The Cambridge AS & A Level Physics (9702) May/June 2026 papers and mark schemes are out, and they’re free. All five papers, 9702/12 to 9702/52, can be downloaded and printed on the Tutopiya Learning Portal. Below is a breakdown of what each paper tested and how the mark scheme gave marks, taken from the papers themselves.

Key points from the 2026 9702 papers

• Definitions were worth easy marks on every written paper. Paper 2 asked for power, a progressive wave and elastic deformation. Paper 4 asked for gravitational field, specific heat capacity, electric potential, the de Broglie wavelength and binding energy.
• Electricity carried real weight at AS. Eight of the 40 Paper 1 questions were on current, resistance and circuits, and the largest Paper 2 question (12 marks) was on parallel resistors, drift speed and an LDR.
• Energy and efficiency linked the papers. Paper 1 had a motor lifting a weight at 25% efficiency, Paper 2 an electric train on a slope, and Paper 4 a star losing mass through fusion.
• Uncertainty appeared on four papers: precision and accuracy on Paper 1, a percentage uncertainty on Paper 2, a 10% criterion on Paper 3 and error bars with a worst acceptable line on Paper 5.
• Sketch graphs were marked point by point. A displacement-time sketch on Paper 2 and kinetic energy and potential sketches on Paper 4 each had separate marks for shape, key values and scale.

All May/June 2026 9702 papers

Paper	Code	Duration	Marks	What it tests
Paper 1 Multiple Choice	9702/12	1 hour 15 minutes	40	40 questions on the AS content
Paper 2 AS Level Structured Questions	9702/22	1 hour 15 minutes	60	Written questions on the AS content
Paper 3 Advanced Practical Skills	9702/32	2 hours	40	Two experiments in the lab (AS)
Paper 4 A Level Structured Questions	9702/42	2 hours	100	Written questions on the A Level content
Paper 5 Planning, Analysis and Evaluation	9702/52	1 hour 15 minutes	30	A written plan and a data analysis question (A Level)

Timings and marks are taken from the front cover of each 2026 paper. Paper 1 is answered on a multiple choice answer sheet; the others are answered on the question paper. On Paper 3 you can work with the apparatus for up to 1 hour per question. For the full syllabus content, see the Cambridge International AS & A Level Physics 9702 syllabus.

Which variant is this? Cambridge sets different versions of each paper (variants) for different time zones. The papers here are variant 2: 9702/12, /22, /32, /42 and /52. All variants cover the same syllabus at the same difficulty, so variant 2 is just as good for practice as the one your school sat.

Download the 9702 May/June 2026 papers →

What came up in 9702 Paper 4 (A Level Structured Questions), May/June 2026?

Paper 4 had ten questions worth 100 marks. No question was worth more than 14 marks, so the paper spread evenly across the A Level topics.

Question	Topic	Marks
1	Circular motion: uniform circular motion, an aircraft banking at 180 m s⁻¹ in a circle of radius 7200 m, centripetal acceleration, the angle of tilt	10
2	Gravitational fields: definition, field lines near the ground, mass of the Earth and gravitational potential to 3 s.f., potential energy of a satellite	9
3	Thermodynamics: specific heat capacity, a gas cooled at constant pressure, work done on the gas, internal energy, the first law, comparing with constant volume	14
4	Kinetic theory: assumptions about collisions, deriving pressure from one particle in a cube, extending to pV = ⅓Nm⟨c²⟩	10
5	Simple harmonic motion: a block on a spring, angular frequency, amplitude from the energy, sketching kinetic energy against displacement	8
6	Electric fields: electric potential, a charged conducting sphere, potential sketch from R to 3R, a Van de Graaff dome as a capacitor, charge, capacitance and energy	13
7	The Hall probe: which faces carry the Hall voltage, the symbols in the Hall voltage equation, how the voltage arises, which face is at higher potential	8
8	Alternating current: the components that rectify and smooth, peak value and period, three further conclusions from the graphs	7
9	Quantum physics: de Broglie wavelength, evidence for wave and particle behaviour of matter and radiation, an electron accelerated through 3.5 kV	10
10	Nuclear physics and astronomy: binding energy, hydrogen fusion in a star, radiant flux intensity, rate of loss of hydrogen mass	11

What made it hard: Question 8(c) gave 3 marks for conclusions you had to find yourself, such as half-wave rectification, the r.m.s. input voltage or the time constant. Simply reading values off the graphs scored nothing.

What came up in 9702 Paper 2 (AS Level Structured Questions)?

Paper 2 had six questions worth 60 marks, all calculation-heavy.

