1 Which is an S.I. base unit?

A amp
B coulomb
C ohm
D volt

Your answer [1]

2 Two waves, of wavelength λ, undergo constructive interference.

What is a possible path difference between the two waves?

D λ

Your answer [1]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 1 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 3 A copper wire P has electrical resistance R and number density of charge carriers n.

A copper wire Q has:

• area of cross section equal to P

• twice the length of P.

Which row gives the correct values of resistance and number density of charge carriers for Q?

Resistance of Q Number density of charge carriers

in Q
A n

B 2n

2R n
C

2R 2n
D

Your answer [1]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 2 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 4 The light emitted by a laptop screen is polarised.

The laptop screen is viewed through a polarising filter.

Initially the brightness of the screen appears normal.

The filter is rotated gradually through an angle of 180°.

How does the brightness of the laptop screen appear after the filter has been rotated by 90°, and then
by 180°?

After a rotation of 90° After a rotation of 180°

A Dark Dark
B Dark Normal
C Normal Dark
D Normal Normal

Your answer [1]

5 The diagram below shows a network of four resistors.

What is the total resistance between the points P and Q?

A 50Ω
B 133Ω
C 150Ω
D 600Ω

Your answer [1]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 3 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 6 The diagram shows a stationary wave on a string.

What is the phase difference between the points on the wave labelled X and Y?

A 0
B

D π

Your answer [1]

7 In a demonstration of the photoelectric effect the clean surface of a metal is radiated with photons of
electromagnetic radiation.

Electrons are released from the surface of the metal.

The intensity of the radiation is then increased.

Which statement is correct?

A The energy of the photons increases.

B The rate of emission of electrons increases.
C The maximum kinetic energy of the emitted electrons increases.
D There is no change to the emitted electrons.

Your answer [1]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 4 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 8 Electromagnetic waves pass through a gap of approximately 3 cm.

Which of the following will undergo a significant amount of diffraction?

A microwaves
B ultraviolet waves
C visible light waves
D X-rays

Your answer [1]

9 According to Newton's third law, forces always occur in pairs.

Which statement is not true for a Newton's third law force pair?

A The forces are acting in opposite directions.

B The forces are acting on the same body.
C The forces have the same magnitude.
D The forces are the same type.

Your answer [1]

10 A particle X collides with a stationary particle Y.

No external forces act and the collision is inelastic.

Which quantity is conserved in the collision?

A momentum of X
B momentum of Y
C momentum of X + momentum of Y
D kinetic energy of X + kinetic energy of Y

Your answer [1]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 5 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 11 The diagrams show the currents entering and leaving a junction in an electric circuit.

Which diagram could be correct?

Your answer [1]

12 In the Young double-slit experiment, light passes through two narrow slits and a pattern of light is
observed on a screen.

Which property of light is not demonstrated by this experiment?

A diffraction
B refraction
C wave nature
D superposition

Your answer [1]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 6 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 13 In a Young double-slit experiment, electromagnetic radiation is incident on a double slit. The following
results are obtained.

distance from slits to screen = 3.5 m

distance between slits = 1.5 mm
distance between central fringe and 6th order fringe = 9 mm

What is the wavelength of the radiation?

A 6.4 × 10–7 m
B 3.9 × 10–6 m
C 6.4 × 10–1 m
D 2.3 × 10–5 m

Your answer [1]

14 A stationary sound wave is created in air.

The distance between two adjacent nodes of the stationary wave is 0.7 m.

What is the frequency of the sound wave?

Speed of sound in air = 340 ms–1

A 243 Hz
B 476 Hz
C 486 Hz
D 971 Hz

Your answer [1]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 7 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 15 A spring has a force constant of 4900 N m–1.

A force is applied to the spring, causing it to compress by 0.50 m.

What is the change in the elastic potential energy stored in the spring?

A decreases by 610 J
B decreases by 1200 J
C increases by 610 J
D increases by 1200 J

Your answer [1]

16 Which graph shows the stress-strain characteristics of a brittle material?

Your answer [1]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 8 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 17 Which of the following is a correct statement about the e.m.f. of a cell?

