# WPH12/01 October 2020 > WPH12/01 October 2020: 18 questions, 80 marks. Difficulty 0.40, deviation 0.13, algebraic 0.28, text density 0.40. Edexcel IAL Physics U2. - Canonical HTML: https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/2020-october-wph12-01/ - Markdown mirror: https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/2020-october-wph12-01/index.md --- Edexcel IAL · Physics · 2020 October This Physics Unit 2 (WPH12) paper contains 18 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 - U2 - 18 questions - 80 marks - Free paper - [Practise this paper](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501) - [All U2 papers](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/) Core finding **WPH12/01 October 2020 is a past paper for Edexcel IAL Physics Unit 2 (WPH12), with 18 questions worth 80 marks.** Its mark-weighted Difficulty Measure is 0.40 on a 0.20–0.75 scale, with a Difficulty Deviation of 0.13 and a mark split of 23.8% Easy, 70.0% Medium and 6.2% Hard. Algebraic complexity averages 0.28; text density and modelling average 0.40. All five measures use 32 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 32 parts carrying 80 part marks. Difficulty tags cover 32 parts, algebraic tags 32 and text-density tags 32. Tags are internal metadata, not official exam-board ratings. - **Difficulty Measure**: 0.40 — 0.20–0.75 · nearer Medium - **Difficulty Deviation**: 0.13 — 0 = uniform; higher = more mixed - **Difficulty Ratio**: 23.8 / 70.0 / 6.2 — % Easy / Medium / Hard - **Algebraic Complexity Measure**: 0.28 — 0.20–0.75 · nearer Low - **Text Density and Modelling Measure**: 0.40 — 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** | 0.40 | 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** | 23.8% Easy / 70.0% Medium / 6.2% Hard | marks in band / all tagged marks | | **Algebraic Complexity Measure** | 0.28 | Σ(c_i × marks_i) / Σmarks_i, with c = 0.20 / 0.45 / 0.75 | | **Text Density and Modelling Measure** | 0.40 | 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 | [U2 Waves and Particle Nature of Light](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/waves-and-particle-nature-of-light/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=0fa03569-682a-4d8e-96ef-381183f13277&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q2** MCQ | [U2 Waves and Particle Nature of Light](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/waves-and-particle-nature-of-light/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=0f30548b-4918-42aa-baa3-9e72169a50b3&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q3** MCQ | [U2 Waves and Particle Nature of Light](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/waves-and-particle-nature-of-light/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=5ed428b0-bf31-41ab-9a10-8d563f8a94db&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q4** MCQ | [U2 Electric Circuits](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/electric-circuits/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=a199682c-02f0-4360-879a-d8263b367dbd&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q5** MCQ | [U2 Waves and Particle Nature of Light](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/waves-and-particle-nature-of-light/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=de8bc6c4-f1e9-47f3-82ec-e829c8ad51d3&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q6** MCQ | [U2 Electric Circuits](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/electric-circuits/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=7cbb2207-00e4-4982-8e7c-2601522dca1c&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q7** MCQ | [U2 Electric Circuits](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/electric-circuits/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=875c863c-6b2f-495b-af97-5d314d354521&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q8** MCQ | [U2 Waves and Particle Nature of Light](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/waves-and-particle-nature-of-light/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=c5dbd2ad-6c7d-49ba-86c2-59af18c8abe5&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q9** MCQ | [U2 Electric Circuits](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/electric-circuits/) | 1 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=921a02da-cbfe-43ce-80a9-bc0bba8d5622&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q10** MCQ | [U2 Electric Circuits](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/electric-circuits/) | 1 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=160a42de-6c06-4be4-b3e4-92df75710625&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q11** FRQ | [U2 Waves and Particle Nature of Light](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/waves-and-particle-nature-of-light/) | 4 | 0.20 Easy | 0.20 Low | 0.20 Low | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=6ba541ad-7876-4a46-a844-84ea4280a8a8&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q12** FRQ | [U2 Electric Circuits](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/electric-circuits/) | 6 | 0.37 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.37 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=98154a0b-9a4a-41b1-9e00-176e2b7fd1e7&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q13** FRQ | [U2 Waves and Particle Nature of Light](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/waves-and-particle-nature-of-light/) | 9 | 0.45 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.65 High | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=6f8fcf60-e582-43ec-98fe-a7ff97836f23&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q14** FRQ | [U2 Waves and Particle Nature of Light](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/waves-and-particle-nature-of-light/) | 9 | 0.34 Medium | 0.28 Low | 0.42 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=0b784502-f1f7-4a5e-9536-7f24448c891c&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q15** FRQ | [U2 Waves and Particle Nature of Light](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/waves-and-particle-nature-of-light/) | 8 | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | 0.45 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=5ae0ff9b-9db6-4448-b0ad-5093dad5a7cf&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q16** FRQ | [U2 Waves and Particle Nature of Light](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/waves-and-particle-nature-of-light/) | 9 | 0.52 Medium | 0.20 Low | 0.56 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=711f563b-e4b6-4857-8af9-d056b4e96b3b&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q17** FRQ | [U2 Waves and Particle Nature of Light](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/waves-and-particle-nature-of-light/) | 13 | 0.45 Medium | 0.35 Medium | 0.39 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=9dbaa246-05a2-476a-aced-798a8fb50fd6&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | | **Q18** FRQ | [U2 Electric Circuits](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/electric-circuits/) | 12 | 0.45 Medium | 0.33 Medium | 0.33 Medium | [Go to Practice Hub](https://www.examsci.com/practice?set_id=30b9f85f-384f-48e3-b52d-af344e695501&question_id=5048655d-d0da-4314-b0dc-e236f73e1742&source_detail=WPH12%2F01+October+2020) | ## Topics in this paper - [U2 Waves and Particle Nature of Light](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/waves-and-particle-nature-of-light/) - [U2 Electric Circuits](https://www.examsci.com/topics/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/electric-circuits/) ## Related papers - [WPH12/01](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/2020-january-wph12-01/) — January 2020 — 18 questions · 80 marks — Free - [WPH12/01](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/2021-october-wph12-01/) — October 2021 — 18 questions · 80 marks — Pro - [WPH12/01](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/2021-june-wph12-01/) — June 2021 — 18 questions · 80 marks — Pro - [WPH12/01](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/2021-january-wph12-01/) — January 2021 — 21 questions · 80 marks — Pro - [WPH12/01](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/2019-october-wph12-01/) — October 2019 — 19 questions · 80 marks — Free - [WPH12/01](https://www.examsci.com/past-papers/edexcel-ial/physics/physics-unit-2-wph12/2019-june-wph12-01/) — June 2019 — 19 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 0.40 from 32 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 23.8% Easy, 70.0% Medium and 6.3% 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-2-wph12/2020-october-wph12-01/