# 9702/42 October/November 2018

> 9702/42 October/November 2018: 12 questions, 100 marks. Difficulty 0.37, deviation 0.15, algebraic 0.33, text density 0.36. CIE IAL Physics 9702 P4.

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CIE IAL · Physics · 2018 October/November

This Physics 9702 Paper 4 (A Level Structured) paper contains 12 questions worth 100 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 P4
- 12 questions
- 100 marks
- Free paper
- [Practise this paper](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=9e5124c0-56b5-4070-970d-25aa9583f14f)
- [All 9702 P4 papers](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/)

Core finding

**9702/42 October/November 2018 is a past paper for CIE IAL Physics 9702 Paper 4 (A Level Structured), with 12 questions worth 100 marks.** Its mark-weighted Difficulty Measure is 0.37 on a 0.20–0.75 scale, with a Difficulty Deviation of 0.15 and a mark split of 39.0% Easy, 53.0% Medium and 8.0% Hard. Algebraic complexity averages 0.33; text density and modelling average 0.36. All five measures use 43 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 43 parts carrying 100 part marks. Difficulty tags cover 43 parts, algebraic tags 43 and text-density tags 43. Tags are internal metadata, not official exam-board ratings.

- **Difficulty Measure**: 0.37 — 0.20–0.75 · nearer Medium
- **Difficulty Deviation**: 0.15 — 0 = uniform; higher = more mixed
- **Difficulty Ratio**: 39.0 / 53.0 / 8.0 — % Easy / Medium / Hard
- **Algebraic Complexity Measure**: 0.33 — 0.20–0.75 · nearer Medium
- **Text Density and Modelling Measure**: 0.36 — 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** | 0.37 | Σ(d_i × w_i) / Σw_i, with d = 0.20 / 0.45 / 0.75 |
| **Difficulty Deviation** | 0.15 | √(Σw_i(d_i − μ)^2 / Σw_i) |
| **Difficulty Ratio** | 39.0% Easy / 53.0% Medium / 8.0% Hard | marks in band / all tagged marks |
| **Algebraic Complexity Measure** | 0.33 | Σ(c_i × marks_i) / Σmarks_i, with c = 0.20 / 0.45 / 0.75 |
| **Text Density and Modelling Measure** | 0.36 | 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 | [8.1 Gravitational field](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/gravitational-field/) | 8 | 0.39 Medium | 0.39 Medium | 0.39 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=9e5124c0-56b5-4070-970d-25aa9583f14f&question_id=9bf588a6-9de3-4ec4-84c7-50888da24eb9&source_detail=9702%2F42+October%2FNovember+2018) |
| **Q2** FRQ | [10.1 Equation of state](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/equation-of-state/) | 10 | 0.38 Medium | 0.38 Medium | 0.38 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=9e5124c0-56b5-4070-970d-25aa9583f14f&question_id=1ef9700a-d604-4e41-a0b7-5a6750f16337&source_detail=9702%2F42+October%2FNovember+2018) |
| **Q3** FRQ | [12.1 Specific heat capacity and specific latent heat](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/specific-heat-capacity-and-specific-latent-heat/) | 7 | 0.34 Medium | 0.34 Medium | 0.38 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=9e5124c0-56b5-4070-970d-25aa9583f14f&question_id=e21eaa40-9d9b-45ab-a58f-647d95193c9f&source_detail=9702%2F42+October%2FNovember+2018) |
| **Q4** FRQ | [13.1 Simple harmonic oscillations](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/simple-harmonic-oscillations/) | 8 | 0.36 Medium | 0.36 Medium | 0.36 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=9e5124c0-56b5-4070-970d-25aa9583f14f&question_id=0ccb0731-dea7-4788-b58b-9d9f6e8592fd&source_detail=9702%2F42+October%2FNovember+2018) |
| **Q5** FRQ | [16.2 Modulation](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/) | 11 | 0.31 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.31 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=9e5124c0-56b5-4070-970d-25aa9583f14f&question_id=69f1e6b4-f831-4fc3-b46d-13cf5e28dda1&source_detail=9702%2F42+October%2FNovember+2018) |
| **Q6** FRQ | [17.5 Electric potential](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/electric-potential/) | 8 | 0.43 Medium | 0.33 Medium | 0.33 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=9e5124c0-56b5-4070-970d-25aa9583f14f&question_id=00ca01d5-2505-4a3d-9a78-be0453587b1b&source_detail=9702%2F42+October%2FNovember+2018) |
| **Q7** FRQ | [19.4 Sensing devices](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/) | 8 | 0.45 Medium | 0.36 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=9e5124c0-56b5-4070-970d-25aa9583f14f&question_id=baf26e6c-f16f-4f96-a4a4-f265f8b94977&source_detail=9702%2F42+October%2FNovember+2018) |
| **Q8** FRQ | [22.2 Force on a current-carrying conductor](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/force-on-a-current-carrying-conductor/) | 8 | 0.36 Medium | 0.36 Medium | 0.36 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=9e5124c0-56b5-4070-970d-25aa9583f14f&question_id=d4a5f9e4-5087-47e8-89c1-c401ecdc064b&source_detail=9702%2F42+October%2FNovember+2018) |
| **Q9** FRQ | [22.3 Force on a moving charge](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/force-on-a-moving-charge/) | 5 | 0.45 Medium | 0.35 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=9e5124c0-56b5-4070-970d-25aa9583f14f&question_id=bacc86a4-f4c1-41b5-b8a8-40017f8295ce&source_detail=9702%2F42+October%2FNovember+2018) |
| **Q10** FRQ | [24.1 Characteristics of alternating currents](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/characteristics-of-alternating-currents/) | 9 | 0.40 Medium | 0.31 Low | 0.39 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=9e5124c0-56b5-4070-970d-25aa9583f14f&question_id=7f6f7cc5-1659-46fa-8cdd-3357002ff6d0&source_detail=9702%2F42+October%2FNovember+2018) |
| **Q11** FRQ | [25.1 Energy of a photon](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/) | 10 | 0.33 Medium | 0.33 Medium | 0.33 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=9e5124c0-56b5-4070-970d-25aa9583f14f&question_id=5babab68-410d-454d-a6fa-f54da86c19ae&source_detail=9702%2F42+October%2FNovember+2018) |
| **Q12** FRQ | [26.3 Mass defect and nuclear binding energy](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/mass-defect-and-nuclear-binding-energy/) | 8 | 0.29 Easy | 0.29 Low | 0.29 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=9e5124c0-56b5-4070-970d-25aa9583f14f&question_id=fbdfd0db-fa21-4ae1-abeb-2f72c0ddf9ad&source_detail=9702%2F42+October%2FNovember+2018) |