A It is equal to the energy transferred from chemical energy per volt.

B It is equal to the energy transferred to thermal energy in the load resistance.
C It is equal to the p.d. measured across the internal resistance of the cell.
D It is equal to the p.d. measured across the terminals of the cell when there is no current.

Your answer [1]

18 The diagram shows a semi-circular glass block with a refractive index of 1.5.

The glass block is surrounded by air.

A ray of light follows the path shown from X to P.

Which path will the ray follow after it arrives at P?

Your answer [1]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 9 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 19 A student makes measurements to determine the total energy W transferred by a filament lamp.

They record the measurements shown below.

Potential difference / V 12 ± 0.20

Current / mA 80 ± 1.0
Time / s 60 ± 0.01

What is the percentage uncertainty in their calculated value of W?

A 0.2%
B 1.2%
C 2.9%
D 7.2%

Your answer [1]

20 An object is completely immersed in water.

Upthrust acts on the object.

Which calculation will correctly give the magnitude of the upthrust?

A density of the object × g

B density of the water × g
C mass of water displaced × g
D volume of object × g

Your answer [1]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 10 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 21(a A torch uses three identical cells connected in series to a bulb.
)
Each cell has e.m.f. ε and internal resistance r.

The current in the circuit is I.

Show that the power P delivered to the bulb is given by

P = 3I (ε - Ir )

[3]
(b) Suggest why a torch battery with a large internal resistance may be undesirable.

[2]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 11 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 22(a A lab technician is moving boxes.
)
The technician pulls a box using a rope with a force of 32 N.

The force acts at an angle of 50° to the horizontal.

The box moves a horizontal distance of 3.5 m along the floor in a time of 6 s.

Calculate the power of the technician as they move the box along the floor.

power = ...................................................... W [3]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 12 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 (b) The technician lifts a box from the floor without bending their knees.

The diagram shows the force W due to the weight of the box.

The box has a mass of 5 kg.

The distance d is 0.6 m and can be assumed to remain constant.

Calculate the moment about the point H, due to the weight of the box, when θ = 90°.

State the unit.

moment = ..................................... unit......[2]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 13 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 (c) The diagrams show how the technician can pick up the box while bending their knees.

This keeps their spine more vertical.

Explain why bending the knees is less likely to cause damage to the spine.

[3]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 14 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 23(a A thermistor has a resistance that decreases as temperature increases.
)
A student makes measurements to plot the variation of resistance with temperature of the thermistor.

They submerge the thermistor into distilled water at 50° C.

They then record measurements from a voltmeter and ammeter as the temperature of the water falls
to about 20° C.

Describe how the student obtains sufficient data to plot a graph of resistance against temperature.

Your answer should include a circuit diagram.

[4]

(b) The circuit diagram shows a potential divider circuit using a thermistor to detect changes in
temperature.

The LED switches on to indicate when the temperature is above 30° C.

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 15 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 The variation of the resistance R of the thermistor with temperature θ is shown below.

The I-V characteristic of the LED, within its operating range, is shown below.

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 16 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Explain why the LED will switch on when the temperature of the thermistor is above 30° C.

You may assume that the resistance of the LED is always much greater than 55Ω.

[4]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 17 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 24(a A student investigates the motion of falling objects.
)
The student releases a feather in air and allows it to fall.

The feather reaches a terminal velocity.

Explain this observation

[3]

(b) The student releases a heavy ball and allows it to fall from a height of 2.0 m.

Calculate its expected speed when it hits the ground.

Assume that air resistance is negligible.

speed = ................................................ ms-1[3]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 18 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 (c) The student measures the time for a heavy ball to fall from a height of 2.0 m.

They release the ball and, at the same time, start a stopwatch.

They stop the stopwatch when the ball hits the floor.

The student repeats the measurement and records their results.

Time to fall / s 0.62 0.68 0.60

Calculate a value for g using the student's results.

g = ................................................ ms-2 [3]

(d) Suggest one improvement the student could make to the investigation described in the previous
question.

[2]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 19 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 (e) A ball bounces when it hits the floor.

