Download clean, printable lists of the most common mistakes students make — so you can fix them before they cost marks.
Each sheet is aligned to its exam board and built from recurring student errors highlighted in examiner reports and mark schemes.
What you get
A topic-by-topic mistakes list with a “do this instead” fix and a quick self-check.
How to use it
Review before past papers, then use the quick checks to catch errors under timed conditions.
Why it works
Many marks are lost on predictable slips: rounding, sign errors, units, and misreading commands.
Coverage by topic
Preview (up to 5 per topic)
47 total rows in download
| Topic | Common mistake / misconception | Do this instead | Quick check |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | Not using the command word (state/describe/explain/calculate) correctly. | Match your answer to the command word: state = short fact; explain = reason with physics. | Did you answer in the required style? |
| General | Too few significant figures / rounding too early in multi-step calculations. | Keep extra digits in working; round only at the end unless told otherwise. | Did you round only at the end? |
| General | Missing or incorrect units (or forgetting squared/cubed units). | Write the unit for every final answer; check it matches the quantity. | Is the unit correct and present? |
| General | Not showing working, so method marks cannot be awarded. | Write the formula, substitute values with units, then calculate. | Did you show formula + substitution + working? |
| Measurement | Confusing mass and weight (treating them as the same). | Mass is in kg; weight is a force in N: (W = mg). | Did you use kg for mass and N for weight? |
| Measurement | Unit conversions (cm↔m, g↔kg) done after substitution (errors). | Convert to SI units before substituting into formulas. | Did you convert first to SI units? |
| Measurement | Density: mixing up mass and volume or wrong rearrangement. | Use (\rho = m/V); rearrange carefully (cross-multiply). | Did you substitute the correct m and V? |
| Measurement | Reading scales incorrectly (parallax error / wrong zero). | Read at eye level; start from true zero; record to correct resolution. | Did you read from zero and avoid parallax? |
| Forces & motion | Speed vs velocity (ignoring direction). | Speed is scalar; velocity includes direction. | Does direction matter in the question? |
| Forces & motion | Acceleration: using (v/t) instead of (\Delta v/\Delta t). | Use (a = (v-u)/t) when there is a change in velocity. | Did you use change in velocity? |
| Forces & motion | Interpreting distance–time and speed–time graphs incorrectly. | Distance–time gradient = speed; speed–time gradient = acceleration; area under speed–time = distance. | Did you use gradient vs area correctly? |
| Forces & motion | Forces at constant speed: thinking no force acts. | Net force is zero, but forces can balance (e.g., driving force equals resistive force). | Are forces balanced (net = 0) rather than absent? |
| Forces & motion | Newton’s 3rd law: pairing forces on the same object. | Action–reaction forces act on different objects and are equal/opposite. | Do the two forces act on different objects? |
| Moments | Using wrong distance for a moment (not perpendicular). | Use perpendicular distance from pivot: (\tau = Fd\). | Is the distance perpendicular to the force line of action? |
| Moments | Equilibrium: forgetting clockwise moments = anticlockwise moments. | For equilibrium: sum of moments about pivot is zero. | Did you balance clockwise and anticlockwise moments? |
| Pressure | Pressure formula mixed up (using area/force incorrectly). | Use (p = F/A); larger area → smaller pressure for same force. | Did you divide force by area? |
| Pressure | Liquid pressure: forgetting pressure increases with depth. | Use (p = \rho g h) (depends on depth (h), density, (g)). | Did you use depth (h) correctly? |
| Energy | Work done: using (W=Fs) with force not parallel to motion. | Use the component of force in the direction of motion (or ensure it’s along motion). | Is the force along the displacement? |
| Energy | Mixing up energy and power. | Energy is J; power is rate: (P = E/t) in W. | Does the question ask for energy or rate? |
| Energy | Efficiency: using output/input the wrong way around. | Efficiency = useful output / total input (×100% if percent). | Is your efficiency less than or equal to 1 (or 100%)? |
| Energy | Gravitational potential energy: mixing up mass and weight. | Use (E_p = mgh) with mass (m) in kg and (g\approx10\,\text{N kg}^{-1}). | Did you use mass (kg) not weight (N) in mgh? |
| Energy | Kinetic energy: forgetting the square on speed. | Use (E_k = \tfrac12 mv^2). | Did you square the speed? |
| Thermal physics | Heat vs temperature treated as the same. | Temperature measures average kinetic energy; heat is energy transferred due to temperature difference. | Are you describing energy transfer or how hot something is? |
| Thermal physics | Specific heat capacity: mixing mass, temperature change, or units. | Use (E = mc\Delta T); (\Delta T) in °C or K is the same change. | Did you use (\Delta T) (change) not final temperature? |
