# 9702/12 May/June 2017

> 9702/12 May/June 2017: 40 questions, 40 marks. Difficulty 0.33, deviation 0.12, algebraic 0.27, text density 0.35. CIE IAL Physics 9702 P1.

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CIE IAL · Physics · 2017 May/June

This Physics 9702 Paper 1 (Multiple Choice) paper contains 40 questions worth 40 marks. The profile below reports five mark-weighted difficulty and complexity measures, and every question row repeats them. Full question text and mark scheme open in the Interactive Practice Hub.

- CIE IAL
- 9702 P1
- 40 questions
- 40 marks
- Free paper
- [Practise this paper](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a)
- [All 9702 P1 papers](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/)

Core finding

**9702/12 May/June 2017 is a past paper for CIE IAL Physics 9702 Paper 1 (Multiple Choice), with 40 questions worth 40 marks.** Its mark-weighted Difficulty Measure is 0.33 on a 0.20–0.75 scale, with a Difficulty Deviation of 0.12 and a mark split of 47.5% Easy, 52.5% Medium and 0.0% Hard. Algebraic complexity averages 0.27; text density and modelling average 0.35. All five measures use 40 part-level tags, not candidate results. Every question row below repeats them and opens the Interactive Practice Hub for that question.

## Difficulty & complexity profile

All five measures are mark-weighted and calculated from 40 parts carrying 40 part marks. Difficulty tags cover 40 parts, algebraic tags 40 and text-density tags 40. Tags are internal metadata, not official exam-board ratings.

- **Difficulty Measure**: 0.33 — 0.20–0.75 · nearer Medium
- **Difficulty Deviation**: 0.12 — 0 = uniform; higher = more mixed
- **Difficulty Ratio**: 47.5 / 52.5 / 0.0 — % Easy / Medium / Hard
- **Algebraic Complexity Measure**: 0.27 — 0.20–0.75 · nearer Low
- **Text Density and Modelling Measure**: 0.35 — 0.20–0.75 · nearer Medium

Scale: Easy 0.20 · Medium 0.45 · Hard 0.75, and Low 0.20 · Medium 0.45 · High 0.75 for the two complexity measures. [How each band is defined and how the values are calculated →](https://www.examsci.com/guides/difficulty-and-complexity-measures/)

### Definitions and calculation

| Measure | Paper value | Formula |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Difficulty Measure** | 0.33 | Σ(d_i × w_i) / Σw_i, with d = 0.20 / 0.45 / 0.75 |
| **Difficulty Deviation** | 0.12 | √(Σw_i(d_i − μ)^2 / Σw_i) |
| **Difficulty Ratio** | 47.5% Easy / 52.5% Medium / 0.0% Hard | marks in band / all tagged marks |
| **Algebraic Complexity Measure** | 0.27 | Σ(c_i × marks_i) / Σmarks_i, with c = 0.20 / 0.45 / 0.75 |
| **Text Density and Modelling Measure** | 0.35 | Σ(t_i × marks_i) / Σmarks_i, with t = 0.20 / 0.45 / 0.75 |

w_i equals the part marks, except for a Hard part worth 4 or more marks, where w_i = marks^0.75 to offset the accessible starter steps inside long structured questions.

## Question list

Each measure is recalculated from the parts of that question and uses the same weights as the paper profile.