On the axes below, sketch a graph of height, h, against time, t, to represent the motion of the ball from
the time, t = 0 when it is released to the time t = tmax when it reaches its maximum height after hitting
the floor.

[2]

25(a Einstein's photoelectric equation can be used to explain the photoelectric effect.
)
hf = Φ + KEmax

State what is meant by the quantity KEmax.

[1]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 20 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 (b) The photoelectric effect can be demonstrated using a gold leaf electroscope.

The electroscope consists of a metal plate attached to a metal rod.

A thin gold leaf is attached to the metal rod.

When the electroscope is charged the leaf rises.

Initially the electroscope has an excess of electrons.

The electroscope is negatively charged and the leaf rises to the position shown below.

Electromagnetic radiation is then directed at the metal plate.

The leaf falls to the position shown below.

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 21 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Explain this observation.

[3]

(c) The investigation is repeated using electromagnetic radiation with a frequency lower than the
threshold frequency for the metal.

The leaf does not fall.

Explain why.

[2]

26(a A student carries out an investigation to determine the value of the Planck constant, h.
)
They use the circuit shown below

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 22 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Initially the LED emits no light.

The student slowly increases the p.d. across the LED.

They record the p.d. V on the voltmeter when the LED just starts to emit light.

The measurement is repeated for LEDs that emit light with different frequencies f.

The student views the LED through a cardboard tube when making each measurement.

Explain how this can help to improve the accuracy of each measurement.

[2]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 23 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 (b) The student plots a graph of V against f, as shown below.

Calculate a value for the Planck constant using the graph.

Planck constant = .....................................................J s[3]

(c) An accepted value for the Planck constant is 6.63 × 10–34 J s.

Calculate the percentage uncertainty in the student's results.

percentage uncertainty = ..................................................... %[2]

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 24 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 (d) One of the LEDs emits red light. Another of the LEDs emits blue light.

The red LED emits 3.3 × 1015 photons per second.

The blue LED emits light with frequency 6.38 × 1014 Hz.

The manufacturer lists the power rating of each of the LEDs as 1 mW.

The student states that there are more photons emitted per second from the blue LED than from the
red LED.

Deduce, by calculation, whether the student is correct.

Use h = 6.63 × 10–34 J s.

[3]

END OF QUESTION PAPER

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 25 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

1 A 1 Examiner’s Comments

This should have been a

straightforward starting question for all
the candidates in identifying the correct
S.I. base unit but only some gave the
correct response of A. The most
common distractor was B.

Total 1

2 D 1 Examiner’s Comments

Overall, candidates performed well on

this question as they correctly
identified that the path difference for
constructive interference is λ to give
answer D. The most common distractor
was B as some candidates confused
the path difference for constructive
interference with destructive
interference.

Total 1

3 C 1 Examiner’s Comments

Overall, candidates performed well.

They correctly determined that
because the copper wire, Q, has an
equal cross-sectional area to copper
wire, P, that n (the number density of
charge carriers) is the same for both
wires. Most candidates determined that
the resistance of Q would double in
size due to the length of wire Q being
twice as long, hence why the most
common distractor was D.

Total 1

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 26 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

4 B 1 Examiner’s Comments

This question was answered well as

candidates were able to apply
knowledge and understanding of
electromagnetic waves passing
through a polarising filter to give the
correct answer B.

Total 1

5 B 1 Examiner’s Comments

Overall, candidates performed well on

this question as many correctly applied
their understanding of resistance in
series and parallel to give a total
resistance between P and Q as 133 Ω.
The most common distractor was D,
where candidates incorrectly calculated
the total resistance as the sum of each
individual resistance as they did not
apply understanding that each pair of
resistors where in a parallel
arrangement around points P and Q.

Total 1

6 D 1 Examiner’s Comments

Many candidates correctly determined

the correct phase difference as p
between points X and Y as they
interpretated that the fraction of the
wave between points X and Y was the
equivalent to λ/2. The most common
distractor was C.

Total 1

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 27 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

7 B 1 Examiner’s Comments

Candidates performed well on this

question with many correctly relating
an increase in intensity of radiation to
an increase in the rate of emission of
electrons.