## Topics in this paper

- [8.1 Gravitational field](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/gravitational-field/)
- [8.3 Gravitational field of a point mass](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/gravitational-field-of-a-point-mass/)
- [10.1 Equation of state](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/equation-of-state/)
- [10.2 Kinetic theory of gases](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/kinetic-theory-of-gases/)
- [1.3 The Avogadro constant](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/)
- [26.3 Mass defect and nuclear binding energy](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/mass-defect-and-nuclear-binding-energy/)
- [12.1 Specific heat capacity and specific latent heat](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/specific-heat-capacity-and-specific-latent-heat/)
- [13.1 Simple harmonic oscillations](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/simple-harmonic-oscillations/)
- [13.3 Damped and forced oscillations, resonance](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/damped-and-forced-oscillations-resonance/)
- [13.2 Energy in simple harmonic motion](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/energy-in-simple-harmonic-motion/)
- [16.2 Modulation](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/)
- [8.2 Gravitational force between point masses](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/gravitational-force-between-point-masses/)

## Related papers

- [9702/41](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/2018-october-november-9702-41/) — October/November 2018 — 12 questions · 100 marks — Free
- [9702/43](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/2018-october-november-9702-43/) — October/November 2018 — 12 questions · 100 marks — Free
- [9702/41](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/2018-may-june-9702-41/) — May/June 2018 — 13 questions · 100 marks — Free
- [9702/42](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/2018-may-june-9702-42/) — May/June 2018 — 12 questions · 100 marks — Free
- [9702/43](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/2018-may-june-9702-43/) — May/June 2018 — 13 questions · 100 marks — Free
- [9702/42](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/2018-march-9702-42/) — March 2018 — 13 questions · 100 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 0.37 from 43 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 0.15, 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 39.0% Easy, 53.0% Medium and 8.0% 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-4/2018-october-november-9702-42/