CCEA GCE A Level Physics (574) Past Papers 2026
Download free CCEA GCE A Level Physics 574 past papers, mark schemes. 17 exam sessions from 2009–2026.
Summer 2025
Latest Session
17
Sessions
2009–2026
96
Question Papers
78
Mark Schemes
81% coverage
Components & time pressure
Marks per minute shows how fast you have to work — the higher the number, the tighter the time pressure in that paper.
| Paper | Component | Marks | Duration | Marks / min | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AS 1 | Forces, Energy and Electricity | 100 | 1h 45m | 0.95 | High |
| AS 2 | Waves, Photons and Astronomy | 100 | 1h 45m | 0.95 | High |
| AS 3A / 3B | Practical Techniques and Data Analysis | 90 | 1h × 2 components | 1.50 | Very high |
| A2 1 | Deformation of Solids, Thermal Physics, Circular Motion, Oscillations and Atomic and Nuclear Physics | 100 | 2h | 0.83 | Moderate |
| A2 2 | Fields, Capacitors and Particle Physics | 100 | 2h | 0.83 | Moderate |
| A2 3A / 3B | Practical Techniques and Data Analysis (A2) | 90 | 1h × 2 components | 1.50 | Very high |
Component structure extracted from 3 official CCEA documents (2023–2025). Timings and mark totals are taken from the papers themselves.
Yearly Exam Sessions
How is CCEA GCE A Level Physics examined?
CCEA GCE A Level Physics is examined through 6 paper components. Understanding each component helps you allocate revision time effectively.
AS 1
100 marksForces, Energy and Electricity
Duration: 1h 45m
AS 2
100 marksWaves, Photons and Astronomy
Duration: 1h 45m
AS 3A / 3B
90 marksPractical Techniques and Data Analysis
Duration: 1h × 2 components
A2 1
100 marksDeformation of Solids, Thermal Physics, Circular Motion, Oscillations and Atomic and Nuclear Physics
Duration: 2h
A2 2
100 marksFields, Capacitors and Particle Physics
Duration: 2h
A2 3A / 3B
90 marksPractical Techniques and Data Analysis (A2)
Duration: 1h × 2 components
Most Common Mistakes — Physics
Based on analysis of 3 official CCEA examiner reports (2023, 2024, 2025). Avoid these errors to maximise your marks.
Calculations answered better than written explanations — but written answers lack required detail
AS 1, AS 2, A2 1, A2 2 · Flagged in every unit report across all 3 years (2023, 2024, 2025)
Significant figures errors — not quoting answers to appropriate precision
AS 3A, AS 3B, A2 3A, A2 3B · Flagged in every practical unit (AS 3A, AS 3B, A2 3A, A2 3B) across all 3 years
'Show that' questions — missing steps and not starting from first principles
AS 1, AS 2, A2 1, A2 2 · Repeated in Subject Overview and individual unit sections across all 3 years
Definitions lacking all required components — partial definitions almost never score full marks
AS 1, A2 1, A2 2 · Flagged in AS 1, A2 1, A2 2 unit reports across all 3 years
Graph plotting errors — unidentifiable points, forced best-fit through origin, poor scales
AS 3A, AS 3B, A2 3A, A2 3B · Flagged in practical unit reports (AS 3A, AS 3B, A2 3A, A2 3B) across all 3 years
Topics Students Struggle With Most
SHM — amplitude-time graphs for damped oscillations and resonance curves
In 2023 A2 1: 'the most common mistake was to draw the graph of displacement for a lightly damped system' instead of amplitude. In 2025 A2 1: 'Many candidates knew the characteristics of lightly damped oscillations but did not give sufficient detail about the gradual decrease in amplitude or reference the constant time period.' Resonance graphs also poorly drawn — the broader damped curve and the lowering of peak frequency were frequently missing.
A2 1
Faraday's and Lenz's law — vague statements and incorrect application to flux graphs
Consistently flagged in A2 2 across all 3 years as 'poorly answered'. In 2025: 'very few were able to correctly link the change from increasing to decreasing of the flux linkage to the direction of the induced current.' Many candidates correctly stated the law but could not apply it when flux linkage was increasing vs decreasing on a graph.
