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Assessment
How Pearson Edexcel International A Level Physics is assessed
The International AS is Units 1, 2 and 3 and is half of the International A Level, which adds Units 4, 5 and 6. Each unit is a separate exam, available in January, June and October, so you can take units as you go or all at the end.
Specification XPH11/YPH11 (Issue 3), first examined in 2019. Pearson has announced new specifications for first teaching in September 2027, which these details don’t cover.
International AS (Units 1–3)
Unit 1 (WPH11): Mechanics and Materials
Multiple choice, short and open answers, calculations and extended writing
- Time
- 1 h 30 min
- Marks
- 80
- Weight
- 40% of IAS, 20% of IAL
Unit 2 (WPH12): Waves and Electricity
Multiple choice, short and open answers, calculations and extended writing
- Time
- 1 h 30 min
- Marks
- 80
- Weight
- 40% of IAS, 20% of IAL
Unit 3 (WPH13): Practical Skills in Physics I
Written paper on planning, carrying out and analysing practical work
- Time
- 1 h 20 min
- Marks
- 50
- Weight
- 20% of IAS, 10% of IAL
International A Level adds Units 4–6
Unit 4 (WPH14): Further Mechanics, Fields and Particles
Multiple choice, short and open answers, calculations and extended writing, with some synoptic questions
- Time
- 1 h 45 min
- Marks
- 90
- Weight
- 20% of IAL
Unit 5 (WPH15): Thermodynamics, Radiation, Oscillations and Cosmology
Multiple choice, short and open answers, calculations and extended writing, with some synoptic questions
- Time
- 1 h 45 min
- Marks
- 90
- Weight
- 20% of IAL
Unit 6 (WPH16): Practical Skills in Physics II
Written paper on planning, carrying out and analysing practical work
- Time
- 1 h 20 min
- Marks
- 50
- Weight
- 10% of IAL
There is no coursework or practical exam. Practical skills are tested in the written Units 3 and 6, and questions in the other units draw on the core practicals. Physics has 16 core practicals, such as the Young modulus, resistivity and the internal resistance of a cell.
From the official Pearson Edexcel syllabus, checked October 2026. Read the syllabus
Syllabus content
What’s on the Pearson Edexcel International A Level Physics syllabus
International AS
- Mechanics
- Materials
- Waves and the particle nature of light
- Electric circuits
International A Level
- Further mechanics
- Electric and magnetic fields
- Nuclear and particle physics
- Thermodynamics
- Nuclear decay
- Oscillations
- Astrophysics and cosmology
Where marks are lost
Common Pearson Edexcel International A Level Physics mistakes
Rounding a “show that” answer to the given value.
Pearson asks for at least one more significant figure than the value in the question, with your working.
Treating velocity and momentum like scalars.
Choose a positive direction. A ball that bounces back has a negative velocity, so its change in momentum is bigger, not smaller.
Not linking a graph to its equation.
Rearrange the equation into the form y = mx + c, so you know what the gradient and intercept stand for before you calculate them.
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