| Question | Topic | Marks | Difficulty Measure | Algebraic Complexity Measure | Text Density and Modelling Measure | Practice |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Q1** FRQ | [1.1 Physical quantities](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/physical-quantities/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=1fa80136-31ff-4e92-a681-4e3e71507f2d&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q2** FRQ | [1.4 Scalars and vectors](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/scalars-and-vectors/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=0f7cfb3c-05b1-4a6a-8d8b-97ad592d175a&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q3** FRQ | [1.2 SI units](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/si-units/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=b9b6c285-6462-473b-99a9-64dc64f20615&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q4** FRQ | [2.2 Errors and uncertainties](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/errors-and-uncertainties/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=ea863e51-d228-4823-aa7b-ad2408336e5c&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q5** FRQ | [2.1 Measurements](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=39814149-7f3d-4d70-bfd0-df4c6b8b3031&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q6** FRQ | [3.1 Equations of motion](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/equations-of-motion/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=089e8284-f68f-4215-a83e-b5ae56f47c3b&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q7** FRQ | [4.1 Momentum and Newton’s laws of motion](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/momentum-and-newton-s-laws-of-motion/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=20616695-78b6-4d99-9cd4-3efb662afde2&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q8** FRQ | [4.1 Momentum and Newton’s laws of motion](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/momentum-and-newton-s-laws-of-motion/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=996355b0-c6f6-4e12-995d-dcec1a3bc2b7&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q9** FRQ | [4.1 Momentum and Newton’s laws of motion](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/momentum-and-newton-s-laws-of-motion/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=cdecc2b1-3d14-4ff5-9cc7-b0d578519141&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q10** FRQ | [5.1 Types of force](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=018207d3-4750-479e-ae48-52078e2935e3&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q11** FRQ | [5.2 Turning effects of forces](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/turning-effects-of-forces/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=a0e1e8cf-37a1-4bc7-9e72-f2abd53fc17b&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q12** FRQ | [5.3 Equilibrium of forces](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/equilibrium-of-forces/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=a7b80435-e6db-4fa8-8e38-d81d253fae89&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q13** FRQ | [1.2 SI units](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/si-units/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=ff509ecf-384f-4ef9-84e6-4fa1eb76a1f0&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q14** FRQ | [4.3 Linear momentum and its conservation](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/linear-momentum-and-its-conservation/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=684e6b37-f573-4afd-92f6-14b269a4cecb&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q15** FRQ | [6.1 Energy conversion and conservation](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=99a1c134-0f62-4dcb-acbb-f51e2829aff5&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q16** FRQ | [6.1 Energy conversion and conservation](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=27f2cc23-2ad8-4c41-a997-0199c400e9cb&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q17** FRQ | [6.2 Work and efficiency](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=e53851cb-c89e-4f41-9327-de9e2a07e611&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q18** FRQ | [6.4 Power](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=488c39b2-3495-4803-92b2-890b2b6c6edc&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q19** FRQ | [9.2 Elastic and plastic behaviour](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/elastic-and-plastic-behaviour/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=32090a1b-a1d5-4b76-b8b1-ab275bb74883&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q20** FRQ | [9.1 Stress and strain](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/stress-and-strain/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=1ecc3fe3-e5b8-481e-8187-90e98045267a&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q21** FRQ | [9.2 Elastic and plastic behaviour](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/elastic-and-plastic-behaviour/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=8c8ae81f-2698-4f14-a656-35a315a1c643&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q22** FRQ | [14.1 Progressive waves](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/progressive-waves/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=edda3e52-89c1-4015-bf84-221ffdad668a&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q23** FRQ | [14.2 Transverse and longitudinal waves](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/transverse-and-longitudinal-waves/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=22e2ebee-938c-45c5-bf1c-531ca623792f&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q24** FRQ | [14.1 Progressive waves](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/progressive-waves/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=2c2b12e0-0b6c-47ab-b2a6-cd7775c3ba7f&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q25** FRQ | [14.4 Doppler effect](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=b6575e6d-754d-49fd-bb7c-aecd3d9435d5&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q26** FRQ | [14.5 Electromagnetic spectrum](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/electromagnetic-spectrum/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=2560355b-7f55-4e58-8ae1-73e41f7149da&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q27** FRQ | [15.1 Stationary waves](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/stationary-waves/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=6160f7df-5187-4385-967d-3ed8d7c3c4db&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q28** FRQ | [15.4 Diffraction gratings](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=887ae0c9-fee4-4623-8809-8faf1fbd04a8&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q29** FRQ | [14.1 Progressive waves](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/progressive-waves/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=791db6f9-3d2b-40a6-9929-3b116618dbac&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q30** FRQ | [17.1 Concept of an electric field](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=bf79c510-dba8-4da9-9b06-31141aa14900&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q31** FRQ | [17.2 Uniform electric fields](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=3275e943-9f78-449c-93ab-7ed36365f63a&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q32** FRQ | [19.1 Electric current](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/electric-current/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=9ace1d23-22e7-4049-8f91-95e7daee52db&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q33** FRQ | [19.2 Potential difference and power](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/potential-difference-and-power/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=b699f87e-b20f-4fb8-8994-fcf169bc3a4f&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q34** FRQ | [19.3 Resistance and resistivity](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/resistance-and-resistivity/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=34801a26-c392-4476-9a6c-6e64fa06e25f&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q35** FRQ | [20.1 Practical circuits](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/practical-circuits/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=8829291d-c013-445d-9788-b46316964858&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q36** FRQ | [20.2 Kirchhoff’s laws](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/kirchhoff-s-laws/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=58ccc2ed-084e-4f63-86b7-3194098a44e5&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q37** FRQ | [20.1 Practical circuits](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/practical-circuits/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=c9493d7b-fcfe-457d-afab-3d6cf76deea7&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q38** FRQ | [26.1 Atoms, nuclei and radiation](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/atoms-nuclei-and-radiation/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.75 High | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=c3e87438-0c91-4ab1-97db-77be5a25d358&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q39** FRQ | [26.1 Atoms, nuclei and radiation](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/atoms-nuclei-and-radiation/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=25c789a7-de27-486f-9e96-a10993461fd8&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |
| **Q40** FRQ | [26.1 Atoms, nuclei and radiation](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/atoms-nuclei-and-radiation/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=e67f8fda-fb85-44c2-949d-3e959aec390a&question_id=8a2f5fda-c128-46aa-8895-6a5958f15754&source_detail=9702%2F12+May%2FJune+2017) |

