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Pearson Edexcel IGCSE Physics course. We cannot however guarantee that it is an accurate representation
of the Summer 2025 examinations and students should not treat it as such. Please use this as an aid, alongside
other methods of revision.

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9-1)

Thursday 22 May 2025

Physics
Unit: 4PH1
Paper: 1P

You must have:

Instructions
• Use black ink or a ballpoint pen.
• Answer all questions.
• Answer the questions in the spaces provided.
○ There may be more space than you need.
• Show all the steps in any calculations and state the units.

Information
• The total mark for this paper is 110.
• The marks for each question are shown in brackets.
○ Use this as a guide as to how much time to spend on each question.

Advice
• Read each question carefully before you start to answer it.
• Write your answers neatly and in good English.
• Try to answer every question.
• Check your answers if you have time at the end.

Turn over →

© 2025 Empirical Tuition. All rights reserved.

1. A paraglider is descending towards the ground.

(a) Explain why there is a resultant force acting on the paraglider. (2)

(b) Calculate the resultant vertical force acting on the paraglider. (2)

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The paraglider starts his descent from a height of 120 m. The paraglider has a total mass of 85 kg.

(c) State the formula linking gravitational potential energy, mass, gravitational field strength, and

height. (1)

(d) Calculate the gravitational potential energy of the paraglider at the start of the descent. Assume

gravitational field strength (g) to be 10 N/kg. (2)

The paraglider descends to a height of 20 m.

(e) Calculate the velocity of the paraglider at this height. You may assume that all the lost

gravitational potential energy is converted to kinetic energy. (4)

(Total for Question 1 = 11 marks)

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2. A snowplough is travelling along an icy road.

The passage describes the actions of the snowplough.

(a) Complete the passage using appropriate terms. (5)

A snowplough is travelling at a speed of 20 m/s when the driver notices an obstacle ahead. The driver

takes 0.9 seconds to react before applying the brakes. The thinking distance of the snowplough is

calculated using the formula:

Thinking Distance = Speed × Reaction Time

In this case, the thinking distance is ______ m.

Two factors that could increase the thinking distance are:

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 1. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Once the brakes are applied, the snowplough takes an additional 250 m to come to a stop. This is known

as the braking distance.

The total stopping distance of the snowplough is the sum of the thinking distance and braking distance,

which is ______ m. This is much further than in dry conditions because the ____________ provided by the

road is significantly reduced.

The snowplough then speeds up after passing the obstacle. The table below shows how its speed

increases over time.

(b) Complete the missing values in the table. (2)

Time (s) Speed (m/s) Distance Travelled (m)

0 0

2 40

(c) Use the table to calculate the acceleration of the snowplough. (2)

(Total for Question 2 = 9 marks)

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3. The photograph below shows a UV lamp being used to harden gel nail polish. UV light is an

example of a transverse wave.

(a) Why should nail technicians wear gloves when using a UV lamp? (2)

(b) Describe the motion of particles in a transverse wave. (1)

☒ A The particles move parallel to the direction of wave travel.

☒ B The particles remain stationary while the wave moves.

☒ C The particles move perpendicularly to the direction of wave travel.

☒ D The particles move in a random direction with no clear pattern.

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(c) State two other properties that are common to all transverse waves. (2)

A set of gel nails is hardened using a UV lamp with a power of 50 W. The total energy transferred to

the nails is 2,000 J.

(d) Calculate the time taken for the gel nails to harden. (3)

A nail technician notices it usually takes significantly longer for the nails to harden.

(e) In terms of energy transfer, explain why this may be the case. (2)

(Total for Question 3 = 10 marks)

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4. This question is about nuclear fission.

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are being developed to provide efficient and flexible nuclear power.

While plutonium-239 is the nuclear fuel most commonly used in SMRs, researchers are exploring

curium-245 as a possible alternative.

The nucleus of curium-245 can be represented by the symbol below:

245
96Cm

(a) Complete the table below to describe the nucleus of curium-245. (2)

Particle Type Number of Particles Relative Charge

Protons 96

Neutrons 0

Under certain conditions, curium-245 undergoes nuclear fission:

245 140 96
96Cm + n→ 55Cs + 41Nb + 3n

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(b) Explain how this equation demonstrates a chain reaction. (3)

Curium-245 and plutonium-239 decay at different rates. This is shown in the graph below.

(c) Calculate the half-life of curium-245. (2)

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The disposal of radioactive waste is a major challenge for nuclear power stations.

(d) Using the graph, as well as your own knowledge, evaluate whether curium-245 or plutonium-

239 would be easier to manage as nuclear fuel waste. (5)

(Total for Question 4 = 12 marks)

5. Ceres is a dwarf planet located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Ceres has a similar

orbit to other, larger planets.

(a) What is the shape of Ceres’ orbit around the Sun? (1)

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(b) State the name of the force that causes Ceres to orbit the Sun. (1)

Ceres orbits the Sun with an orbital radius of 400 million km. It completes one full orbit around the

Sun in 4.6 years.