Total 1

8 A 1 Examiner’s Comments

Candidates performed well on this

question as they determined that when
a wave passes through a gap with a
similar size to its wavelength, it results
in greater diffraction to give the
response A.

Total 1

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 28 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

9 B 1 Examiner’s Comments

Many candidates correctly identified

the correct response, B, by applying
their understanding that an interaction
pair of forces according to Newton’s
third law do not act on the same body.
The most common distractor answer
was D.

Misconception

A common misconception when

applying Newton’s third law of motion
is that the interaction pair of forces are
acting on the same body and/or that
the pair of forces are different types of
forces. Newton’s third law states:

Whenever two bodies interact, the

forces they exert on each other are
equal in size, act in opposite directions,
and are of the same type.

For example, if object A exerts a force

on object B, then object B exerts an
equal and opposite force on object A
and if object A exerts a gravitational
force on object B, then object B exerts
an equal and opposite gravitational
force on object A.

Most candidates correctly identified

that the pair of forces are equal in
magnitude and opposite in direction
but display a common misconception
that the two forces are different and
that they act on the same one body.

Total 1

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 29 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

10 C 1 Examiner’s Comments

Many candidates correctly applied

understanding of inelastic collisions
that momentum is conserved, but the
kinetic energy is not conserved to give
the correct answer C.

Total 1

11 D 1 Examiner’s Comments

Candidates performed well on this

question by correctly applying
Kirchoff’s current law that the current
flowing into a junction must be equal to
the current flowing out of it to give the
correct answer D.

Total 1

12 B 1 Examiner’s Comments

Candidates performed well on this

question by correctly identifying that
the Young’s double-slit experiment
does not demonstrate the property of
refraction of light to give the correct
answer B.

Total 1

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 30 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

13 A 1 Examiner’s Comments

Some candidates correctly calculated

the wavelength of radiation to be
6.4x10–7m by determining that the
fringe width was 9 mm/6 = 1.5 mm.
Therefore, the most common distractor
was answer B as candidates had used
the value of 9 mm as the fringe width
and had therefore not understood that
the fringe width is the distance
between successive bright fringes.
Giving the answer B did demonstrate
an understanding of consistent units by
correctly converting mm to m.

Total 1

14 A 1 Examiner’s Comments

Candidates performed well on this

question with many candidates
correctly determining the wavelength of
the standing wave as 1.4 m to then use
this value to calculate the frequency of
the wave as 243 Hz. This
demonstrated understanding that the
distance between adjacent nodes is
λ/2 and not λ which was indicative of
the most common distractor given by
the answer B.

Total 1

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 31 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

15 C 1 Examiner’s Comments

Overall, candidates performed well on

this question with many correctly
calculating the change in elastic
potential energy as 610 J. The most
common distractor was answer A, with
candidates relating compression to a
decrease in the change of elastic
potential energy rather than an
increase in the store of elastic potential
energy.

Misconception

This question highlighted a possible

common misconception that when a
spring or object is compressed, there is
a decrease in the change of elastic
potential energy. This is probably as a
result that a compression results in a
decrease in the length of an object
which candidates then relate to a
decrease in the change in elastic
potential energy. Even though an
object is compressed the change in
potential energy will always be positive
as work is done by a force in the same
direction as the displacement.

Total 1

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 32 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

16 A 1 Examiner’s Comments

Candidates performed well on this

question with most candidates correctly
identifying graph A as most indicative
of the stress-strain characteristics for a
brittle material, as brittle materials
exhibit minimal plastic deformation and
the relationship between stress and
strain is linear.

Total 1

17 D 1 Examiner’s Comments

Some candidates correctly identified

the statement defining e.m.f as answer
D. The most common distractor was
answer A, as candidates confused the
definition of e.m.f as the energy
transferred per coulomb of charge with
per volt.

Total 1

18 A 1 Examiner’s Comments

Some candidates correctly identified

that the ray would follow path A after
arriving at point P. To determine the
correct path that the ray of light would
follow, candidates were required to
calculate the critical angle from the
refractive index of the glass block to
give 42°. If candidates calculated the
critical angle they could determine that
Total Internal Reflection would occur
(as angle of incidence > critical angle)
and hence that the ray would follow
path A. The most common distractors
were answers C and D.