Question	Topic	Marks
1	Kinematics: scalars and vectors, a car’s velocity-time graph, distance from the area, maximum acceleration, speed after returning to a point, sketching displacement against time	11
2	Equilibrium: conditions for equilibrium, a plank and a block hung from ropes over pulleys, finding the contact force, Hooke’s law and elastic deformation	8
3	Waves: progressive waves, interference from two dippers, period and wave speed from a path difference, energy and amplitude of a floating ball	10
4	Work, energy and power: speed of an electric train from its kinetic energy, defining power, the resistive force on a slope, percentage efficiency	10
5	Circuits: deriving the parallel resistor formula, current from two parallel wires, drift speed, identifying an LDR and finding its resistance, how its environment changed	12
6	Particle physics: alpha-particle scattering, momentum of an alpha particle and the gold nucleus it hits, percentage uncertainty, up quarks in a nucleus, meson composition	9

Watch for: Question 4(b)(ii) needed you to see that the motor’s useful work goes partly into potential energy and partly against the resistive force. The mark scheme accepted three different methods, all reaching 550 N.

What came up in 9702 Paper 1 (Multiple Choice)?

Paper 1 has 40 questions, each worth 1 mark, covering the AS content. Grouped by syllabus area:

• Physical quantities and units (3): scalars and vectors, the base units of intensity, precision compared with accuracy.
• Kinematics (4): average speed against average velocity, a velocity-time graph for a glider on an air track, a braking distance for a train, measuring g.
• Dynamics (4): the definition of momentum, terminal velocity, the force from sand on a falling ball, Newton’s third law.
• Forces, density and pressure (5): three forces in equilibrium, a hydrometer floating in a liquid, the torque of a couple, the mass of a sheet of paper from its density, conditions for equilibrium.
• Work, energy and power (2): electrical power to a motor with 25% efficiency, the speed of an alpha particle from its kinetic energy.
• Deformation of solids (3): a spring’s unstretched length from the work done, elastic deformation, the area under a force-extension graph.
• Waves (4): the order of the electromagnetic spectrum, frequency from a displacement-distance graph, the Doppler effect for a siren, how amplitude depends on distance.
• Superposition (4): diffraction at a gap, a diffraction grating with two wavelengths at the same angle, a stationary wave in a closed tube, two coherent waves in antiphase.
• Electricity (4): energy dissipated in a resistor, current in a metal block, which change raises a component’s resistance, a wire melted and redrawn to half its diameter.
• D.C. circuits (4): the meaning of e.m.f., internal resistance, what Kirchhoff’s laws conserve, a resistor network.
• Particle physics (3): the particles emitted in β⁺ decay, identifying a lepton, a decay series that gives an isotope.

What came up in 9702 Paper 3 (Advanced Practical Skills)?

Paper 3 had two experiments worth 20 marks each.

Question	Experiment	What you had to do	Marks
1	Equilibrium of forces: a mass hung from a string and spring between two stands, with the strings at right angles	Measure the spring length L and height h, calculate T = L + h for six masses, plot T against m, find gradient and intercept, then the constants p and q with units	20
2	The force from water on a copper wire loop hung from a pivoting card	Calibrate the card’s tilt with paper clips, plot a curved graph, find the height when the loop breaks away from the water, estimate its percentage uncertainty, repeat for a larger loop, test a relationship using a 10% criterion, give four limitations and four improvements	20

What made it hard: Question 2(h) was worth 8 marks for limitations and improvements. Vague answers were ignored, for example “repeat readings” or “rule not vertical” on their own.

What came up in 9702 Paper 5 (Planning, Analysis and Evaluation)?

Paper 5 had two questions worth 15 marks each.

Question	Topic	Marks
1	Plan: a capacitor made of two circular plates, charged and discharged by a vibrating reed switch. Test how the mean current I depends on the plate separation h, and find the constant K	15
2	Analysis: a rod hung from two parallel strings oscillating about its centre. Gradient expression for T² against 1/L², table values, plotting with error bars, best fit and worst acceptable lines, mean D with uncertainty, a constant with its unit and percentage uncertainty, a predicted string separation	15

Watch for: in Question 1 you needed to vary h, measure I and keep the frequency constant. The analysis marks went to plotting I against 1/h and checking for a straight line through the origin.

How the 9702 May/June 2026 mark scheme gives marks

The 2026 schemes use four types of mark. Knowing what each one needs is as useful as knowing the physics.

1. C marks are awarded by implication, M marks are not. A correct final answer automatically earns all the C (compensatory) marks before it. An M mark must be seen, and if it’s missing, the A mark that depends on it is lost. Paper 4 Question 10(a) on binding energy had an M1 for “energy to separate the nucleons” and an A1 for “to infinity”.

2. Write the equation before you substitute. In Paper 2 Question 4(a), the train’s speed was worth C1 C1 A1. If you wrote ½mv² correctly and then slipped to v instead of v², you could still get 2 out of 3. With no symbol equation and the same slip, the scheme gave 0 out of 3.

