IGCSE Physics 0625 Paper 1 Practice Paper (Core Multiple Choice) — 40 questions, 45 minutes, answers and explanations

Original IGCSE Physics 0625 Paper 1 (Core multiple choice) practice paper: 40 questions, 40 marks, 45 minutes, covering motion, thermal physics, waves, electricity and magnetism, nuclear and space physics with full answers.

Syllabus areas and marks

Questions (40 items, 1 mark each)

1.　A runner covers 150 m at steady speed in 25 s. What is the average speed?

A　6.0 m/s

B　3.0 m/s

C　150 m/s

D　3 750 m/s

2.　A car speeds up from 10 m/s to 30 m/s in 5 s. What is its acceleration?

A　6.0 m/s²

B　20 m/s²

C　0.25 m/s²

D　4.0 m/s²

3.　A 1 200 kg car accelerates at 2.5 m/s². What is the resultant force?

A　1 200 N

B　30 000 N

C　3 000 N

D　480 N

4.　A horizontal force of 250 N moves a box 12 m. How much work is done?

A　30 000 J

B　3 000 J

C　21 J

D　262 J

5.　A machine does 3 000 J of work in 20 s. What is its power?

A　150 W

B　60 W

C　3 000 W

D　60 000 W

6.　A 4 kg ball moves at 3 m/s. What is its kinetic energy?

A　12 J

B　36 J

C　6 J

D　18 J

7.　A 2 kg book is lifted 5 m (g = 10 N/kg). How much gravitational potential energy is gained?

A　20 J

B　1 000 J

C　100 J

D　10 J

8.　A metal block has mass 480 g and volume 60 cm³. What is its density?

A　540 g/cm³

B　8.0 g/cm³

C　0.13 g/cm³

D　28 800 g/cm³

9.　A force of 300 N acts on an area of 0.02 m². What is the pressure?

A　15 000 Pa

B　6 Pa

C　150 Pa

D　30 000 Pa

10.　A spring stretches 4.0 cm under a 12 N load. What is its spring constant?

A　3.0 N/m

B　48 N/m

C　0.33 N/m

D　300 N/m

11.　A 20 N force acts 0.30 m from a pivot. What is the moment?

A　20 N·m

B　67 N·m

C　6.0 N·m

D　0.015 N·m

12.　A machine takes in 800 J and delivers 240 J of useful work. What is its efficiency?

A　560%

B　30%

C　70%

D　3.3%

13.　How much energy heats 0.5 kg of water by 20 °C? (specific heat capacity 4 200 J/(kg·°C))

A　42 000 J

B　2 100 J

C　84 000 J

D　420 J

14.　How much energy melts 0.020 kg of ice at 0 °C? (specific latent heat of fusion 3.34 x 10⁵ J/kg)

A　334 J

B　16 700 J

C　66 800 J

D　6 680 J

15.　At room temperature a metal table leg feels colder than a wooden one. Why?

A　Wood gives out heat to the hand

B　Metal has a larger specific heat capacity

C　Metal conducts heat away from the hand faster

D　The metal is actually at a much lower temperature

16.　Water heated at the bottom of a beaker warms throughout. Which process dominates?

A　Condensation

B　Convection

C　Conduction

D　Evaporation

17.　Which change increases the rate of evaporation from a beaker of water?

A　Raising the temperature and blowing air across the surface

B　Pouring the water into a narrower container

C　Increasing the humidity of the air

D　Putting a lid on the beaker

18.　A fixed volume of gas is heated. What happens to its pressure?

A　It falls because there are fewer molecules

B　It stays the same because the volume is fixed

C　It falls because the molecules become smaller

D　It rises because molecules hit the walls harder and more often

19.　A liquid-in-glass thermometer relies on which property?

A　The liquid conducts electricity

B　The liquid evaporates

C　The liquid expands uniformly when heated

D　The liquid has a large specific heat capacity

20.　A wave has frequency 250 Hz and wavelength 0.80 m. What is its speed?