| Thermal physics | Changing state: using (mc\Delta T) instead of latent heat. | During melting/boiling use (E = mL) (temperature constant). | Is it a temperature rise or a change of state? |
| Thermal physics | Conduction/convection/radiation mixed up. | Conduction in solids; convection in fluids with bulk movement; radiation via infrared. | Which transfer mechanism fits the situation? |
| Thermal physics | Gas pressure explanations: saying particles 'expand' instead of moving faster / colliding more. | Higher temperature → higher average kinetic energy → more frequent/forceful collisions → higher pressure (fixed volume). | Did you mention collisions and kinetic energy? |
| Waves | Frequency vs period confusion. | Use (f = 1/T). Frequency is Hz; period is seconds. | Did you invert correctly between f and T? |
| Waves | Wave speed: using (v=f/\lambda) instead of (v=f\lambda). | Use (v=f\lambda). | Did you multiply frequency by wavelength? |
| Waves | Amplitude vs wavelength: mixing vertical and horizontal measures. | Amplitude is maximum displacement (vertical); wavelength is distance between identical points (horizontal). | Are you measuring the correct direction? |
| Light | Refraction: bending direction stated incorrectly. | Into a denser medium: towards normal; into less dense: away from normal. | Did you compare optical density and decide toward/away? |
| Light | Snell’s law: swapping sin terms or using wrong angles (not to the normal). | Use angles measured from the normal: (n_1\sin i = n_2\sin r). | Are your angles measured from the normal? |
| Light | Total internal reflection conditions stated incorrectly. | TIR needs: light in denser medium and incidence angle > critical angle. | Is it denser-to-less-dense and i > c? |
| Sound | Sound needs a medium: describing it as travelling in vacuum. | Sound is a longitudinal wave that requires a medium. | Is there a medium present? |
| Electricity | Current vs charge confusion. | Current is rate of flow of charge: (I = Q/t). | Did you use rate (per second) for current? |
| Electricity | Potential difference vs current (thinking they are proportional in all situations). | Use Ohm’s law only for ohmic conductors at constant temperature: (V=IR). | Is the component ohmic/constant temperature? |
| Electricity | Series vs parallel: mixing current and voltage rules. | Series: current same, voltages add. Parallel: voltage same, currents add. | Did you apply series/parallel rules correctly? |
| Electricity | Resistance calculations: forgetting (R=V/I) rearrangement. | Rearrange carefully: (R=V/I), (I=V/R), (V=IR). | Did you rearrange the equation correctly? |
| Electricity | Power: using the wrong formula or mixing units. | Use (P=VI), or (P=I^2R), or (P=V^2/R) with SI units. | Are V in volts, I in amps, R in ohms? |
| Magnetism | Field lines direction confusion (north to south outside magnet). | Magnetic field lines go N→S outside the magnet. | Are arrows N to S outside the magnet? |
| Magnetism | Electromagnet strength: stating 'more turns' but not linking to current/iron core. | Stronger electromagnet: more turns, larger current, soft iron core. | Did you mention turns/current/core? |
| EM induction | Induced current direction: not using Lenz’s law reasoning. | Induced current opposes the change causing it (Lenz’s law). | Did you state it opposes the change? |
| EM induction | Transformer: mixing up turns ratio and voltage ratio. | Use (V_p/V_s = N_p/N_s) (ideal transformer). | Did you match V ratio to N ratio correctly? |
| Atomic physics | Confusing isotope vs ion. | Isotopes differ in neutrons; ions differ in electrons (charge). | Is the change in neutrons or electrons? |
| Atomic physics | Half-life: thinking it depends on external conditions. | Half-life is constant for a given isotope and is random/independent. | Did you treat half-life as constant? |
| Atomic physics | Half-life graphs: using equal time steps but halving the wrong quantity. | Half-life halves the number of undecayed nuclei (or activity) each half-life period. | Did you halve the correct quantity each half-life? |
| Atomic physics | Radiation types mixed up (alpha/beta/gamma penetration and ionising). | Alpha: most ionising, least penetrating; gamma: least ionising, most penetrating; beta in between. | Did you order ionising and penetration correctly? |
It is a downloadable list of frequent misconceptions and mark-losing calculation slips in IGCSE Physics (0625), paired with a short fix and a “quick check” prompt.
It covers common mistakes across the core 0625 areas: measurement, forces and motion, moments and pressure, energy, thermal physics, waves (including light and sound), electricity, magnetism and electromagnetic induction, and atomic physics.
No. It is a practical revision resource summarising recurring error patterns and mark-scheme expectations. Always verify definitions, equations, and command words against your official syllabus and mark schemes.
Before a paper, skim the list for the topics you’re revising. After marking, identify which mistakes you made and practise 5–10 similar questions, using the “quick check” prompts to avoid repeating the same errors.