3. “Show that” means every step is shown. Paper 2 Question 6(b)(i) gave the momentum of the alpha particle. The full working had to be seen, and using 1.67 × 10⁻²⁷ kg instead of 4 × 1.66 × 10⁻²⁷ kg lost the answer mark.

4. Definitions must be precise. For power in Paper 2 Question 4(b)(i), “work done per unit time” scored but “work in unit time” did not. For equilibrium in Question 2(a), “forces balance” was ignored. You needed resultant force zero and resultant torque zero.

5. Units, signs and significant figures are part of the answer. In Paper 4 Question 2(b)(ii), the gravitational potential had to be negative, to three significant figures and with a unit to earn the A1. Unless a mark is set aside for the unit, a missing unit loses the final calculation mark.

6. ecf is applied, but not everywhere. Paper 2 Question 3(b)(ii) carried your period forward into the wave speed. Question 1(b)(iii) said “no ECF” from the distance in 1(b)(ii). Check which parts can carry an error.

7. The list rule applies to “any three”. Paper 4 Question 8(c) awarded up to 3 marks from five creditable conclusions. Numerical values needed a unit and two significant figures, and a double-rounded r.m.s. value of 2.6 V was not allowed.

8. Practical and planning marks follow fixed checklists. On Paper 3, six sets of readings earned 4 marks, column headings needed a quantity and a unit separated by a solidus or brackets, and raw heights had to be to the nearest mm. On Paper 5 Question 1, the 15 marks split into 2 for defining the problem, 4 for data collection, 3 for analysis and 6 for additional detail from ten listed points (such as keeping the plates parallel, measuring h at several positions and a safety precaution).

Which papers should you sit?

• AS Level: Papers 1, 2 and 3.
• Full A Level: Papers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

There are no options on any 9702 paper: every question is compulsory. If you’re taking the full A Level, Paper 5 tests the same planning and uncertainty skills as Paper 3, but on paper, so practise both together.

How to use the 2026 papers as a mock

1. Keep them for last. Use older 9702 papers for topic practice and save May/June 2026 for a timed mock close to your exam.
2. Sit Paper 1 strictly to time. Forty questions in 75 minutes is under two minutes each. Note any question that took you longer than three minutes.
3. Learn the definitions word for word. List every definition from Papers 2 and 4 and compare yours with the mark scheme wording, including what it ignores.
4. Mark your working, not just your answers. For each calculation, check which C, M and A marks you would have earned if your final answer had been wrong.
5. Practise the Paper 5 plan against its checklist. Write your plan for Question 1, then tick off the defining-the-problem, data collection, analysis and additional detail points in the scheme.

More A Level Physics resources

• Cambridge A Level Physics past papers (9702, all years)
• A Level past papers 2026: all subjects

🔍 Looking for a specific past paper? Use our free Past Paper Finder to search by subject, year and exam board.

Need help with a 9702 topic? Book a free trial lesson with an A Level Physics tutor →

Frequently asked questions

Are the 9702 May/June 2026 past papers free? +

Yes. All five question papers (9702/12, 9702/22, 9702/32, 9702/42 and 9702/52) and their official mark schemes are free to download and print on the Tutopiya Learning Portal.

What topics came up in 9702 Paper 4 May/June 2026? +

Paper 4 (9702/42) had ten questions: an aircraft banking in a circle, gravitational fields and a satellite, the first law of thermodynamics, kinetic theory, simple harmonic motion of a block on a spring, the electric potential of a charged dome, the Hall probe, rectification and smoothing, de Broglie wavelength, and binding energy in a star. The thermodynamics question was the largest at 14 marks.

What came up in 9702 Paper 2 May/June 2026? +

Paper 2 (9702/22) had six questions on velocity-time graphs, equilibrium of a plank and block, interference of water waves, power and efficiency of an electric train, parallel resistors and drift speed with an LDR, and alpha-particle scattering with quarks. The circuits question was worth the most, 12 marks.

How is 9702 Paper 5 marked? +

Question 1 is a 15-mark plan marked in four parts: defining the problem, methods of data collection, method of analysis, and 6 marks for additional detail chosen from a list of ten creditable points. Question 2 is a 15-mark data analysis question with error bars, a worst acceptable line and uncertainty calculations.

Why can't I find 9702/41 or 9702/43 for 2026? +

Only variant 2 of the May/June 2026 papers is on the portal at the moment. Cambridge sets different variants for different time zones; variants 1 and 3 test the same syllabus in the same format, so variant 2 prepares you just as well.

When will the October/November 2026 9702 papers be available? +

Cambridge usually releases the October/November papers in the new year. We add them to the Learning Portal once they are published.

Ready to Excel in Your Studies?

Get personalised help from Tutopiya's expert tutors. Whether it's IGCSE, IB, A-Levels, or any other curriculum — we match you with the perfect tutor and your first session is free.

Book Your Free Trial