# 9702/13 October/November 2020

> 9702/13 October/November 2020: 40 questions, 40 marks. Difficulty 0.35, deviation 0.17, algebraic 0.25, text density 0.31. CIE IAL Physics 9702 P1.

- Canonical HTML: https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/2020-october-november-9702-13/
- Markdown mirror: https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/2020-october-november-9702-13/index.md

---

CIE IAL · Physics · 2020 October/November

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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e)
- [All 9702 P1 papers](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/)

Core finding

**9702/13 October/November 2020 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 0.35 on a 0.20–0.75 scale, with a Difficulty Deviation of 0.17 and a mark split of 50.0% Easy, 42.5% Medium and 7.5% Hard. Algebraic complexity averages 0.25; text density and modelling average 0.31. 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**: 0.35 — 0.20–0.75 · nearer Medium
- **Difficulty Deviation**: 0.17 — 0 = uniform; higher = more mixed
- **Difficulty Ratio**: 50.0 / 42.5 / 7.5 — % Easy / Medium / Hard
- **Algebraic Complexity Measure**: 0.25 — 0.20–0.75 · nearer Low
- **Text Density and Modelling Measure**: 0.31 — 0.20–0.75 · nearer Low

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** | 0.35 | Σ(d_i × w_i) / Σw_i, with d = 0.20 / 0.45 / 0.75 |
| **Difficulty Deviation** | 0.17 | √(Σw_i(d_i − μ)^2 / Σw_i) |
| **Difficulty Ratio** | 50.0% Easy / 42.5% Medium / 7.5% Hard | marks in band / all tagged marks |
| **Algebraic Complexity Measure** | 0.25 | Σ(c_i × marks_i) / Σmarks_i, with c = 0.20 / 0.45 / 0.75 |
| **Text Density and Modelling Measure** | 0.31 | 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 | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=b40c8dcf-7281-4981-ad97-f5886adcbb20&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q2** 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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=421f8bea-5cfa-4556-b322-c5be9fb8493b&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q3** FRQ | [1.4 Scalars and vectors](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/scalars-and-vectors/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=56a3ef7f-4fd5-4f92-a0bf-b8f71a3d54e1&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q4** FRQ | [2.1 Measurements](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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=62b828a7-6f61-4df6-b278-e69d6059e358&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q5** 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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=33bb7f71-1ba7-481a-bdca-8bdc093d1abc&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **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 | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=0bc9a3df-9d4a-4a44-84cd-f57c838f3d24&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q7** FRQ | [3.1 Equations of motion](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/equations-of-motion/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=972a4e5a-0417-47fb-b632-c87d8046cf31&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=6fb8f3bf-1178-4032-9ccb-54e3b9d46f37&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q9** FRQ | [4.2 Non-uniform motion](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/non-uniform-motion/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=3da12e18-4d81-4298-8e1a-d779972cb690&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q10** 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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=359a1a47-2a94-4daa-ad33-27315d95d3f1&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q11** FRQ | [5.1 Types of force](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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=af3cf939-32d6-4dcc-b67e-cd82cf18de34&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q12** 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 | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=1371d0f8-705d-453b-9499-4f7275a0681d&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q13** 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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=09827d68-dc0b-4a23-a387-57c9bb022cbe&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q14** FRQ | [5.3 Equilibrium of forces](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/equilibrium-of-forces/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=a46cf379-0e97-4b68-bea3-aa79f26bf627&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q15** FRQ | [5.1 Types of force](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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=1832573b-edbb-42eb-9367-3e4693637a3c&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q16** 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 | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=d26d2159-c91c-41c1-aace-da2840e590d2&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **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 | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=efe509da-2899-4518-998c-fc19ea94b54d&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q18** FRQ | [6.1 Energy conversion and conservation](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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=74e267c4-8d02-4945-9d59-c62afa42e455&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q19** FRQ | [6.4 Power](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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=0d4bf082-53e8-48d7-8b7d-2f94c1b9ece4&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q20** FRQ | [9.1 Stress and strain](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/stress-and-strain/) | 1 | 0.75 Hard | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=7fad2687-9502-4e78-bac2-8ba5839e2a75&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q21** FRQ | [9.2 Elastic and plastic behaviour](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/elastic-and-plastic-behaviour/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=dc4e1a86-ddbd-4a62-b1ce-81d9eaafcd78&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q22** 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 | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=80f79819-f542-4af6-b9ca-4194ce2a530d&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q23** 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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=0152062a-51b0-4f66-9d56-395bdd6d8577&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q24** FRQ | [14.3 Determination of frequency and wavelength of sound waves](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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=aa54e5eb-7cfd-4eb3-9ea9-fdc1809e3391&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q25** FRQ | [14.4 Doppler effect](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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=99af05a9-bdc8-433d-8416-f44614ed5189&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=562048c5-2154-41fa-b660-744022b387e7&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **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 | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=bc851227-c1b9-4670-a607-0da118038bf0&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q28** FRQ | [15.2 Diffraction](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/diffraction/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=71676d2b-5f9c-4a0e-9e41-01b3eb98a4ba&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q29** FRQ | [15.3 Interference, two-source interference](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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=2fadc35f-d1d2-4e43-930d-36c93c3e19ec&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q30** FRQ | [15.4 Diffraction gratings](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=978a69d6-1b09-4cfe-b06d-018fd4207267&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q31** FRQ | [17.1 Concept of an electric field](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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=54fb59a2-2e4d-49f2-a496-f44c8fa12341&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q32** FRQ | [17.2 Uniform electric fields](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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=5ee76f70-1078-4ea2-857d-6bd83da69196&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q33** FRQ | [19.1 Electric current](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/electric-current/) | 1 | 0.75 Hard | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=035145fe-d248-4790-86be-a85e62647b83&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q34** FRQ | [19.2 Potential difference and power](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/potential-difference-and-power/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=895c13af-0e22-4ff9-8eac-b33d1180435e&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q35** FRQ | [19.3 Resistance and resistivity](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/resistance-and-resistivity/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=ede14dce-b94a-47c0-b024-9b52d7594b45&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q36** FRQ | [20.1 Practical circuits](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/practical-circuits/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=c5501708-51a7-4d9c-b7c4-51f98ff08044&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q37** FRQ | [20.2 Kirchhoff’s laws](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/kirchhoff-s-laws/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=078b104c-84d3-4207-b754-cd916fdf537d&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q38** FRQ | [20.3 Potential dividers](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/potential-dividers/) | 1 | 0.75 Hard | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=42a5f164-e79f-4f8d-899e-9eea86ba48b6&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **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=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=e280d990-c9a5-4a6b-bd92-268f55116b2c&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |
| **Q40** FRQ | [26.2 Fundamental particles](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/fundamental-particles/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=bb2f28c7-719d-4104-a77f-7138fa420f0e&question_id=f77c59a6-a901-4d3d-99f0-7fc347c5ae35&source_detail=9702%2F13+October%2FNovember+2020) |

