Physics

Physics — IGCSE

British Curriculum · Pearson · Years 10-11 · Ages 14-16

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Physics (4PH1) is untiered and graded 9 to 1, assessed by two written papers with practical skills examined within them.

Content covers forces and motion, electricity, waves, energy resources and transfer, solids liquids and gases, magnetism and electromagnetism, radioactivity and particles, and astrophysics.

Edexcel expects equations to be recalled rather than supplied for many topics, which raises the memorisation load compared with some other boards. Building a reliable equation recall routine early in Year 10 pays off directly in the final papers.

Key topics covered

• Forces & Motion — Speed, acceleration, Newton's laws, momentum, moments and stopping distances.
• Electricity — Circuits, current, voltage, resistance, power, static electricity and safety.
• Waves — Wave properties, reflection, refraction, sound and the electromagnetic spectrum.
• Energy Resources & Transfer — Energy stores, transfer, efficiency, work, power and generating electricity.
• Solids, Liquids & Gases — Density, pressure, the gas laws and specific heat capacity.
• Magnetism & Electromagnetism — Magnetic fields, motors, generators and transformers.
• Radioactivity & Astrophysics — Decay, half-life, fission and fusion, stars, orbits and the universe.