Cambridge O Level Physics 5054 Past Papers 2026

Multiple Choice

Duration: 1h

Theory

Duration: 1h 45m

Practical Test

Duration: 1h 30m

Alternative to Practical

Duration: 1h

Momentum and conservation of momentum

Candidates confused momentum with moment of a force, and in collision calculations used the mass of only one object instead of the combined mass.

Paper 1, Paper 2

Diffraction of waves

Completely accurate diffraction drawings were rare. Wavelength appeared to change after the gap and crests were not semicircular with centres at the gap.

Paper 2

Kelvin temperature scale and changes of state

Many candidates could not convert between Kelvin and Celsius or did not understand that temperature remains constant during a change of state.

Paper 2

Convection and thermal energy transfer

Many candidates did not understand how a convection current acts on a glider in the air. A significant number misread 'convection' as 'conventional' and described electric current instead.

Paper 2

Light-year as a distance and astronomy facts

Many candidates did not recognise that a light-year is a distance (not a time). The diameter of the Milky Way as approximately 100,000 light-years was known by only a few candidates.

Paper 2

D.C. motor and split-ring commutator diagrams

Many diagrams for the connections to the coil in a d.c. motor were difficult to interpret and seemed to show two rings. Even where one split ring was clear, connections to the coil were often outside rather than inside the ring.

Paper 2

Efficiency and energy transfers in collisions

Candidates confused useful output energy with total output energy. In collisions, many described energy transfers as 'kinetic to potential energy' rather than recognising thermal energy from deformation.

Paper 2

Practical graph skills — scales, plotting, and best-fit lines

Non-integral scales, failure to use linear axes, forcing curves through all points, and missing axis labels were common in practical papers.

Paper 3, Paper 4

Transformer action and electromagnetic induction

Many candidates described transformer operation as current flowing through the iron core, missing the central idea that a CHANGING magnetic field in the core induces an e.m.f. in the secondary coil. Also confusion that secondary current is greater than primary current in a step-up transformer.

Paper 2

Light-year and astronomical distances

Candidates frequently treated a light-year as a time rather than a distance, gave the diameter of the Milky Way incorrectly, and confused redshift interpretation when comparing supernovae at different distances.

Paper 2

Multi-stage energy transfer and efficiency calculations

Most candidates could complete one stage of an energy/efficiency problem but stopped before applying the efficiency to reach the final useful-output value. Forgetting thermal store losses (friction, electrical heating) was also widespread.

Paper 2

Potential dividers and voltage sharing in series circuits

Many candidates described current changes when explaining a potential divider, rather than the voltage shared between the two components. The relationship between resistance ratio and voltage ratio was not consistently understood.

Paper 2