Cambridge International AS & A Level Physics (9702)
From quarks to galaxies, from hospital scanners to the light from distant stars — A Level Physics is where you learn to explain the Universe with a few powerful ideas and a lot of reasoning.
Checked against the official Cambridge syllabus for exams in 2025, 2026 and 2027 — and unchanged in substance for 2028–2030 · 18 October 2026
1.Quick facts
2.Why study Physics?
Cambridge's aims for this course, in plain words. By the end you should be able to:
- Understand physics deeply and carry out practical work accurately and safely.
- Use the scientific method — and know where a theory or model stops working.
- Analyse data, judge its quality and draw sound conclusions.
- Communicate clearly, using correct terms, units and conventions.
- Understand your responsibility to other people and to the environment.
- Enjoy physics and feel ready for a degree that uses it.
Based on the 'Aims' in the official syllabus.
3.Why these topics?
Mechanics, done properly
Measurement and uncertainty, equations of motion, projectiles, forces, energy and how materials stretch and break. Engineers use exactly this to design bridges, aircraft and cranes.
Waves that add and cancel
Superposition explains why soap bubbles are coloured, how noise-cancelling headphones work and how a diffraction grating splits light into a spectrum.
Electricity and particles
Circuits, potential dividers and sensors — then down to quarks and leptons, the building blocks of everything.
Fields and forces
Circular motion and gravity keep satellites in orbit; electric and magnetic fields steer particle beams; capacitors and alternating currents run every electronic device.
Heat, gases and oscillations
Why gases behave the way they do, the first law of thermodynamics, and simple harmonic motion — from car engines to earthquake-proof buildings.
Quantum, nuclear, medical, cosmic
The photoelectric effect showed light comes in packets. Then nuclear binding energy, how ultrasound, X-ray CT and PET scanners see inside the body, and how standard candles and Hubble's law reveal an expanding Universe.
4.Topic map
AS Level
- 1Physical quantities and units
- 2Kinematics
- 3Dynamics
- 4Forces, density and pressure
- 5Work, energy and power
- 6Deformation of solids
- 7Waves
- 8Superposition
- 9Electricity
- 10D.C. circuits
- 11Particle physics
AS Level students also study practical skills.
A Level (adds to all the AS topics)
- 12Motion in a circle
- 13Gravitational fields
- 17Oscillations
- 14Temperature
- 15Ideal gases
- 16Thermodynamics
- 18Electric fields
- 19Capacitance
- 20Magnetic fields
- 21Alternating currents
- 22Quantum physics
- 23Nuclear physics
- 24Medical physics
- 25Astronomy and cosmology
A Level students also study practical skills.
5.From O Level to A Level
Coming from O Level or IGCSE? The ideas are familiar — the depth and maths are new.
| Idea | At O Level / IGCSE | At AS & A Level (this course) |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement | Read instruments carefully | Uncertainties, percentage errors and how they combine |
| Motion | Speed–time graphs, F = ma | Equations of motion, projectiles, circular motion, gravitational fields |
| Waves | Reflection, refraction, EM spectrum | Interference, diffraction gratings, stationary waves |
| Electricity | Series and parallel circuits | Potential dividers, electric fields, capacitors, a.c. |
| Atoms | Nuclear model, radioactivity | Quarks, photons, the photoelectric effect, binding energy |
| Exams | Mostly recall and direct calculation | Multi-step problems and unfamiliar contexts; Paper 5 planning questions |
6.Exam pattern
Three ways to take it
All papers are marked by Cambridge. Paper 3 is done in a laboratory at your exam centre — ask about it when you register.
7.Types of questions
Examples are written by our teachers in Cambridge style to show the type of question — they are not copied from past papers.
8.Command words
| Word | Cambridge meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Define | give precise meaning | Exact definitions earn easy marks — learn them. |
| Explain | set out purposes or reasons / make the relationships between things evident / provide why and/or how and support with relevant evidence | Give the reason, using physics. |
| Calculate | work out from given facts, figures or information | Show working; units and significant figures count. |
| Determine | establish an answer using the information available | Often from a graph — show your gradient triangle. |
| Show (that) | provide structured evidence that leads to a given result | Show every step and give the answer to one more significant figure than stated. |
| Suggest | apply knowledge and understanding to situations where there are a range of valid responses in order to make proposals | Unfamiliar context — apply the principle. |
Meanings are quoted from the 'Command words' table in the official syllabus.
9.What examiners reward
Applying physics is worth as much as knowing it (40% each) — practise unfamiliar problems, not just notes.
