Cambridge AS & A Level Physics 9702/12 is the May/June 2026 Paper 1 (Multiple Choice), variant 2. It is an AS component with 40 questions worth one mark each, and it lasts 1 hour 15 minutes. Every question is compulsory, and the paper covers all of the AS content, from base units to quarks. The biggest single area was forces, density and pressure with five questions, and thirteen questions needed a calculation. This guide gives the official answer for every question, the topic it tested and the working for each calculation. The paper and its mark scheme are free on the Tutopiya Learning Portal.

For an overview of all five 9702 papers from this series, see A Level Physics 9702 May/June 2026 past papers: what came up and how it was marked.

9702/12 at a glance

Syllabus area	Questions	Number of questions
Physical quantities and units	1, 2, 4	3
Kinematics	5–8	4
Dynamics	9–12	4
Forces, density and pressure	3, 13–16	5
Work, energy and power	17–18	2
Deformation of solids	19–21	3
Waves	22–25	4
Superposition	26–29	4
Electricity	30–33	4
D.C. circuits	34–37	4
Particle physics	38–40	3
Total		40

Each correct answer scores one mark, so the total is 40. The paper prints the usual data and formulae page, including g = 9.81 m s⁻² and u = 1.66 × 10⁻²⁷ kg.

Answer key and topic for every question

Question	What it tested	Answer
1	Sorting scalar and vector quantities	C
2	Base units of intensity	A
3	Three forces in equilibrium when one is increased by 10%	A
4	Precision compared with accuracy for two measuring devices	C
5	Two routes between the same points: what is the same	C
6	Velocity-time graph of a glider bouncing between buffers	D
7	Distance between two markers for a braking train	D
8	Measurement not needed to find g from a falling body	C
9	Definition of linear momentum	D
10	Change that raises the terminal velocity of a falling object	A
11	Force from sand on a decelerating bowling ball	D
12	What is not a requirement of a Newton’s third law pair	C
13	Change that makes a floating hydrometer sink further	B
14	Force and distance used for the torque of a couple	A
15	Mass of one sheet of paper from its density	B
16	Correct statement about equilibrium	B
17	Electrical power to a 25% efficient motor	C
18	Speed of an alpha particle from its kinetic energy	C
19	Unstretched length of a spring from the work done	B
20	Meaning of elastic deformation	D
21	Meaning of the area under a force-extension graph	B
22	Order of the electromagnetic spectrum by wavelength	C
23	Frequency from a displacement-distance graph	D
24	Velocity of a siren from the Doppler shift	B
25	How amplitude varies with distance from a source	A
26	Wavelength and gap width for the most diffraction	C
27	Possible wavelength ratio for a grating maximum at the same angle	D
28	Amplitude graph for a stationary wave in a closed tube	A
29	Resultant amplitude of two waves in antiphase	B
30	Two quantities that give the energy dissipated in a resistor	C
31	Expression for current through a metal block	B
32	Component and change that increase resistance	A
33	Resistance after a wire is redrawn to half its diameter	D
34	Meaning of the e.m.f. of a battery	B
35	New voltmeter reading with internal resistance	B
36	Quantities conserved in Kirchhoff’s two laws	A
37	Unknown resistor in a parallel network	C
38	Particles emitted in β⁺ decay	D
39	Which particle is a lepton	A
40	Decay sequence that produces an isotope	B

What the paper tested, topic by topic

Physical quantities and units (Questions 1, 2 and 4)

• Scalars and vectors (Question 1): energy and power are scalars; force and momentum are vectors. Every other row puts momentum or power in the wrong column.
• Base units (Question 2): intensity is power per unit area. The watt is kg m² s⁻³, and dividing by m² leaves kg s⁻³.
• Precision and accuracy (Question 4): the rod is 62.00 cm long. Device Y reads to 0.01 cm, so it is the more precise. Device X reads 61.5 cm, which is 0.5 cm from the true value, while Y is 0.65 cm out, so X is the more accurate. Precision is about how fine the reading is; accuracy is about how close it is to the true value.