Total 1

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 33 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

19 C 1 Examiner’s Comments

Candidates performed well on this

question to correctly calculate the
percentage uncertainty in the
calculated value of W as answer C, by
calculating the sum of each individual
percentage uncertainty in each
measurement.

Total 1

20 C 1 Examiner’s Comments

Candidates performed well on this

question to correctly give that the
magnitude of the upthrust of an object
in a fluid is the weight of the fluid
displaced by the object.

Total 1

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 34 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

21 a ε = Ir + IR Or ε = Ir + V or V = ε - Ir B1 Any correct rearrangement

M1
Total internal resistance in circuit = 3r A1 Not reference to 3I
and Total emf in circuit = 3 ε Allow 3ε = 3Ir + IR Or 3ε = 3Ir + V

Clear steps leading to given equation Use of P=I2R

εI = I2r + I2R
εI = I2r + P
P = I(ε - Ir)
P = I(3ε - 3Ir)
Use of P = IV
Total pd = 3(ε - Ir)
P = IVT = 3I(ε - Ir)

Examiner’s Comments

Most candidates achieved 1 mark for

this question, for stating the correct
expression for e.m.f, ε, e.g. ε = Ir + V
with some candidates showing clearly
that the power, P delivered to the bulb
is given by the expression P = 3I(ε - Ir).
Responses that were given 1 mark did
not give clear working to express their
understanding that the e.m.f. ε and
internal resistance, r, were increased
by 3. Often, candidates would just give
an unqualified expression for P, e.g. P
= 3 x I(ε - Ir), but from this expression it
was not clear whether the factor of 3
was for current I or ε and r despite the
correct application of P=IV.

The responses that achieved 3 marks

showed a clear rationale in their
working and that for the 3 cells in
series the total e.m.f. was 3ε, and the
total internal resistance was 3r. These
candidates then showed clear steps in
finding an expression for the potential
difference across the bulb using ε = Ir +
V to be, e.g. V = 3ε - 3Ir. By showing
clear working, it was evident that
candidates understood that the
potential difference across the bulb

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 35 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

was equal to the total terminal potential
difference across the three cells in
series. These candidates then correctly
substituted their expression for the
potential difference into an equation for
power, e.g. P=IV to show the power P
delivered to the bulb given in the stem
of the question.

Exemplar 1

Exemplar 1 demonstrates clear

working and rationale to show the
given expression for the power P
delivered to the bulb. The response is
given 3 marks.

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 36 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

b More energy is dissipated as heat (in a B1 Ignore ref. to less current/dimmer

larger r) B1 bulbs/more cells/batteries required to
(So) less energy transferred to the bulb B1 power the bulb/batteries need
B1 replacing more often
Or B1
Larger p.d. across r /Ir will be larger / B1 Examiner’s Comments
More “lost volts”/ Reduces the pd
across the bulb/ (ε - Ir) will be smaller Some candidates achieved 1 mark for
this question for suggesting the most
Or common response that the potential
(For larger r) more power is dissipated difference across the bulb would
(as P=I2r) decrease or that there would be more
(So) P (power) delivered to the bulb is lost volts across the cells but only a
less few linked these suggestions to
achieve 2 marks. Most candidates
mixed suggestions by referencing
energy transfer and potential difference
which meant that they only achieved 1
mark. Some candidates gave
suggestions in terms of current and
efficiency, which did not link to the
undesirability of a large internal
resistance and so were not given any
marks.

Total 5

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 37 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

22 a Use cos50° or sin40° C1 Allow calcn of v=3.5/6=0.583ms–1

C1
A1 Examiner’s Comments

Candidates performed well on this

12 (W)
question by correctly applying P=Fv by
calculating the horizontal component of
the 32N force acting on the box and
the velocity as it moved along the floor
to calculate the power of the technician
as 12W.

b Moment = 5 × 9.81 × 0.6 (=29.4) C1 Allow 29 2sf/30 1sf

A1
29.4 N m Examiner’s Comments

Candidates performed well on this

question as they correctly applied the
equation moment = force x
perpendicular distance from the pivot
to calculate the moment as 29.4 Nm
and most also gave the correct unit for
moment as Nm.