(c) State the equation for orbital speed. (1)

(d) Calculate the orbital speed of Ceres. (3)

Ceres is believed to contain rare minerals such as cobalt. Cobalt is essential for the production of

rechargeable batteries.

Scientists are designing a probe with a solar sail to explore Ceres and search for these valuable

resources.

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A solar sail is pictured below.

The probe receives 100 kJ of energy from the Sun. This energy is used in the following ways:

• 85 kJ is converted into kinetic energy to propel the probe.

• 10 kJ is lost as heat.

• The remaining energy is lost as reflected light from the sail.

(e) Using the space below, draw a diagram to show how energy is transferred in this system. (2)

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The probe returns to Earth with samples of cobalt ore.

A scientist used a measuring cylinder to estimate the volume of a piece of cobalt ore with a mass of

197 g. This is shown in the diagram below.

(f) Suggest why it is difficult to measure the volume of the cobalt ore directly. (2)

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(g) Using the diagram, calculate the density of the cobalt ore. (4)

(Total for Question 5 = 15 marks)

6. A cyclist uses a bicycle dynamo to power their bike light.

The dynamo consists of a small magnet spinning inside a coil of wire as the wheel turns. This induces

a voltage, which powers the light. The wire coil has a fixed resistance of 6 Ω.

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When the cyclist pedals, the dynamo induces a voltage across the ends of the coil.

(a) Explain why a voltage was induced. (3)

(b) State one change to the dynamo to increase this voltage. (1)

A student records the voltage induced in the dynamo over time and plots a graph, shown below.

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(c) Calculate the current flowing through the dynamo at 2 seconds. (3)

(d) Suggest why the voltage changes over time. (3)

(Total for Question 6 = 10 marks)

7. The diagram shows a hot air balloon with a burner beneath the balloon’s envelope. When the

burner is turned on, air is drawn into the balloon. This causes the balloon to rise into the air.

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(a) Describe how the process of convection causes this air movement. (5)

The burner is supplied with fuel from a propane gas tank. As the burner operates, propane is

released from the tank.

(b) Explain what happens to the pressure inside the gas tank as the propane fuel is used up. You

may assume that the gas tank is operating at a constant temperature. (3)

After the hot air balloon lands, the gas tank cools down from 400 K to 280 K.

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(c) Convert 400 K to degrees Celsius. (1)

Before cooling, the pressure inside the tank was 800 kPa.

(d) Calculate the new pressure inside the tank after it has cooled. (3)

(Total for Question 7 = 12 marks)

8. In the food industry, the purity of honey is tested to detect fake or diluted honey.

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A food scientist is testing honey samples using a refractometer to measure the critical angle of

different honey-water mixtures. The results are shown in the table below.

Honey Purity (%) Critical Angle (°)

25 56

50 51

75 45

100 41

Using the table, plot a suitable graph. Draw a line of best fit. (5)

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A jar of honey is tested and found to have a refractive index of 1.48.

(b) Determine whether the honey is fake or pure. Explain your reasoning. (3)

Honey is a dense liquid. Sound waves travel through honey at different speeds compared to air.

(c) Give the name of a device that can be used to measure the frequency of a sound wave as it travels

through a jar of honey. (1)

A sound wave with a frequency of 2.5 kHz and a wavelength of 58 cm is transmitted through a jar

of pure honey.

(d) Calculate the speed of the sound wave through the honey. (3)

(Total for Question 8 = 12 marks)

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9. A fire alarm system is installed in a block of four flats. The system uses a set of identical

components (labelled X), that respond to changes in temperature.

The circuit is pictured operating at normal temperatures in the diagram below.

(a) Identify component X. (1)

(b) Using the diagram, determine the total current flowing through the circuit. (2)

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The fuse attached to this circuit is rated at 15 A. If the circuit is broken, an alarm will sound.

(c) Explain how this circuit functions as a fire alarm. (4)

An engineer identifies several limitations in this fire alarm system.

(d) Suggest two limitations of this system and explain why they could be a problem. (4)

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 (Total for Question 9 = 11 marks)

10. This question is about stellar evolution.

(a) What determines the colour of a star? (1)

☒ A Its age

☒ B Its size

☒ C Its surface temperature

☒ D Its distance from Earth

(b) What is the primary fuel for nuclear fusion in a main sequence star? (1)

☒ A Helium

☒ B Oxygen

☒ C Hydrogen

☒ D Carbon

Deneb is a star that is located in the constellation Cygnus, which is approximately 2,500 light-years

from Earth. Deneb is a bright blue star with a mass of 3.78 × 1031 kg.

The Sun has a mass of 1.99 × 1030 kg.

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Deneb is shown in the image below.

(c) With reference to their masses, compare the life cycles of Deneb and the Sun. (6)

(Total for Question 10 = 8 marks)

TOTAL FOR PAPER = 110 MARKS

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