Kinematics (Questions 5–8)

• Braking distance (Question 7): the train slows uniformly from 50 m s⁻¹ to 10 m s⁻¹, and the detector is set for 20 s. With uniform deceleration, distance = average speed × time = ½(50 + 10) × 20 = 600 m. A train that brakes too little covers the 600 m in less than 20 s and triggers the emergency brake.
• Displacement against distance (Question 5): both objects start at P and finish at R, so their displacement is the same. The second object takes a different route in a shorter time, so its distance, average speed and average velocity all differ.
• The air track (Question 6): a perfectly elastic collision with a fixed buffer reverses the velocity without changing the speed, and the glider then travels the same length of track at the same speed. The graph is a square wave between +v and −v with equal time intervals (graph D). Graphs A and B lose speed at each bounce, and C has uneven intervals.
• Measuring g (Question 8): s = ut + ½at² needs the distance, the initial velocity and the time. The mass of the body does not appear.

Dynamics (Questions 9–12)

• Force from the sand (Question 11): take upwards as positive. The sand’s force minus the weight equals ma, so F = m(a + g) = 4.50 × (800 + 9.81) = 3644 N, which rounds to 3640 N. Leaving out the weight gives 3600 N (C), and subtracting it gives 3560 N (B).
• Terminal velocity (Question 10): a solid steel object of the same size has the same drag at a given speed but a larger weight, so it must fall faster before the drag balances its weight. The height or the starting velocity does not change the terminal velocity.
• Recall: momentum is the product of mass and velocity (Question 9). A Newton’s third law pair acts on different objects, in opposite directions, with equal size, but the objects do not need to be in contact: gravity is a third-law pair at a distance (Question 12).

Forces, density and pressure (Questions 3 and 13–16)

• Three forces (Question 3): the directions do not change, so the triangle of forces keeps the same shape and every side must scale by the same factor. R balances P vertically and Q horizontally, so when P goes up by 10%, Q and R both go up by 10%.
• Mass of a sheet (Question 15): one sheet is 50 ÷ 500 = 0.10 mm thick. Its volume is 0.210 × 0.300 × 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ = 6.3 × 10⁻⁶ m³, so its mass is 800 × 6.3 × 10⁻⁶ = 5.0 × 10⁻³ kg, about 5 g. Converting every length to metres before multiplying is the step that keeps you away from the 0.5 g and 50 g distractors.
• Hydrometer (Question 13): the upthrust must still equal the hydrometer’s weight. In a less dense liquid it has to displace a larger volume, so it sinks further and h decreases.
• Couple (Question 14): torque of a couple = the magnitude of one force × the perpendicular distance between the two forces.
• Equilibrium (Question 16): an object in equilibrium must have no resultant torque. Zero resultant force alone is not enough, and forces can act on a system that is in equilibrium.

Work, energy and power (Questions 17–18)

• Motor efficiency (Question 17): useful output power = mgh ÷ t = 3.0 × 1.2 ÷ 3.0 = 1.2 W. At 25% efficiency, the input is 1.2 ÷ 0.25 = 4.8 W. Stopping at 1.2 W, or multiplying by 0.25 to get 0.3 W, are the traps.
• Alpha particle (Question 18): the alpha particle’s mass is about 4u = 4 × 1.66 × 10⁻²⁷ = 6.64 × 10⁻²⁷ kg. Then v = √(2E ÷ m) = √(2 × 2.2 × 10⁻¹³ ÷ 6.64 × 10⁻²⁷) ≈ 8.1 × 10⁶ m s⁻¹. Using the mass of a single proton gives a much larger speed.

Deformation of solids (Questions 19–21)

• Spring length (Question 19): W = ½kx², so x = √(2 × 0.010 ÷ 22.5) = 0.030 m = 30 mm. The stretched length is 80 mm, so the unstretched length is 80 − 30 = 50 mm. Adding the extension instead gives the 110 mm distractor, and 30 mm is the extension, not the length.
• Definitions (Questions 20 and 21): elastic deformation means the extension returns to zero when the force is removed. The area under a force-extension graph is the work done, which within the limit of proportionality is the elastic potential energy stored.

