# WPH11/01 October 2020 > WPH11/01 October 2020: 19 questions, 80 marks. Difficulty 0.37, deviation 0.15, algebraic 0.27, text density 0.43. Edexcel IAL Physics U1. - Canonical HTML: https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/2020-october-wph11-01/ - Markdown mirror: https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/2020-october-wph11-01/index.md --- Edexcel IAL · Physics · 2020 October This Physics Unit 1 (WPH11) paper contains 19 questions worth 80 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. - Edexcel IAL - U1 - 19 questions - 80 marks - Free paper - [Practise this paper](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c) - [All U1 papers](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/) Core finding **WPH11/01 October 2020 is a past paper for Edexcel IAL Physics Unit 1 (WPH11), with 19 questions worth 80 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 38.8% Easy, 56.2% Medium and 5.0% Hard. Algebraic complexity averages 0.27; text density and modelling average 0.43. 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 80 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**: 0.37 — 0.20–0.75 · nearer Medium - **Difficulty Deviation**: 0.15 — 0 = uniform; higher = more mixed - **Difficulty Ratio**: 38.8 / 56.2 / 5.0 — % Easy / Medium / Hard - **Algebraic Complexity Measure**: 0.27 — 0.20–0.75 · nearer Low - **Text Density and Modelling Measure**: 0.43 — 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** | 38.8% Easy / 56.2% Medium / 5.0% 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** | 0.43 | 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** MCQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=48311817-8a2b-48a8-be83-952a4b0d95fc&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q2** MCQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=26e23c00-7001-4a65-917a-6d3a814b4a55&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q3** MCQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=73582788-42a9-42db-8726-2c86cedcd0e9&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q4** MCQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=e2601ca3-889b-4c9d-a40f-45646422ec37&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q5** MCQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=af3cd8fb-2012-4a85-bcdd-9f201062d03d&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q6** MCQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=0373d5b5-15f0-4165-af6d-dc4aece01bbb&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q7** MCQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=cb831cd6-d055-43f4-9f51-5f4c260256ff&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q8** MCQ | [U1 Materials](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/materials/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=976ac797-2c8b-44f2-826a-54766339b0af&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q9** MCQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=31567f67-df1a-415d-9b73-6e981311757a&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q10** MCQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 1 | 0.75 Hard | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=c2201c8e-1bd0-499c-9907-9e93f193e84c&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q11** FRQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 7 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.38 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=ba9e6cb9-f349-4f4e-8a75-d3678aea77ec&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q12** FRQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 5 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=aef5059d-3708-43c8-b3b9-c2421a71519a&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q13** FRQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 6 | 0.33 Medium | 0.33 Medium | 0.60 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=ce0632ef-be43-4bc2-9bdc-76cbc8565b28&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q14** FRQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 6 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.75 High | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=1d26df08-7550-49b6-a39f-ef6b3b8cc10c&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q15** FRQ | [U1 Materials](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/materials/) | 8 | 0.29 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.36 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=3089741c-358b-4f01-968b-5656338267c0&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q16** FRQ | [U1 Materials](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/materials/) | 9 | 0.34 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.34 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=2b822ce7-749f-4388-a6ff-30d7c385f082&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q17** FRQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 9 | 0.39 Medium | 0.39 Medium | 0.39 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=351d7e15-bf25-4e95-a132-b718f703cbf1&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q18** FRQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 9 | 0.37 Medium | 0.37 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=09cd687f-84ff-4199-80d7-38328889ce54&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q19** FRQ | [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) | 11 | 0.46 Medium | 0.34 Medium | 0.53 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=de7f3e55-de2d-40f1-9868-c21f740ee82c&question_id=bb862153-eb56-4dbd-ab5e-0cc7e58aaf81&source_detail=WPH11%2F01+October+2020) | ## Topics in this paper - [U1 Mechanics](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/mechanics/) - [U1 Materials](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/materials/) ## Related papers - [WPH11/01](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/2020-january-wph11-01/) — January 2020 — 19 questions · 80 marks — Free - [WPH11/01](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/2021-october-wph11-01/) — October 2021 — 19 questions · 80 marks — Pro - [WPH11/01](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/2021-june-wph11-01/) — June 2021 — 18 questions · 80 marks — Pro - [WPH11/01](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/2021-january-wph11-01/) — January 2021 — 18 questions · 80 marks — Pro - [WPH11/01](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/2019-october-wph11-01/) — October 2019 — 17 questions · 80 marks — Free - [WPH11/01](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/2019-june-wph11-01/) — June 2019 — 18 questions · 80 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 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 0.15, 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 38.8% Easy, 56.3% Medium and 5.0% 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. --- Full page with native tables, bar charts and Practice Hub links: https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-1-wph11/2020-october-wph11-01/