 minutes) or Paper 6 (Alternative to Practical, lasting 1 hour): Paper 5 involves carrying out actual experiments in a laboratory setting during the test itself, while Paper 6 assesses the same skills through written questions only, with no lab work required.

Both papers fully test AO3 (Experimental skills and investigations) and cover the same ground, from planning experiments and recording observations to interpreting data and evaluating methods. Cambridge IGCSE does not publish a fixed named list of practicals to complete during the course; practical skills are embedded throughout the specification content instead. Our notes and exam practice are a great place to build your understanding of the experimental techniques and written question styles you will face in either paper.

Question 3

How does the Core tier differ from the Extended tier?

Accepted Answer

The Core and Extended routes in Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625) are genuinely separate pathways with different paper codes, not simply different difficulty levels of the same papers.

**Grades:** Core candidates are eligible for grades C to G only. Extended candidates can achieve the full range of A* to G, including the top grades A* and A.

**Topics:** Core candidates study the Core subject content only. Extended candidates study that same Core content plus the Supplement, which adds greater depth and additional concepts across all six topic areas.

**Required practicals:** Both routes sit the same practical paper options, Paper 5 (Practical Test, 1 hour 15 minutes) or Paper 6 (Alternative to Practical, 1 hour), so there is no difference in practical assessment between the two routes.

**Exam structure:**

| Route | MCQ Paper | Theory Paper | Practical (choose one) | Grades available |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core | Paper 1, 45 min, 40 marks | Paper 3, 1h 15m, 80 marks | Paper 5 or 6, 40 marks | C to G |
| Extended | Paper 2, 45 min, 40 marks | Paper 4, 1h 15m, 80 marks | Paper 5 or 6, 40 marks | A* to G |

**Question types:** Both routes use 40 four-option multiple-choice items in the MCQ paper and short-answer plus structured questions in the Theory paper; Extended papers draw on the full Core and Supplement content, so questions can reach greater depth. Our notes for the Extended route walk through both the Core and Supplement material so you can feel confident across the full range.

Question 4

Where should I start with IGCSE Physics revision?

Accepted Answer

A solid starting point is to work through the content topic by topic, since AO1 (Knowledge with understanding) makes up 50% of your total marks, meaning that knowing your physics well is the foundation everything else builds on. Our notes walk through all six topics on the Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625) syllabus: Motion, forces and energy; Thermal physics; Waves; Electricity and magnetism; Nuclear physics; and Space physics.

As an Extended candidate, you'll need to cover both the Core content and the Supplement, so we'd suggest checking each section of our notes to make sure you're picking up both layers, not just the Core material. Once you feel comfortable with a topic, our flashcards are great for cementing definitions and equations through spaced retrieval, and our quizzes let you check your understanding before moving on to exam practice.

Question 5

What's on Cambridge International (CIE / Cambridge Assessment International Education) IGCSE Physics's papers?

Accepted Answer

As an Extended candidate, you sit three papers in total: Paper 2 (Multiple Choice), Paper 4 (Theory), and one practical paper chosen by your centre. Our notes are built around all six topic areas tested in Papers 2 and 4, so you can work through each section systematically as you revise.

| Paper | Topics covered | Length | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 2: Multiple Choice (Extended) | All Extended content (Core + Supplement): Motion, forces and energy; Thermal physics; Waves; Electricity and magnetism; Nuclear physics; Space physics | 45 minutes | 30% |
| Paper 4: Theory (Extended) | All Extended content (Core + Supplement): same six topics, short-answer and structured questions | 1 hour 15 minutes | 50% |
| Paper 5: Practical Test (option A) | Practical and experimental skills, carried out in a laboratory | 1 hour 15 minutes | 20% |
| Paper 6: Alternative to Practical (option B) | The same practical skills, assessed through written questions only (no lab work required) | 1 hour | 20% |

Your centre enters you for either Paper 5 or Paper 6, not both. Our notes walk through the Extended content (Core plus the Supplement additions) for each of the six topics, so you can build the depth needed for Paper 4's structured questions as well as the knowledge recall Paper 2 tests.

Question 6

Can I use these notes as my Cambridge International (CIE / Cambridge Assessment International Education) IGCSE Physics textbook?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Our notes are written to cover the full Extended syllabus for Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625), taking you through both the Core content and the Supplement material that Extended candidates need for grades A* to G.

We'd suggest treating them as your primary study resource alongside our flashcards and quizzes, which reinforce the content through active recall. For the Extended route specifically, the Supplement topics add real depth to what Core candidates cover, so our notes walk through those additional concepts clearly rather than just listing them.

If you find a topic that needs more practice, our exam-practice questions let you check your understanding against actual exam-style questions across all six topic areas in the spec. That combination of notes, retrieval practice and exam questions tends to help the content stick far better than reading a traditional textbook alone.

Question 7

How do I get a grade A* in Cambridge International (CIE / Cambridge Assessment International Education) IGCSE Physics Extended?

Accepted Answer

To reach an A*, you need strong, consistent performance across all three assessment objectives that Cambridge uses to award marks. AO1, which covers knowledge and understanding, carries 50% of the qualification, so a thorough command of both the Core and Supplement content is essential; our notes walk through every topic in the syllabus, making sure the Supplement material gets as much attention as the Core.

AO2 (handling information and problem-solving) is worth 30%, and this is where unfamiliar contexts and multi-step calculations tend to separate the top grades, so working through our exam practice questions builds that skill. AO3 covers experimental skills at 20% of the qualification, tested entirely through either Paper 5 or Paper 6, so understanding how to plan experiments, record data precisely and evaluate methods is just as important as the theory.

We'd suggest using spaced retrieval as you revise: returning to each topic several days after first studying it forces genuine recall rather than passive re-reading, which is exactly what Paper 4's structured questions reward. The exact grade boundary for A* is set by Cambridge after each exam series and shifts year to year, so focus on building deep understanding and consistent exam technique rather than chasing a fixed percentage.