Waves (Questions 22–25)

• Wave from a graph (Question 23): the graph is displacement against distance, so it gives the wavelength directly. Crests at 5 cm and 25 cm put λ at 20 cm = 0.20 m, and f = v ÷ λ = 1.6 ÷ 0.20 = 8.0 Hz. Forgetting to convert centimetres to metres gives 0.080 Hz.
• Doppler effect (Question 24): the driver hears a lower frequency, so the siren is moving away. With fₒ = fₛv ÷ (v + vₛ): 1000 = 1100 × 340 ÷ (340 + vₛ), so 340 + vₛ = 374 and vₛ = 34 m s⁻¹ away from the car.
• Amplitude and distance (Question 25): intensity is proportional to amplitude squared, and here it is proportional to 1/r². So a² ∝ 1/r², which gives a ∝ 1/r.
• Recall (Question 22): from shortest to longest wavelength, ultraviolet, visible, infrared.

Superposition (Questions 26–29)

• Grating (Question 27): for wavelength X, the second order is at 45°, so d sin 45° = 2X. For wavelength Y to give a maximum at the same angle, d sin 45° = nY for a whole number n. So X/Y = n/2, which can be 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and so on. Only 1.50 (n = 3) is in the options.
• Antiphase (Question 29): with a phase difference of 180°, the amplitudes subtract: 0.50 − 0.30 = 0.20 m.
• Diffraction (Question 26): the greatest diffraction among the options comes when the wavelength and the gap width are the same, 1 m each.
• Closed tube (Question 28): the closed end is a node and the open end an antinode. The diagram shows node, antinode, node, antinode, so the amplitude graph starts at zero, rises to a maximum, falls to zero and rises again to a maximum at x = L. Amplitude is never negative, which rules out B and D.

Electricity (Questions 30–33)

• Redrawn wire (Question 33): halving the diameter makes the cross-sectional area one quarter. With the volume unchanged, the length becomes four times as long. R = ρL ÷ A, so R goes up by 4 × 4 = 16R.
• Current in a block (Question 31): the current flows along side b, so the cross-sectional area is ac and the drift speed is b ÷ t. Then I = nAvq = n(ac)(b/t)q = nqV ÷ t.
• Energy (Question 30): with the time unknown, use W = QV: the total charge and the potential difference.
• Resistance (Question 32): a filament lamp’s resistance rises as the current heats the filament. An LDR’s resistance falls with more light, a thermistor’s falls with higher temperature, and a diode’s falls as its current increases.

D.C. circuits (Questions 34–37)

• Voltmeter reading (Question 35): at first, 12 V across 4.0 Ω means a current of 3.0 A, so the e.m.f. is 3.0 × (4.0 + 2.0) = 18 V. With a second 4.0 Ω resistor in parallel, the external resistance is 2.0 Ω, the current is 18 ÷ 4.0 = 4.5 A and the reading is 4.5 × 2.0 = 9.0 V.
• Resistor network (Question 37): the total resistance is 18.0 ÷ 0.108 = 166.7 Ω. The 100 Ω and 400 Ω resistors make a 500 Ω branch in parallel with X, so 1/X = 1/166.7 − 1/500 = 0.0040 and X = 250 Ω.
• Recall: the e.m.f. is the energy transferred per unit charge in driving charge round the complete circuit (Question 34). Kirchhoff’s first law comes from conservation of charge and the second from conservation of energy (Question 36).

Particle physics (Questions 38–40)

• β⁺ decay (Question 38): a proton becomes a neutron and the nucleus emits a positron and a neutrino.
• Leptons (Question 39): the neutrino is a lepton. Protons are made of quarks, and quarks and antiquarks are not leptons.
• Isotope (Question 40): an alpha particle lowers the proton number by 2 and each β⁻ raises it by 1. The sequence β⁻, β⁻, α leaves the proton number unchanged and lowers the nucleon number by 4, so the result is an isotope of the original nucleus. Sequence A changes the proton number by −2.

