Cambridge vs Edexcel IGCSE Physics: which papers and resources do you need?

First, identify your exact qualification

Ask your school for the full subject title, qualification code, exam year and components. Keep those details together at the front of your revision folder. A file labelled ‘IGCSE Physics Paper 2’ is not enough to identify the right exam.

This matters particularly when friends attend different schools. The physics behind a circuit may be the same, but their topic coverage, assessment format and grade scale may differ. Borrow explanations freely; match exam practice to your own entry.

Cambridge 0625: Core, Extended and practical routes

Cambridge 0625 candidates take three papers. Core uses Papers 1 and 3; Extended uses Papers 2 and 4. Both add either Paper 5, a practical test, or Paper 6, Alternative to Practical. Core grades run from C to G; Extended includes A* to G.

For Extended, multiple choice contributes 30%, theory 50% and practical skills 20%. Plan separate practice for all three. Strong theory work does not remove the need to practise experimental reasoning or multiple-choice decisions.

Cambridge 0972 covers the same physics with 9–1 grading. If that is your code, check its own syllabus and entry information rather than assuming the grade labels or administrative details of 0625 apply.

Edexcel 4PH1: two written papers

The linear Edexcel 4PH1 qualification uses Paper 1P, worth 110 marks in two hours, and Paper 2P, worth 70 marks in one hour fifteen minutes. It is untiered and graded 9–1. Practical understanding is assessed within written papers; there is no Cambridge-style Paper 6.

Paper 1 covers the specification content without the additional bold ‘P’ statements. Paper 2 can assess all the content, including those statements. Do not prepare for Paper 2 by learning only the additional material: earlier ideas can still be needed.

Keep practical revision in the weekly plan. When revising resistance, for example, also practise choosing meters, controlling temperature, recording measurements and explaining how to improve the method.

Edexcel modular Physics is a different route

Edexcel also offers modular International GCSE Physics under qualification code 4XPH1, with units 4WPH1 and 4WPH2. These are not alternative names for linear Papers 1P and 2P. Use the modular specification and ask your centre to confirm the units and exam series it is entering you for.

A useful check is to match a practice paper’s code to your school’s course information before starting it. If you are moving schools or changing routes, ask the receiving school to map completed topics and assessment requirements. Do not make a switch on the assumption that marks will transfer automatically.

Is Cambridge or Edexcel easier?

There is no defensible universal answer for an individual student. A shorter paper can still be demanding; a familiar topic can be tested in an unfamiliar way. Grade boundaries from different boards also cannot be compared as if equal percentages measured equal difficulty.

If you have a real choice, compare the teaching available, the school’s practical provision, the exam structure and how a student responds to a sample of each board’s questions. Attempt comparable topics, then discuss the reasoning and the mistakes with a teacher. One unusually good or bad paper should not decide a two-year course.

Build a revision folder that matches your papers

Organise by the qualification first, then by topic and paper. Shared topic notes are useful for learning; your current syllabus is the final coverage checklist. Keep marked practice and the matching mark scheme together so that a wrong answer becomes a specific action.

• —Save the current official syllabus and your school’s component list.
• —Choose questions for the same board and route, checking older papers for syllabus changes.
• —Track theory, calculations and experimental skills separately.
• —Write down whether each lost mark came from physics, mathematics, interpretation or incomplete reasoning.
• —Bring one marked paper and your exact qualification code to a tutoring enquiry.