A　312 m/s

B　200 m/s

C　0.0032 m/s

D　250 m/s

21.　A wave has frequency 50 Hz. What is its period?

A　0.020 s

B　50 s

C　0.50 s

D　5.0 s

22.　A ray of light passes from air into glass at an angle. How does it bend?

A　Away from the normal, because light travels slower in glass

B　It continues in the same straight line

C　It is totally reflected back into the air

D　Towards the normal, because light travels slower in glass

23.　A ship receives an echo from the seabed after 0.60 s (speed of sound 340 m/s). How deep is the sea?

A　567 m

B　408 m

C　102 m

D　204 m

24.　Light travels from water to air at an angle greater than the critical angle. What happens?

A　The speed of light in water increases

B　Total internal reflection occurs and all the light stays in the water

C　All the light is absorbed

D　The light leaves along the normal

25.　Which electromagnetic wave has the longest wavelength?

A　Radio waves

B　Infrared

C　Ultraviolet

D　Gamma rays

26.　60 C of charge passes a point in 20 s. What is the current?

A　0.33 A

B　1 200 A

C　80 A

D　3.0 A

27.　A current of 0.50 A flows through a 24 Ω resistor. What is the voltage across it?

A　0.021 V

B　24 V

C　12 V

D　48 V

28.　A lamp runs on 12 V with a current of 2.0 A. What is its power?

A　0.17 W

B　24 W

C　6.0 W

D　14 W

29.　A 1.5 kW heater runs for 2 hours. How much electrical energy does it use?

A　3.0 kWh

B　0.75 kWh

C　7.5 kWh

D　3 000 kWh

30.　A 6 Ω resistor is in series with a 3 Ω resistor. What is the total resistance?

A　2 Ω

B　4.5 Ω

C　18 Ω

D　9 Ω

31.　A 6 Ω resistor is in parallel with a 3 Ω resistor. What is the total resistance?

A　4.5 Ω

B　18 Ω

C　2 Ω

D　9 Ω

32.　Where should a fuse be fitted in a mains circuit?

A　Any of them, with the same effect

B　The live wire

C　The neutral wire

D　The earth wire

33.　A transformer has 2 400 primary turns at 240 V and 120 secondary turns. What is the output voltage?

A　12 V

B　120 V

C　4 800 V

D　240 V

34.　A 0.30 m wire carrying 2.0 A lies perpendicular to a 0.50 T field. What is the force?

A　3.3 N

B　0.075 N

C　1.2 N

D　0.30 N

35.　A sample falls from 80 g to 20 g in 30 hours. What is its half-life?

A　7.5 hours

B　60 hours

C　15 hours

D　30 hours

36.　Which radiation is stopped by a few millimetres of paper?

A　Neutrons

B　Alpha particles

C　Beta particles

D　Gamma rays

37.　In the decay ²³⁸U → ²³⁴Th + X, what is X?

A　An alpha particle (⁴He)

B　A beta particle

C　A gamma ray

D　A neutron

38.　An astronaut floats inside a space station in orbit. Which statement is correct?

A　Both mass and weight become zero

B　Mass decreases while weight is unchanged

C　Mass increases while weight decreases

D　Mass is unchanged but weight is almost zero

39.　For planets in the Solar System, what happens to the orbital period as distance from the Sun increases?

A　It stays the same

B　It first lengthens then shortens

C　It becomes longer

D　It becomes shorter

40.　The spectrum of a distant galaxy is red-shifted. What does this show?

A　The galaxy is stationary

B　The galaxy is moving away from us

C　The galaxy is moving towards us

D　The galaxy is cooling down

Answers and explanations

Q1　A　Average speed = distance / time = 150 / 25 = 6.0 m/s.

Q2　D　Acceleration = (30 – 10) / 5 = 4.0 m/s².

Q3　C　F = ma = 1 200 x 2.5 = 3 000 N.

Q4　B　W = F x d = 250 x 12 = 3 000 J.