10.Grades
AS Level: a, b, c, d, e. Full A Level: A*, A, B, C, D, E. 'Ungraded' means below the lowest grade and is not shown on the certificate.
What it took in June 2026 (full A Level, all five papers)
| Grade | Marks out of 260 | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| A* | 196–210 | about 75–81% |
| A | 174–186 | about 67–72% |
| B | 150–162 | about 58–62% |
| C | 125–136 | about 48–52% |
| D | 100–110 | about 38–42% |
| E | 76–84 | about 29–32% |
Minimum weighted marks out of 260 in June 2026; the range covers the different paper variants. For AS Level alone (out of 130) an 'a' needed about 94–104.
Engineering, physics and computer science degrees usually ask for an A or A* in Physics alongside Mathematics.
11.Practical skills
- Paper 3 is a real lab exam: take repeated readings, record to the precision of the instrument, and estimate uncertainties.
- Learn to linearise relationships (e.g. plot T² against l) so a straight-line graph tests the equation.
- Draw lines of best fit and worst acceptable lines to find the uncertainty in a gradient.
- Paper 5 tests planning in writing — independent, dependent and control variables, method, safety and analysis.
- Know your limitations: name specific sources of error and specific improvements.
12.Books & resources
Cambridge says textbooks endorsed for the syllabus from 2022 are still suitable — including for 2028–2030.
13.Common mistakes
- Ignoring significant figures and units, or forgetting to convert km, g or minutes to SI.
- In 'show that' questions, writing only the final number.
- Forgetting that velocity, force and momentum are vectors — directions and signs matter.
- Drawing graphs too small or using awkward scales.
- Vague evaluation in practical answers ('human error').
Tips from our teachers.
14.Study plan
- Year 1 (AS), term 1Quantities, units and uncertainties; kinematics; dynamics (1–3).
- Year 1, term 2Forces, energy, materials, waves and superposition (4–8).
- Year 1, term 3Electricity, d.c. circuits, particle physics (9–11); AS past papers and Paper 3 practice.
- Year 2 (A2), term 1Circular motion, gravitational fields, thermal physics, oscillations (12–17).
- Year 2, term 2Electric and magnetic fields, capacitance, a.c., quantum, nuclear, medical physics, astronomy (18–25).
- Final monthsTimed Papers 4 and 5 every week; mixed-topic problem sets; formula and definition drills.
Cambridge designs AS for about 180 and full A Level for about 360 guided learning hours. Add 4–5 hours a week of your own practice.
15.Where it can take you
Physics with Mathematics is the classic route into engineering and technology.
Typical subject requirements — always check each university's own entry rules.
16.Physics in the real world
Hospital physics
Ultrasound, X-ray CT and PET scanners are all in Topic 24 — PET uses positrons that annihilate with electrons to make gamma rays.
Measuring the Universe
Astronomers use 'standard candles' — stars of known brightness — and Hubble's law to measure distances to galaxies (Topic 25).
Dr Abdus Salam
Pakistan's Nobel laureate in Physics (1979) helped show that electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force are two sides of one force — the world of particle physics you start in Topic 11.
Satellites everywhere
GPS, weather and TV satellites stay up because gravity provides exactly the centripetal force needed — Topics 12 and 13.
17.Frequently asked questions
Do I need O Level Physics first?
Cambridge recommends having completed Physics or Co-ordinated Science at IGCSE / O Level standard first.
Do I need A Level Maths with Physics?
It isn't required by Cambridge, but it helps a lot — and most engineering degrees ask for both.
Are formulas given in the exam?
Yes — a data and formulae sheet is printed in Papers 1, 2 and 4. You still need to know how and when to use each one.
How do online students do Paper 3?
Paper 3 is taken in your exam centre's lab, so register with a centre that runs it and practise each technique beforehand.
Is the syllabus changing?
The 2028–2030 syllabus has no significant changes that affect teaching.
18.Study it with us
Live online classes with experienced Cambridge teachers, weekly quizzes and assignments in your portal, past-paper practice, and progress reports your parents can see.
19.Official sources
- Official syllabus 9702 for exams in 2025, 2026 and 2027 (PDF)
- Official syllabus 9702 for exams in 2028, 2029 and 2030 (PDF)
- Grade threshold table, June 2026 (PDF)
- Endorsed resources for 9702
Cambridge says its syllabuses and specimen materials are the final authority on the content and structure of its exams. Always check you are using the syllabus for the year you sit the exam.