# 9702/42 May/June 2019

> 9702/42 May/June 2019: 12 questions, 100 marks. Difficulty 0.38, deviation 0.13, algebraic 0.29, text density 0.39. CIE IAL Physics 9702 P4.

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CIE IAL · Physics · 2019 May/June

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=55578544-7186-417c-b7b6-8a4a46319336)
- [All 9702 P4 papers](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/)

Core finding

**9702/42 May/June 2019 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 0.38 on a 0.20–0.75 scale, with a Difficulty Deviation of 0.13 and a mark split of 33.0% Easy, 63.0% Medium and 4.0% Hard. Algebraic complexity averages 0.29; text density and modelling average 0.39. All five measures use 48 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 48 parts carrying 100 part marks. Difficulty tags cover 48 parts, algebraic tags 48 and text-density tags 48. Tags are internal metadata, not official exam-board ratings.

- **Difficulty Measure**: 0.38 — 0.20–0.75 · nearer Medium
- **Difficulty Deviation**: 0.13 — 0 = uniform; higher = more mixed
- **Difficulty Ratio**: 33.0 / 63.0 / 4.0 — % Easy / Medium / Hard
- **Algebraic Complexity Measure**: 0.29 — 0.20–0.75 · nearer Low
- **Text Density and Modelling Measure**: 0.39 — 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** | 0.38 | Σ(d_i × w_i) / Σw_i, with d = 0.20 / 0.45 / 0.75 |
| **Difficulty Deviation** | 0.13 | √(Σw_i(d_i − μ)^2 / Σw_i) |
| **Difficulty Ratio** | 33.0% Easy / 63.0% Medium / 4.0% Hard | marks in band / all tagged marks |
| **Algebraic Complexity Measure** | 0.29 | Σ(c_i × marks_i) / Σmarks_i, with c = 0.20 / 0.45 / 0.75 |
| **Text Density and Modelling Measure** | 0.39 | 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 | [8.2 Gravitational force between point masses](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/gravitational-force-between-point-masses/) | 7 | 0.34 Medium | 0.31 Low | 0.41 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=55578544-7186-417c-b7b6-8a4a46319336&question_id=6690cd78-412b-4a25-9bcc-d8b89624e8be&source_detail=9702%2F42+May%2FJune+2019) |
| **Q2** FRQ | [12.2 Internal energy and the first law of thermodynamics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/) | 11 | 0.29 Easy | 0.29 Low | 0.38 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=55578544-7186-417c-b7b6-8a4a46319336&question_id=9de89327-4e2c-4b8a-ac8e-f668ddf76336&source_detail=9702%2F42+May%2FJune+2019) |
| **Q3** FRQ | [13.1 Simple harmonic oscillations](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/simple-harmonic-oscillations/) | 10 | 0.35 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.40 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=55578544-7186-417c-b7b6-8a4a46319336&question_id=a5275dd4-389c-4e13-9267-9612703d2887&source_detail=9702%2F42+May%2FJune+2019) |
| **Q4** FRQ | [14.6 Production and use of ultrasound in diagnosis](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/) | 7 | 0.38 Medium | 0.31 Low | 0.38 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=55578544-7186-417c-b7b6-8a4a46319336&question_id=9e615e81-af87-43d8-b1c3-cf605a3757c0&source_detail=9702%2F42+May%2FJune+2019) |
| **Q5** FRQ | [16.5 Attenuation](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/) | 8 | 0.36 Medium | 0.36 Medium | 0.36 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=55578544-7186-417c-b7b6-8a4a46319336&question_id=93c616ae-543c-40c4-a9d0-d780dc24baf4&source_detail=9702%2F42+May%2FJune+2019) |
| **Q6** FRQ | [17.5 Electric potential](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/electric-potential/) | 9 | 0.49 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.39 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=55578544-7186-417c-b7b6-8a4a46319336&question_id=89c865d5-3d4b-4e1f-ae67-9b60fe3f0b86&source_detail=9702%2F42+May%2FJune+2019) |
| **Q7** FRQ | [25.5 Band theory](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/) | 10 | 0.45 Medium | 0.28 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=55578544-7186-417c-b7b6-8a4a46319336&question_id=c63c1588-bec7-4788-95ba-166d566a307a&source_detail=9702%2F42+May%2FJune+2019) |
| **Q8** FRQ | [22.3 Force on a moving charge](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/force-on-a-moving-charge/) | 6 | 0.33 Medium | 0.33 Medium | 0.37 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=55578544-7186-417c-b7b6-8a4a46319336&question_id=56dec25f-4443-433e-9162-5356b00c14d8&source_detail=9702%2F42+May%2FJune+2019) |
| **Q9** FRQ | [21.3 Output devices](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/) | 6 | 0.37 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.37 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=55578544-7186-417c-b7b6-8a4a46319336&question_id=37d70fcc-ec64-4d13-94ba-9fd709d59fd9&source_detail=9702%2F42+May%2FJune+2019) |
| **Q10** FRQ | [23.1 Laws of electromagnetic induction](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/) | 8 | 0.39 Medium | 0.29 Low | 0.39 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=55578544-7186-417c-b7b6-8a4a46319336&question_id=5ee45e07-a982-4a70-8d50-5a6fd61ca65e&source_detail=9702%2F42+May%2FJune+2019) |
| **Q11** FRQ | [25.1 Energy of a photon](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/) | 8 | 0.39 Medium | 0.33 Medium | 0.33 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=55578544-7186-417c-b7b6-8a4a46319336&question_id=50170972-1ce2-4693-89b8-bc23021ebd68&source_detail=9702%2F42+May%2FJune+2019) |
| **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/) | 10 | 0.38 Medium | 0.38 Medium | 0.40 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=55578544-7186-417c-b7b6-8a4a46319336&question_id=4694dc94-fd3a-4f7b-b9b7-ae03fd3ad74f&source_detail=9702%2F42+May%2FJune+2019) |

## Topics in this paper

- [8.2 Gravitational force between point masses](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/gravitational-force-between-point-masses/)
- [7.1 Kinematics of uniform circular motion](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/kinematics-of-uniform-circular-motion/)
- [12.2 Internal energy and the first law of thermodynamics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/)
- [13.1 Simple harmonic oscillations](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/simple-harmonic-oscillations/)
- [13.2 Energy in simple harmonic motion](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/energy-in-simple-harmonic-motion/)
- [14.6 Production and use of ultrasound in diagnosis](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/)
- [16.5 Attenuation](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/)
- [16.4 Relative merits of channels of communication](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/)
- [17.5 Electric potential](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/electric-potential/)
- [25.5 Band theory](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/)
- [19.4 Sensing devices](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/)
- [22.3 Force on a moving charge](https://www.examsci.com/topics/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/force-on-a-moving-charge/)

## Related papers

- [9702/41](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/2019-october-november-9702-41/) — October/November 2019 — 12 questions · 100 marks — Free
- [9702/42](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/2019-october-november-9702-42/) — October/November 2019 — 12 questions · 100 marks — Free
- [9702/43](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/2019-october-november-9702-43/) — October/November 2019 — 12 questions · 100 marks — Free
- [9702/41](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/2019-may-june-9702-41/) — May/June 2019 — 12 questions · 100 marks — Free
- [9702/43](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/2019-may-june-9702-43/) — May/June 2019 — 12 questions · 100 marks — Free
- [9702/42](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/cie-ial/physics/9702-paper-4/2019-march-9702-42/) — March 2019 — 12 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 0.38 from 48 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 0.13, 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 33.0% Easy, 63.0% Medium and 4.0% 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-4/2019-may-june-9702-42/