## Topics in this paper

- [1.1 Physical quantities](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/physical-quantities/)
- [1.2 SI units](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/si-units/)
- [1.4 Scalars and vectors](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/scalars-and-vectors/)
- [2.1 Measurements](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/)
- [2.2 Errors and uncertainties](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/errors-and-uncertainties/)
- [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/)
- [5.4 Density and pressure](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/density-and-pressure/)
- [4.2 Non-uniform motion](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/non-uniform-motion/)
- [4.3 Linear momentum and its conservation](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/linear-momentum-and-its-conservation/)
- [5.1 Types of force](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/)
- [5.3 Equilibrium of forces](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/equilibrium-of-forces/)

## Related papers

- [9702/11](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/2020-october-november-9702-11/) — October/November 2020 — 40 questions · 40 marks — Free
- [9702/12](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/2020-october-november-9702-12/) — October/November 2020 — 40 questions · 40 marks — Free
- [9702/11](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/2020-may-june-9702-11/) — May/June 2020 — 40 questions · 40 marks — Free
- [9702/12](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/2020-may-june-9702-12/) — May/June 2020 — 40 questions · 40 marks — Free
- [9702/13](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/2020-may-june-9702-13/) — May/June 2020 — 40 questions · 40 marks — Free
- [9702/12](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/2020-march-9702-12/) — March 2020 — 40 questions · 40 marks — Free

## 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 0.35 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 0.17, 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 50.0% Easy, 42.5% Medium and 7.5% 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.

---

Full page with native tables, bar charts and Practice Hub links: https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-1/2020-october-november-9702-13/