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 38 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

c perpendicular (or horizontal) distance B1 Allow fulcrum/pivot/turning point for

between the line of action of the weight M1 hips
and the hips is reduced AW A1 Allow Keeps the load close to the
hips/point H/ reduces (perpendicular)
the moment is reduced / very small distance to the hips/point H
Allow turning effect
(so) the force (on the spine) is reduced
Ignore ref. to position of the centre of
mass changing
Ignore ref. to the knees/elbows as the
pivot

Examiner’s Comments

There were not many successful

responses for this question and many
were given 0 marks. Most responses
were often vague and unspecific
descriptions of a change in the centre
of mass, or a distribution of the weight
of the box. Most candidates did not
establish that by bending the knees,
the perpendicular distance to the
pivot/hips decreased. Hence the
moment about the pivot/hips would be
reduced, which in turn reduced the
force acting on the spine, resulting in
less damage. Some candidates did
describe that the moment about the
pivot/hips would be reduced by
bending the knees. However, a
significant number of candidates would
then follow this by explaining that there
would be ‘less stress’ on the spine,
rather than less force acting on the
spine.

Total 8

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 39 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

23 a Circuit diagram B1 All circuit symbols correct

Battery as power source and Voltmeter B1 Ignore other components drawn in the
in parallel with thermistor and Ammeter B1 circuit diagram e.g. variable resistor
in series with thermistor B1
Allow stated temperature intervals for
Record temperature (with a recording temperature
thermometer) and corresponding Allow voltage for potential difference
current and pd readings (as the
temperature falls) Correct rearrangement required

Take at least 5 readings or take Examiner’s Comments

readings at regular intervals
Overall, candidates performed well on
Calculates resistance using R=V/I this question with most achieving at
least 1 mark and some achieving over
2 marks. Most candidates were given
marks for a correctly drawn circuit
diagram (including current circuit
symbols for the components required
for the investigation) and for a correct
rearrangement of V=IR to be able
calculate the resistance. Some
candidates would describe that
measurements would need to be read
from the ammeter and voltmeter, which
was insufficient as the measurements
of current and potential difference
needed to be specified to achieve the
mark.

b LED switches on at/above 3.0 V C1

C1 Allow and Vs = V1 + V2
(Use graph to find) Rthermistor =30 Ω at C1
θ=30°C A1

Calculate ECF for incorrect resistance reading

from the graph
VLED = 3.2 V > 3.0 V Allow correct alternative method pd
across thermistor 2V to give resistance
= 37 Ω and temperature 26°C when it
switches on

Examiner’s Comments

Candidate performance on this

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 40 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

question was variable as some were
given 0 marks because they did not
reference and interpret the data from
the two graphs given in the question.

Exemplar 2

Exemplar 2 demonstrates a typical

response from a candidate. They
describe the relationship between
temperature and resistance of the
thermistor, and then they relate this to
the potential difference across the LED
but without any reference to the data
given in the two graphs.

Exemplar 3

Exemplar 3 is a correct response that

uses the data from the graph of
resistance R/Ω against temperature
θ/°C to find the resistance at 30°C and
then applies the equation for a
potential divider to calculate the
potential difference across the LED.
They then clearly compare their
calculated value of potential difference
to the I-V characteristic for the LED to
explain why the LED switches on
above a threshold potential difference
of 3V.

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 41 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

Total 8

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 42 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

24 a Weight = air resistance (+ upthrust) B1 Allow force due to gravity, W, mg, drag
B1
Resultant force = 0 (N) B1 Ignore forces are balanced
Allow net/total force
acceleration = 0 (ms–2) Or Ignore velocity decreases
velocity/speed is constant Allow feather is not accelerating/no
acceleration

Examiner’s Comments

Candidates generally performed well

on this question as many were given 1
or 2 marks for correctly explaining that
the feather was falling at a constant
speed because the weight acting on
the feather was equal to the opposing
force of air resistance. Some
candidates explained this further by
stating that the resultant force acting
on the feather was 0.

b C1 Examiner’s Comments
C1
C1 Candidates performed very well on this
question by selecting and applying the
correct equation of motion to calculate
the speed of the ball when it hit the
6.3 (m s–1)
ground.

