IGCSE Physics (0625): Exam Technique for the October/November 2026 Series

Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625) examines physics, but it marks discipline. Every November, candidates who understand circuits and forces perfectly well hand back marks through missing units, wrong significant figures and answers that ignore the command word. The syllabus does not change between series; neither do the places the marks leak.

This guide is for candidates sitting 0625 in the October/November 2026 series and for the parents and teachers behind them. It sets out where marks sit in each paper, the habits that protect them, and a plan for the final weeks. None of it requires new physics; it requires the physics a candidate already knows to be written down the way examiners reward it.

Where the marks sit, paper by paper

Multiple choice: speed with care

Multiple choice rewards elimination. Most items have two options that are clearly wrong once you check units or orders of magnitude. Cross them out on the question paper, then choose between the remaining two with a quick calculation or a sketch. Because a blank earns nothing, every item should have an answer before time runs out. Mark items you are unsure of and return to them, rather than stalling.

Theory: the habits that separate grades

Three habits separate grades in the theory paper. Units on every numerical answer: a correct 4.5 without its newtons is a lost mark, every time. Significant figures: give answers to the same precision as the data, usually two or three figures, and never copy a nine-digit calculator display. Definitions word-perfect: speed, velocity, acceleration, density, pressure, work, power and the difference between mass and weight are one-mark questions the prepared candidate banks in seconds.

Command words decide the shape of the answer

Candidates lose marks not because they do not know the physics, but because they answer a different question from the one asked. The command word tells you how much to write and what kind of answer is wanted.

The equation list is the syllabus in miniature

Write every required equation on one card: the motion equations, density, pressure, moments, work, power, efficiency, the wave equation, Ohm's law and electrical power. Practise rearranging each of them cold, because the paper rarely asks for a quantity in the form the equation stores it. In the practical paper, the mark scheme rewards the boring virtues: tabulated readings with units in the header, repeated measurements averaged, and a graph line drawn thin, straight or smoothly curved through the scatter, never dot-to-dot.

Practice example (written for practice, not a Cambridge item)

A heater has a current of 2.0 A when connected to a 12 V supply. Calculate its resistance.

1. Equation: V = IR, so R = V ÷ I.
2. Substitute: R = 12 ÷ 2.0.
3. Answer: R = 6.0 Ω.

Three things earn the marks here: the equation written down, the substitution shown, and the unit on the answer. The answer is given to two significant figures because the data is given to two.

The practical paper: boring virtues, reliable marks

Whether a candidate sits the practical paper or the Alternative to Practical, the same skills are tested on paper. Practise these until they are automatic:

• Tables: quantity and unit in the column header (for example, length / cm), values in the body without units, consistent decimal places.
• Readings: read to half the smallest division where the scale allows; state the reading with its unit.
• Graphs: label both axes with quantity and unit, choose a scale that uses most of the grid, plot points as small crosses, draw a single best-fit line.
• Gradients: use a large triangle on the line, not data points from the table, and show the values you read off.
• Improvements: suggest specific changes, such as repeating readings and averaging, or taking more readings over a wider range, rather than vague "be more careful".

Sister guides and the next step

The same November-series discipline is covered for the other sciences in our Chemistry 0620 technique guide and Biology 0610 technique guide. Candidates planning beyond IGCSE toward A Level sciences can preview the step up with the A Level Physics (9702) revision pack, which shows exactly where 0625's topics deepen.

The last fortnight

Sit one full past paper per week under time, then spend a session on nothing but the mark scheme, reading how examiners phrase acceptable answers. Physics rewards candidates who write like the mark scheme: short, precise, mechanism first. Length is not marked; correctness is.

Between papers, run short daily drills: five definitions from memory, five equation rearrangements, and one "explain" question answered in no more than three lines. Keep a list of every mark lost to units, significant figures or command words. By the final week, that list should be shrinking.

Frequently asked questions

How many significant figures should I give in Physics answers?

Match the precision of the data in the question, usually two or three significant figures. Never copy the full calculator display, and keep full values in the calculator until the final step.

Do I need to learn definitions word for word?

Close to it. Definition questions are usually short and strictly marked, so learning the precise wording for the core quantities is one of the fastest ways to bank marks.

I am sitting the Alternative to Practical. Do I still need practical skills?

Yes. The same skills are tested on paper: reading scales, drawing tables, plotting graphs and suggesting improvements. Practise them with past Alternative to Practical papers.

What is the best use of the final week?

Light, focused review: your equation card, your definitions list and your log of lost marks. Avoid starting new topics; consolidate the habits that protect marks.