Where the marks are on 9702/12

• Mechanics carried 18 of the 40 marks: kinematics (4), dynamics (4), forces, density and pressure (5), work, energy and power (2) and deformation (3).
• Waves and superposition carried 8 marks, and electricity and d.c. circuits another 8. Physical quantities and units had 3, and particle physics 3.
• Thirteen questions needed a calculation: 7, 11, 15, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 27, 29, 33, 35 and 37. Most were two-step problems where the first step (finding the e.m.f., the alpha particle’s mass, the thickness of one sheet) is the one that decides the answer.
• Four questions depended on reading or choosing a graph: the glider’s velocity-time graph (6), the force-extension area (21), the wave profile (23) and the closed-tube amplitude (28). Three more turned on a diagram: the forces in Question 3, the metal block in Question 31 and the resistor network in Question 37.
• Definitions and recall were worth easy marks: momentum, elastic deformation, e.m.f., the electromagnetic spectrum, Kirchhoff’s laws and leptons.

How to self-mark 9702/12

1. Check each answer against the key above or the official mark scheme. Count one mark per correct letter.
2. Tag every wrong answer by syllabus area, using the at-a-glance table, to see which topics cost you the most.
3. Tag it by reason too: knowledge (for example, not knowing that a filament lamp’s resistance rises with current), misreading (missing “not” in Questions 8 and 12, or that the Question 23 graph is against distance, not time) or calculation (leaving out the weight in Question 11, or a unit slip in Questions 15 and 23).
4. Redo every calculation you got wrong with the equation written first, then the substitution, then the answer with its unit.
5. Revise knowledge gaps first, then practise the calculation types that went wrong until each takes under two minutes.

Sit 9702/12 as a timed mock

You have 75 minutes for 40 questions, just under two minutes each. Work in two passes: answer the recall questions and quick calculations first, mark any that need longer working, then come back to them.

Block	Questions	Time
Units, measurement and kinematics	1–8	14 minutes
Dynamics, forces, energy and deformation	9–21	22 minutes
Waves and superposition	22–29	13 minutes
Electricity and d.c. circuits	30–37	14 minutes
Particle physics	38–40	4 minutes
Second pass and check the answer sheet	–	8 minutes

The second block is the longest because it holds five calculations: the sand, the sheet of paper, the motor, the alpha particle and the spring.

Other May/June 2026 9702 papers

• 9702 Paper 22 (AS Level Structured Questions)
• 9702 Paper 32 (Advanced Practical Skills)
• 9702 Paper 42 (A Level Structured Questions)
• 9702 Paper 52 (Planning, Analysis and Evaluation)

Practise and download

• Download 9702/12 and its mark scheme on the Learning Portal →
• All 9702 May/June 2026 papers: overview and marking patterns
• Try a free A Level Physics quiz

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Frequently asked questions

What topics were on 9702 Paper 12 May/June 2026? +

The whole AS syllabus. Physical quantities and units had 3 questions, kinematics 4, dynamics 4, forces, density and pressure 5, work, energy and power 2, deformation of solids 3, waves 4, superposition 4, electricity 4, d.c. circuits 4 and particle physics 3.

How many marks is 9702/12 and how long is it? +

It has 40 multiple choice questions, one mark each, for a total of 40 marks. You have 1 hour 15 minutes and you may use a calculator.

Is 9702/12 an AS or A Level paper? +

It is Paper 1, the AS Level multiple choice paper. AS candidates sit it with Papers 2 and 3, and full A Level candidates sit it as well as Papers 4 and 5.

What was the answer to the resistor network question on 9702/12? +

C, 250 Ω. The total resistance is 18.0 ÷ 0.108 = 166.7 Ω. The 100 Ω and 400 Ω resistors form a 500 Ω branch in parallel with X, so 1/X = 1/166.7 − 1/500 and X = 250 Ω.

How many questions on 9702/12 2026 needed a calculation? +

Thirteen: Questions 7, 11, 15, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 27, 29, 33, 35 and 37. Several more, such as the base units of intensity and the amplitude against distance question, needed a quick bit of algebra.

Where can I download 9702/12 May/June 2026 and its mark scheme? +

Both are free to download and print on the Tutopiya Learning Portal, on the Cambridge AS & A Level Physics 9702 past papers page.

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