Cambridge AS & A Level Physics 9702/32 is the May/June 2026 Paper 3 (Advanced Practical Skills), variant 2. It lasts 2 hours, is worth 40 marks and is the practical paper sat by every AS candidate and every full A Level candidate. It had two compulsory experiments worth 20 marks each, with up to 1 hour at the apparatus for each one. This guide goes through both experiments and shows what the official mark scheme gave marks for. 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.

9702/32 at a glance

Question	Experiment	Skills tested	Marks
1	Equilibrium of forces: a mass hung between a string and a spring, with the strings at right angles	Six sets of readings, results table, straight-line graph, gradient and intercept, constants with units	20
2	The force from water on a copper wire loop hung from a pivoting card	Calibration with paper clips, a curved graph, repeat readings, percentage uncertainty, testing a relationship with a 10% criterion, limitations and improvements	20
	Total		40

Most numbers in this paper come from your own readings, so the mark scheme gives ranges and rules rather than single answers. Where a fixed value exists, it is given below.

Task-by-task walkthrough

Question 1: equilibrium of forces (20 marks)

Procedure in brief. Two nails were fixed 55.0 cm above the bench on two stands. A string ran from one nail, a spring from the other, and a short string carried a mass D. The stands were moved until the two sections of string met at a right angle. You measured the length L of the coiled part of the spring and the height h of the bottom of D above the bench, then calculated T = L + h. You repeated this for six masses.

• First readings with m = 300 g (2 marks): L in the range 3.0 to 16.0 cm with a unit (1), and L recorded to the nearest 0.1 cm (1). A value to 0.01 cm was only accepted if the repeated raw readings were to the nearest mm.
• Six sets of readings (4 marks): six sets with different masses scored 4, five sets 3, four sets 2 and three sets 1. If the supervisor had to help, each band dropped by one mark.
• Values recorded (1 mark): m, L and h all in the table.
• Trend (1 mark): L increases as m increases, judged from the table. One out-of-trend value lost the mark.
• Range of masses (1 mark): the smallest m had to be 150 g or less and the largest 450 g or more.
• Column headings (1 mark): every heading needed a quantity and a unit, separated by a solidus, brackets or “in”, such as T / cm. A comma was not accepted, and an upper-case G for grams was rejected.
• Consistency (1 mark): every raw h to the nearest mm. A column where every mm digit was zero did not count.
• Calculated T (1 mark): checked in the last row, correct to the number of significant figures you gave.
• Graph of T against m (3 marks):
  • axes labelled T and m, with scales that fill at least half the grid in both directions, marked no more than 2 cm apart, and no awkward scales such as 3:10 (1);
  • every point plotted to within half a small square, with dots no bigger than half a small square (1);
  • quality: a positive trend where a straight line can pass within ±0.5 cm on the T axis of every point (1).
• Line of best fit (1 mark): a thin straight line with points balanced either side along its whole length. A kinked line, a curve, or a line thicker than 1 mm scored nothing.
• Gradient and y-intercept (2 marks): the gradient from a triangle whose hypotenuse is at least half the line, with read-offs accurate to half a small square (1). The intercept read at m = 0, or found by substituting a point on the line into y = mx + c (1). If your m-axis did not start at zero, you had to use the substitution method.
• Constants p and q in T = pm + q (2 marks): p equals your gradient and q your intercept, not written as fractions or to one significant figure (1); correct units, such as cm g⁻¹ for p and cm for q (1).

Question 2: the force of water on a wire loop (20 marks)

Procedure in brief. A card pivoted on a pin through its centre. A wire with a small loop hung from one side and a wire with no loop from the other. You recorded the height H of corner Z above the bench, then added one to four paper clips to the loop and recorded H each time, plotting a curved calibration graph of H against n. You then let the loop touch water in a beaker and slowly lowered the beaker until the loop broke away, recording H at that instant. Reading n from your graph gave the force F = nW, with W = 0.0032 N. You repeated this with a larger loop and tested whether F = 2dk, where d is the loop diameter.

• First value of H (1 mark): greater than 40.0 cm and to the nearest mm.
• Calibration readings (1 mark): five values of H that increase as n increases.
• H when the loop breaks away (2 marks): greater than your starting H (1), and evidence of repeated readings (1).
• Percentage uncertainty in H (1 mark): an absolute uncertainty of 2 to 6 mm, divided by H and multiplied by 100. With repeats, half the range was accepted, but not zero.
• n and F (1 mark): n read from your curve to the nearest 0.1 and within 0.1 of the line, and F = n × 0.0032 N calculated correctly.
• Diameter of the loop (1 mark): in the range 1.0 to 2.0 cm, with a unit and to the nearest mm.
• Larger loop (2 marks): a second H and d, with a different d (1), and the second H greater than the first (1).
• Two values of k (1 mark): calculated correctly from k = F/2d and not given to one significant figure (unless n and F were themselves to one).
• Justifying significant figures (1 mark): link the significant figures in k to those in your raw data, H and d (n and d also accepted). Writing “raw readings” without naming them did not score.
• Testing the relationship (1 mark): calculate the percentage difference between your two k values and compare it with the 10% given in the question, reaching a conclusion that matches. Comparing with any other uncertainty, including your own from 2(c)(ii), was not accepted.
• Limitations (4 marks) and improvements (4 marks): see the checklist below.

The evaluation checklist for 2(h)

The scheme lists five limitations (A to E) and a matching improvement for each.