Q5　A　P = W / t = 3 000 / 20 = 150 W.

Q6　D　KE = 1/2 m v^2 = 0.5 x 4 x 9 = 18 J.

Q7　C　GPE = m g h = 2 x 10 x 5 = 100 J.

Q8　B　Density = mass / volume = 480 / 60 = 8.0 g/cm³.

Q9　A　Pressure = force / area = 300 / 0.02 = 15 000 Pa.

Q10　D　Stretch = 0.040 m; k = F / x = 12 / 0.040 = 300 N/m.

Q11　C　Moment = F x perpendicular distance = 20 x 0.30 = 6.0 N·m.

Q12　B　Efficiency = useful output / total input x 100% = 240 / 800 x 100% = 30%.

Q13　A　E = m c delta-theta = 0.5 x 4 200 x 20 = 42 000 J.

Q14　D　E = m L = 0.020 x 3.34 x 10⁵ = 6 680 J.

Q15　C　Both are at the same temperature, but metal conducts heat away faster, so it feels colder.

Q16　B　The warmed water becomes less dense and rises, setting up a convection current.

Q17　A　Higher temperature, moving air, larger surface area and lower humidity all speed up evaporation.

Q18　D　At constant volume, heating raises the average kinetic energy, so collisions are harder and more frequent.

Q19　C　The liquid expands as it warms, so the column length changes and the scale reads temperature.

Q20　B　v = f x lambda = 250 x 0.80 = 200 m/s.

Q21　A　Period = 1 / frequency = 1 / 50 = 0.020 s.

Q22　D　Entering a denser medium the light slows down and bends towards the normal.

Q23　C　The pulse travels there and back: depth = 340 x 0.60 / 2 = 102 m.

Q24　B　Beyond the critical angle there is no refracted ray, so all the light is reflected internally.

Q25　A　From longest to shortest: radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-ray, gamma.

Q26　D　I = Q / t = 60 / 20 = 3.0 A.

Q27　C　V = I R = 0.50 x 24 = 12 V.

Q28　B　P = V I = 12 x 2.0 = 24 W.

Q29　A　Energy = power x time = 1.5 kW x 2 h = 3.0 kWh.

Q30　D　In series resistances add: R = 6 + 3 = 9 Ω.

Q31　C　In parallel: 1/R = 1/6 + 1/3 = 0.5, so R = 2 Ω.

Q32　B　A fuse in the live wire melts on overload and isolates the appliance from the high voltage.

Q33　A　Vp/Vs = Np/Ns, so Vs = 240 x 120 / 2 400 = 12 V.

Q34　D　F = B I L = 0.50 x 2.0 x 0.30 = 0.30 N.

Q35　C　80 to 40 to 20 is two half-lives, so 30 / 2 = 15 hours.

Q36　B　Alpha particles are strongly ionising but weakly penetrating; paper or a few centimetres of air stops them.

Q37　A　Mass number drops by 4 and proton number by 2, which matches alpha emission.

Q38　D　Mass is the amount of matter and does not change; weight is the gravitational force, which is nearly zero in orbit.

Q39　C　Farther out the gravitational pull is weaker and the orbit longer, so one revolution takes more time.

Q40　B　Longer wavelengths mean the source is receding, which is evidence for an expanding universe.

Quick answer key

Grade guide (out of 40)

Suggested timing (45 minutes)

Notices

•　This paper has 40 four-option questions, 1 mark each, 40 marks in 45 minutes. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question.

•　Choose exactly one option per question; multiple or blank responses score 0.

•　Unless stated otherwise use SI units and take g = 10 N/kg.

•　Answers and explanations are in the answer PDF. Sit the whole paper before checking.

•　All questions are original and are not Cambridge past-paper questions; the grade bands are this paper’s own guide.

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This is original TutorZone practice material, not Cambridge past-paper content. The paper structure quoted (45 minutes, 40 four-option questions, 40 marks, 30% weighting) is taken from the Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 syllabus for 2026-2028, “Details of the assessment”.