Selection and application of formulae

Candidates performed well on the

selection and application of equations
of motion from Module 3: Forces and
motion.

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 43 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

c C1 Allow omittance of 0.68 if clearly

C1 identified as anomalous to give t=0.61s
A1 and v= 10.75 (m s–1). If not clearly
identified and correctly calculated 1
mark.
10.1 (m s–2)
Allow 9.97 and 10 (ms–2)

Examiner’s Comments

Candidates performed well on this

question as many candidates correctly
calculated the mean time to fall/s and
then selected and applied the equation
of motion s = ut + 1⁄at2 to calculate a
value of g for the falling ball. Some
candidates calculated a mean from the
time values 0.62 s and 0.60 s, by
omitting the result 0.68 s and this was
given marks if they clearly identified the
omittance of this value by identifying
the result as anomalous.

d Either M1 Improvements must relate to

Use of auto electronic timer to measure A1 measurement of time
time e.g. trap door connected to timer, M1
video camera with time stamp/frame A1 Ignore ref. to human error
rate, “g” ball, light gates with data
logger/timer Ignore ref. to repeating measurements
for a range of heights and calculation
To reduce/eliminate (random) errors of a mean value
due to (human) reaction time
Examiner’s Comments
Or
Increase height There were not many successful
responses to this question, with most
(Greater measurement of time) given 0 marks. Many candidates made
reduces %uncertainties in attempts to suggest suitable
measurement of time improvements, but these were often
vague and unspecific, e.g. use light
gates but without any reference on
how this piece of equipment would be
used to time (such as by connecting to
a data logger or (electronic) timer). To
be given 2 marks, candidates had to

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 44 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

achieve the first method mark for a
correct improvement. Therefore, most
candidates were not able to access the
second mark as they had not achieved
the first method mark for a correct
improvement. Many candidates
attempted to give reasons for their
improvement but again these
explanations were superficial as they
were expressed without relating to the
error due to reaction time. Some
candidates did give a suggested
improvement in terms of increasing the
height of the fall of the ball, which
meant they were given the first method
mark but corresponding explanations
linked to reducing the percentage
uncertainty was not always fully
developed to award the second mark.

Assessment for learning

Please refer to the Practical Skills

Handbook for information on practical
techniques including definitions of key
scientific terminology and methodology

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 45 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

e Line with increasing negative gradient B1 Not lines drawn for constant velocity
starting on y-axis at 2 m ending on x- B1
axis at height=0 Examiner’s Comments

Line with decreasing positive gradient There were not many successful
from h=0 on x-axis ending at a height < responses to this question, as many
2m at time tmax were given 0 marks for an incorrect
sketch graph of the motion of the ball
when it bounced after hitting the floor.
Many candidates sketched a graph for
a ball falling with constant velocity or
for their graph drawn to a maximum
height of 2.0m at time, tmax which
represented an elastic collision when
the ball hit the floor.

Misconception

A common misconception was to draw

a graph representing the motion of the
ball falling with constant velocity and
hence zero acceleration. This may be
because candidates did not interpret
the graph as a displacement - time
graph and assumed that the graph was
a velocity - time graph. Also,
candidates had another misconception
that the collision of the ball with the
floor was elastic and therefore the
kinetic energy of the ball was
conserved rather than an inelastic
collision, which would result in the
transfer of kinetic energy to other
energy stores during the collision.

