Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Physics (4PH1) is graded 9 to 1 and is tested by two written papers. This guide sets out what you will study, how the papers differ, how to read the question wording, and a weekly routine that turns revision into marks. Use it as a map before you start the topic notes.
What the course covers
- Forces and motion: speed, velocity and acceleration, graphs of motion, Newton's laws, momentum, moments, springs and stopping distances.
- Electricity: charge, current, potential difference, resistance, series and parallel circuits, mains safety and electrical power.
- Waves: wave properties, reflection and refraction, the electromagnetic spectrum, sound, and the behaviour of light in glass blocks, prisms and optical fibres.
- Energy resources and energy transfer: work, power, efficiency, kinetic and potential energy, and the advantages and drawbacks of energy sources.
- Solids, liquids and gases: density, pressure, the particle model, thermal properties and the gas laws.
- Magnetism and electromagnetism: magnetic fields, motors, generators and transformers.
- Radioactivity and particles: atomic structure, radiation types, half-life, fission and fusion.
- Astrophysics: the Solar System, gravity, orbits, stars and the expanding Universe.
How you are assessed
| Paper | Duration | Marks | Weighting | Content and rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 2 hours | 110 | about 61% | All content except the material that appears only in Paper 2. Calculator allowed. |
| Paper 2 | 1 hour 15 minutes | 70 | about 39% | All content, including the material that appears only in Paper 2. Calculator allowed. |
You must recall the equations yourself. A few are printed in the paper where a question needs them, but you cannot rely on that. Both papers use a mixture of short answers, calculations and longer written explanations.
What each paper asks of you
Paper 1 is the longer paper, so pace matters. With 110 marks in 120 minutes you have a little over a minute per mark. Answer every short question first, flag any that need a long calculation, and return to them. Leave ten minutes at the end for checking units and significant figures.
Paper 2 is shorter and denser: 70 marks in 75 minutes. The extra content here may be less familiar, so read each question twice before you start. Because it covers everything, expect topics to be mixed within a single question, such as energy and electricity together.
In both papers, show every step of a calculation. A correct method can earn marks even when the final number is wrong, and a bare answer that is wrong earns nothing.
Command words and how to answer them
| Command word | What it asks you to do |
|---|---|
| State | Give a short fact or value with no explanation. |
| Name | Give the correct term, such as a particle, a unit or a device. |
| Calculate | Work out a number, showing the equation, substitution and answer with a unit. |
| Describe | Say what happens or what you would see, in order, without giving reasons. |
| Explain | Give reasons using physics ideas, usually linking cause to effect with "because" or "so". |
| Suggest | Apply what you know to an unfamiliar situation; there may be more than one sensible answer. |
| Compare | Write about similarities and differences, mentioning both items in each point. |
| Show that | Work towards a value that is given; every step must be visible and the final value restated. |
| Estimate | Use sensible rounded values to reach an approximate answer. |
Calculators
A scientific calculator is allowed in both papers. Make sure it is set to degrees for angle work, and that you know how to enter standard form using the exponent key. Do not rely on stored memory for equations, because the calculator will not help you recall them. Practise with the same calculator you will use in the exam.
How to revise this course
- Monday and Tuesday: read one topic note and copy the key equations from memory. Check them against the note afterwards.
- Wednesday: work through the flashcards for that topic until you can answer every card without hesitation.
- Thursday: do a set of question bank questions on the topic, without the note, then correct each one carefully.
- Friday: revisit the previous week's topic with a short mixed quiz so earlier work does not fade.
- Weekend: sit one timed test. Alternate between a Paper 1 length test one week and a Paper 2 length test the next. Log every lost mark under a heading such as recall, calculation, or wording.
Build a one-page summary for each topic as you go. List the equations with their units, the key definitions, and two or three situations where students commonly slip. Reading a page like that for five minutes before a practice test is far more useful than rereading a whole chapter. When you finish a test, sort mistakes into three groups: facts you did not know, methods you did not follow through, and wording you misread. Each group needs a different fix, so be specific about which one you are dealing with.
Leave time near the end of your preparation for the Paper 2-only content. It is easy to postpone because it feels like extra material, but it carries real marks. Treat it as its own short unit, with its own notes, flashcards and questions, and revisit it on the same schedule as everything else. In the final fortnight, shift from learning new content to retrieving it: closed-book questions, timed sections and a quick check of your equation list each morning.
Common errors
- Forgetting to convert units before substituting, such as minutes to seconds, grams to kilograms or centimetres to metres.
- Writing an answer to a different number of significant figures than the data supports, or leaving off the unit.
- Describing when the question says explain, giving what happens but not why.
- Confusing similar quantities, such as mass and weight, speed and velocity, or current and potential difference.
- Mixing up the roles of the input and output in transformers and in efficiency calculations.
Exam tip: in a longer written answer, aim for one clear physics idea per mark available. Count the marks, then check you have made that many distinct, specific points before moving on.