A2 2
Photoelectric effect — threshold frequency, work function, and source of emitted electrons
In AS 2 across all 3 years: candidates repeatedly omitted the threshold/minimum frequency requirement and incorrectly said electrons were emitted from 'atoms' rather than the metal surface. In 2025: 'others found this challenging. Some omitted key parts and sometimes described electrons moving up energy levels in an atom.'
AS 2
Vector diagrams and force resolution — projectile, lift, circular motion problems
In AS 1 2023: vector Va and Vr mixed up, vectors not forming right angles; in 2024: 'Many were unable to correctly resolve the forces'; in 2025 A2 1: 'Labelling the components of the weight in Part (i) caused problems for many. Angles were incorrect and some candidates incorrectly drew the components of the tension.' Candidates default to sums without resolving components correctly.
AS 1, A2 1
Capacitor charging — misconceptions about charge carriers and plate behaviour
In A2 2 2023: 'Responses showed clear misconceptions around capacitor physics. Many referred to positive and negative plates before charging started and some described charge carriers moving through the capacitor from one plate to the other. Electrons were often not named as the charge carriers.' This misconception recurred in 2024 and 2025.
A2 2
Standing waves — node/antinode language and resonance conditions
In A2 1 2023: 'the language used to distinguish between them were not precise enough.' In AS 2 2024: 'Very few candidates scored all three marks. Most did not know the conditions for complete destructive interference.' In AS 2 2025 Q3: the speed-of-sound resonance tube experiment 'proved to be another good discriminating question' — most did not specify raising tube from L=0 or measuring correctly.
AS 2, A2 1
Nuclear physics — critical size definition, spontaneous vs random decay, moderator function
In A2 1 2023: 'A common issue was neglecting to mention smallest amount of fuel when defining critical size.' In 2023: 'The vast majority of candidates could not articulate the difference between spontaneous and random.' In 2024: candidates 'did not understand the idea of neutron absorption and were unable to correctly describe the function of the moderator in terms of why the neutrons needed to be slowed.'
A2 1
Practical skills — uncertainty calculation, significant figures in practical contexts, extreme fit lines
Across all 6 practical unit reports in all 3 years: significant figure errors are the single most penalised issue. In 2025 A2 3B: 'In Part (ii) a surprising number of candidates did not state the correct uncertainty for the measuring cylinder.' Extreme fit lines for percentage uncertainty were frequently absent or incorrectly drawn. Candidates often calculated 10% instead of 5% uncertainty.
AS 3A, AS 3B, A2 3A, A2 3B
CCEA GCE A Level Physics (574) — Full Archive 2009–2026
This page contains all 174 CCEA GCE A Level Physics (574) past papers available for free download — 17 exam sessions from 2009 to 2026. Each session includes question papers and mark schemes from both January and Summer exam windows. No registration or payment required.
CCEA GCE A Level Physics is graded A*–E. GCE papers are split into AS (first year, Year 13) and A2 (second year, Year 14) components. AS results can count towards the full A Level or be taken as a standalone qualification. Paper filenames indicate whether they are AS or A2 — practise with the component that matches your current stage of study.
CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment) is the sole exam board for Northern Ireland. All schools in Northern Ireland use CCEA qualifications, making these the official papers sat by students across the region. CCEA sessions run in January and Summer (May/June), giving students two examination windows per year — both are included in this archive.
For the most effective revision, attempt each Physics past paper under timed exam conditions, then mark it against the official CCEA mark scheme. Mark schemes show the exact points that earn marks and list accepted alternative answers. Track which topics and question types cost you the most marks across multiple sessions, then focus your remaining revision on those areas. Practising with papers from both January and Summer sessions gives you the broadest coverage of the specification.
Physics 574 at other levels
Questions, answered.
PapersDaddy provides 174 free CCEA GCE A Level Physics (574) past papers from 2009–2026. Download question papers and mark schemes as PDF — no registration needed.
We have 174 papers across 17 exam sessions for CCEA GCE A Level Physics (574). This includes both January and May/June sessions with question papers and mark schemes.
CCEA filenames follow the pattern A2AS-574-Past-Papers--Mark-Schemes--Standard-{Session}-Series-{Year}-{ID}. The subject code 574 identifies Physics. Files may include "REVISED" to indicate they follow an updated specification.
Yes, these are the official past examination papers from CCEA. They are the same papers that were sat by students in Northern Ireland schools during the respective exam sessions.