Total 13

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 46 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

25 a Maximum kinetic energy of the B1 Accept released/escaped

emitted/ejected (photo)electron Ignore KE

Examiner’s Comments

This should have been a

straightforward definition of the
maximum kinetic energy of electrons
when they are emitted from the surface
of a metal but many candidates were
not given the mark as their definitions
lacked specific scientific language.

b Electron(s) (on the metal surface) B1 Allow absorbs energy from EM

absorbs photon(s)/one to one B1 radiation
interaction with a photon B1
Allow electroscope/metal plate
Electrons are emitted (from the metal Not from the gold leaf
surface)
Allow loses (negative) charge
The leaf becomes less (negatively) Not reference to positive charge
charged (and the leaf falls)
Examiner’s Comments

Most candidates were given at least 1

mark for this question for the
explanation that when electromagnetic
radiation is incident on the metal plate
electrons are emitted. Some
candidates were then given a further
mark for explaining that the gold leaf
fell due to losing negative charge but
there were a significant number of
responses that referred to positive
charge and that as the leaf was losing
negative charge it became positively
charged. While candidates may not
have observed a demonstration of a
gold leaf electroscope, the question
assessed their understanding and
explanation of the photoelectric effect
and that is only the removal of excess
electrons when there is a one-to-one
interaction with a photon.

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 47 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

c Energy of a photon is smaller than the B1 There were not many successful
work function (for the metal) B1 responses for this question and many
responses were given 0 marks. These
The electron does not receive enough responses did not explain the reason
energy to be emitted for the leaf not falling in relation to
photon energy and the work function,
and hence that the electron does not
receive enough energy to be emitted.
Typical responses that were not given
marks were for a description of
threshold frequency as the minimum
frequency required for electrons to be
emitted and/or for simple stating that
the leaf does not fall as electrons are
not emitted. While these descriptions
were valid, candidates had not applied
Ep=hf and Ф=hfo to explain that the
energy of the photon was less than the
work function required for electrons to
be emitted.

Total 6

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 48 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

26 a Tube removes ambient light AW B1 Examiner’s Comments

B1
(As) it can be difficult to judge when There were many successful
the LED starts to emit light (due to responses for this question. Many
ambient light) / (so) low-level light from responses were given 2 marks
LED is more visible because they explained why a
cardboard tube improves the accuracy
of each measurement due to removing
light from the surroundings, which
enabled the light from the LED to be
observed when it was first emitted.

b Calculates gradient using at least half B1 Minimum range of x value 3.5x1014

the graph C1
A1 Range 3.4 to 3.5 × 10–34 J s 2sf
–19
eV=hf Or h=gradient × 1.6 × 10
Examiner’s Comments
h = 3.5 × 10–34 J s
There was some variability in
performance with this question, but
many responses achieved 3 marks for
a correct calculation and value for the
Planck constant using data from the
graph. The most common reason for
responses being given 0 marks were
for an error in their gradient
calculations for either taking readings
from less than half the graph, or for not
including the correct power for
frequency 1014. Some candidates did
correctly calculate the gradient from
the graph, but then did not select and
apply eV=hf to calculate a value of the
Planck constant.

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 49 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

c C1 ECF from (b)

A1
Allow range 47% to 49%
47% Not 50% from 52.8% if calculated from
3.5×10–34/6.63×10–34

Examiner’s Comments

Candidates did not perform well on this

question as many candidates were
given 0 marks. The most common
reason for candidates not achieving
marks was for not calculating a
difference between the calculated and
accepted value for the Planck constant
with many candidates carrying out the
calculation calculated value/accepted
value x 100%.

Assessment for learning

Please refer to page 36 of the Practical

Skills Handbook for information on
correct methodology on calculating
percentage difference between
calculated and accepted values.

d energy of one photon of blue light = C1 Calcn using v=fλ and E=hc/λ
6.63 × 10–34 × 6.38 × 1014 (=4.23 × C1
10–19 J) A1 Examiner’s Comments

Most candidates were given 1 mark for

correctly calculating the energy of one
2.4 × 1015 photons of blue light which is photon of blue light by selecting and
less than for red light (3.3 × 1015)/the applying E=hf. Some candidates
student is incorrect correctly converted the power of the
LED to calculate the number of blue
photons emitted in 1 second by using
and applying P=E/t. Where candidates
did not achieve any further marks, thi
was for selecting an incorrect equation
and not applying P=E/t.

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 50 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

 Mark Scheme

Question Answer/Indicative content Marks Guidance

Total 10

© OCR 2025. You may photocopy this page. 51 of 51 Created in ExamBuilder

Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)