Cambridge IAL Physics exam-day guide
Cambridge IAL Physics · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Photo ID and statement of entry
Bring the identification your centre requires (usually a passport or national ID) plus your statement of entry or candidate number slip. The exact accepted ID types are set by your exam centre - confirm with the provider before exam day, and check the name on your entry matches your ID.
Black or blue pens, pencil, ruler, eraser, sharpener
Write written answers in dark ink; use pencil for graphs, diagrams, and any answer sheet that is machine-read. A clear 30 cm ruler is essential for drawing straight lines and reading scales on graphs. Confirm with the provider whether your centre supplies stationery or expects you to bring your own.
Scientific calculator you are familiar with
Use a calculator you have practised with, with fresh batteries, and know how to switch between degrees and radians and how to enter standard form. Check the permitted calculator rules for your syllabus with the provider; programmable or graphing models may be restricted.
Transparent pencil case and clear water bottle
Many centres require a transparent case and a bottle with the label removed. These are common centre rules rather than syllabus rules, so confirm the exact requirements with the provider.
Wristwatch (non-smart)
A plain analogue or digital watch helps you pace yourself if the room clock is not visible from your seat. Smart watches and any device with communication or storage capability are normally prohibited - confirm with the provider.
Know your practical paper structure
Re-read the specification for the practical skills paper you are sitting: how many questions, whether it includes a planning or evaluation question, and what apparatus-based tasks look like. The precise paper format and duration are published by the awarding organisation - confirm the current version with the provider.
Revise the standard apparatus and techniques list
Be ready to describe measurements with vernier calipers, micrometer, travelling microscope, ammeter and voltmeter, oscilloscope traces, and to estimate uncertainties. Know how to record raw data to a sensible number of significant figures and how to justify the precision of an instrument.
Practise uncertainty and error calculations
Rehearse percentage uncertainty, combining uncertainties for products and quotients, absolute uncertainty from a scale, and identifying systematic versus random error. These come up repeatedly and are quick marks once fluent.
Rehearse graph plotting and interpretation
Practise choosing axes, scaling to use most of the grid, plotting points, drawing a line of best fit, and finding gradient and intercept with units. Be ready to explain what the gradient and intercept physically represent.
Plan your route and arrival time
Arrive with margin before the start time; centres usually set a reporting time earlier than the exam start. Check the start time and venue with the provider, since session times vary by centre and time zone.
Read the safety and apparatus briefing
If your paper involves handling apparatus, follow all supervisor instructions and any risk assessment. If you have a medical condition or access arrangement, confirm it is in place with the provider in advance.
Confirm access arrangements
If you are entitled to extra time, a separate room, or a reader/scribe, confirm in writing with the provider well before the exam. Arrangements are not usually granted on the day.
Plan the day
Work through past practical-skills papers under timed conditions, focusing on the question types you lose marks on. Rework any experiment write-ups from your course: aim, variables, method, table layout with units in headers, uncertainty treatment, and a conclusion tied to the physics. Make a one-page sheet of formulas for uncertainty propagation, percentage difference, and the gradient/intercept meanings you keep meeting. Do not start new topics.
Check your calculator is in the right mode, replace batteries, and confirm your ID, statement of entry, and stationery are ready. Re-read the specification's list of required practicals and apparatus so nothing on the paper feels unfamiliar. Confirm your reporting time and venue with the provider.
Do a light review only: skim your formula sheet, the uncertainty rules, and the standard apparatus list. Pack your bag with ID, pens, pencil, ruler, eraser, calculator, and water. Set two alarms. Get a full night's sleep - fatigue costs more marks than one extra past paper.
Eat properly and arrive early. Once seated, read the front of the paper for the number of questions and marks, then read each question fully before writing. In the reading time, if your centre allows it, scan for the data-analysis and evaluation questions so you know how much time to reserve.
Pace yourself by marks: roughly a minute per mark, slightly more for graph plotting and evaluation. Write units in every table header and on every answer that has a physical quantity. Show the equation, substitution, and answer with units - method marks survive an arithmetic slip. Quote uncertainties to one significant figure and match the significant figures of your data. If a graph is asked for, label axes with quantity and unit, use a sensible scale, and draw a best-fit line rather than joining the dots. Leave the final few minutes to check units, significant figures, and any blank parts.
Rules to check
Bring the ID required by your centre and keep it on your desk if instructed. The accepted forms of ID are a centre decision - confirm with the provider before the day, and raise any name mismatch immediately.
Do not bring phones, smart watches, or any wearable with communication or storage capability into the exam room. Centres typically require these to be handed in or left outside; the exact rule is set by the provider, so confirm it.
Follow all instructions from the invigilator and any laboratory supervisor. If the paper involves apparatus, do not operate equipment until told to, and report breakages or spills at once.
If you need to leave the room, raise your hand and wait for an invigilator. Rules on toilet breaks and supervised exit vary by centre - confirm the procedure with the provider before the exam.
Do not communicate with other candidates once the exam has started, and do not take any paper, rough work, or apparatus out of the room unless the invigilator says it is permitted.
Marks are awarded for method, units, significant figures, and clear presentation as well as the final answer, so write down your reasoning even when unsure. The precise mark scheme weightings are published by the awarding organisation - check the current specification with the provider.
If you believe there is an error in the paper or a problem with apparatus, tell the invigilator during the exam rather than after; special consideration procedures and deadlines are set by the provider, so confirm them in advance.
Any suspected malpractice is handled under the awarding organisation's regulations. Understand what counts as malpractice - including bringing unauthorised material or aiding another candidate - by checking the current notice with the provider.