## Topics in this paper

- [1.1 Physical quantities](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/physical-quantities/)
- [1.4 Scalars and vectors](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/scalars-and-vectors/)
- [1.2 SI units](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/si-units/)
- [2.2 Errors and uncertainties](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/errors-and-uncertainties/)
- [19.3 Resistance and resistivity](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/resistance-and-resistivity/)
- [2.1 Measurements](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/)
- [3.1 Equations of motion](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/equations-of-motion/)
- [4.1 Momentum and Newton’s laws of motion](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/momentum-and-newton-s-laws-of-motion/)
- [6.3 Potential energy and kinetic energy](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/)
- [5.1 Types of force](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/)
- [5.4 Density and pressure](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/density-and-pressure/)
- [5.2 Turning effects of forces](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/turning-effects-of-forces/)

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## Paper FAQ

**How are the difficulty and complexity measures calculated?**

Each part is weighted by its official marks. Difficulty uses Easy 0.20, Medium 0.45 and Hard 0.75; algebraic complexity and text density and modelling use Low 0.20, Medium 0.45 and High 0.75. A Hard part worth 4 or more marks is down-weighted to marks^0.75, so the accessible starter steps inside a long structured question do not inflate the difficulty result. This paper's Difficulty Measure is 0.33 from 40 parts.

**What does the Difficulty Deviation show?**

It is the mark-weighted standard deviation of the part difficulty values around the paper mean. A value of 0 would mean every tagged part has the same difficulty; this paper's deviation is 0.12, so its parts are more mixed than a single-level paper.

**Is the Difficulty Ratio based on question counts or marks?**

It is based on official marks, not question counts. This paper's shares are 47.5% Easy, 52.5% Medium and 0.0% Hard; the three shares sum to 100% before rounding.

**Are these official difficulty ratings?**

No. They are derived from the platform's part-level difficulty and static-question-profile tags. They are not exam-board grade boundaries and are not calculated from candidate outcomes. Use them to compare the demand profile of papers, not to predict a grade.

**Why does each question row show its own measures?**

Each row recalculates the same mark-weighted formula from that question's parts. A single-part MCQ therefore shows the tag value directly, while a multi-part structured question blends the tags of its parts using the same Hard-part decay as the paper profile.

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Full page with native tables, bar charts and Practice Hub links: https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/2017-may-june-9702-12/