	Limitation	Improvement
A	Two readings are not enough to draw a conclusion	Take more readings and plot a graph, or take more readings and compare the k values
B	H is hard to measure, with a reason: parallax, the rule moving the card when it touches, or the card bending	Clamp the rule, or use a thicker card or a rectangle of a named rigid material
C	d is hard to measure, with a reason: a large percentage uncertainty, a loop that is not circular, or the wire’s thickness ignored	Use vernier or digital calipers or a micrometer, average the inside and outside diameters, or form the loop around a rigid cylinder
D	H is hard to catch at the instant the loop leaves the water, because you can’t watch the loop and the rule together, or H changes suddenly	Video the card with a rule in view, or lower the beaker on a platform with a screw mechanism or motor
E	Apparatus problems: the card is not horizontal at the start, the paper clips differ, the loop is not flat, or the larger loop touches the beaker	Add adhesive putty to level the card, check the clips’ masses on a balance, flatten the loop by a stated method, or use a wider beaker

Answers the scheme rejected or ignored: “repeat readings” on its own, “take more readings and find an average k”, “two readings are not enough for accurate results”, “rule not vertical”, references to wind, closing windows or turning off fans, parallax for the diameter, “camera”, “slow motion” or a timer, and “flatten the loop” or “larger beaker” on their own.

Where the marks are on 9702/32

Skill	Q1	Q2	Marks
Collecting data (readings, number of sets, range, trend, repeats)	9	7	16
Presenting data in a table (headings, consistency, calculated values)	3	–	3
Graph (axes, plotting, quality, line)	4	–	4
Analysis (gradient, intercept, constants, uncertainty, n and F, k values, significant figures, conclusion)	4	5	9
Evaluation (limitations and improvements)	–	8	8
Total	20	20	40

• Collecting data is worth 16 marks, and four of them depend only on getting six sets of readings in Question 1.
• The evaluation in 2(h) is worth 8 marks, the largest single block, and the easiest to prepare for because the same types of limitation come up every year.

How to self-mark 9702/32 with the mark scheme

1. Accept that there are no fixed answers. Check your values against the ranges instead: L from 3.0 to 16.0 cm, d from 1.0 to 2.0 cm, the masses spanning 150 g to 450 g, and the uncertainty in H from 2 to 6 mm.
2. Count your sets of readings in Question 1 and award 4, 3, 2 or 1 mark accordingly.
3. Check the precision of every raw reading: L to 0.1 cm and h to the nearest mm in Question 1, H and d to the nearest mm in Question 2.
4. Check the table headings for a quantity, a solidus or brackets, and a unit. A comma loses the mark.
5. Check your graph strictly. Find the point furthest from your line and replot it; it must be within half a small square. Then check that a ruler line can pass within 0.5 cm of every point on the T axis.
6. Check the gradient triangle is at least half the length of your line, and that you used points on the line, not table values that are off it.
7. Mark 2(h) against the A to E table. Each limitation needs a quantity and a reason; each improvement needs a specific method or piece of apparatus.

Sit 9702/32 as a timed mock

The paper allows 2 hours, with up to 1 hour at the apparatus for each question. If you have the equipment, a workable plan:

Block	Marks	Time
Q1: set up, first reading and five more sets	9	30 minutes
Q1: table, graph and line	7	18 minutes
Q1: gradient, intercept, p and q	4	12 minutes
Q2: set up, calibration and graph	2	15 minutes
Q2: break-away readings, uncertainty, F and d for both loops	7	20 minutes
Q2: k values, significant figures and the 10% test	3	7 minutes
Q2: limitations and improvements	8	18 minutes

Without the apparatus, practise the parts you can: draw a results table and graph from made-up readings, and write the 2(h) answers against the checklist in 15 minutes.

Other May/June 2026 9702 papers

• 9702 Paper 12 (Multiple Choice)
• 9702 Paper 22 (AS Level Structured Questions)
• 9702 Paper 42 (A Level Structured Questions)
• 9702 Paper 52 (Planning, Analysis and Evaluation)

Practise and download

• Download 9702/32 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 experiments were on 9702 Paper 32 May/June 2026? +

Two experiments worth 20 marks each. Question 1 investigated the equilibrium of forces with a mass hung between a string and a spring, plotting T = L + h against the mass m. Question 2 measured the force from water on a copper wire loop hung from a pivoting card, using paper clips to calibrate the card's tilt.

How many marks is 9702/32 and how long is it? +

It is out of 40 marks and lasts 2 hours. You can work with the apparatus for up to 1 hour on each question.

Are there fixed answers in the 9702/32 mark scheme? +

Mostly not, because the values depend on your own readings. The scheme gives ranges instead: the spring length L in Question 1(a) had to be between 3.0 and 16.0 cm, the loop diameter d in Question 2(d) between 1.0 and 2.0 cm, and the masses had to span 150 g or less to 450 g or more.

How did the 10% test work in 9702/32 Question 2(g)? +

You calculated the percentage difference between your two values of k and compared it with the 10% uncertainty given in the question. A conclusion consistent with that comparison earned the mark; comparing with your own uncertainty from 2(c)(ii) did not.

Which limitations and improvements scored in 9702/32 Question 2(h)? +

Two readings being too few for a conclusion, difficulty measuring H or d with a reason, difficulty catching H at the instant the loop leaves the water, and problems with the apparatus. Matching improvements included taking more readings and plotting a graph, clamping the rule, using calipers for d and filming the card with a rule in view.

Where can I download 9702/32 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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