Cambridge Physics 9702 Paper 5: Current Planning, Analysis and Evaluation Guide

Q: What does Cambridge International Physics 9702 Paper 5 assess?
A: Paper 5 is a written Planning, Analysis and Evaluation paper. Question 1 assesses experimental planning; Question 2 assesses data analysis, graphing, conclusions, and uncertainty without requiring laboratory facilities during the examination.

TL;DR
Paper 5 lasts 1 hour 15 minutes, has 30 marks, and contributes 11.5% of A Level. It has two 15-mark questions. Question 1 is a less-structured planning task; Question 2 uses an equation and experimental data to find a constant and estimate its uncertainty.

Last reviewed: 19 July 2026. This guide follows Cambridge's current 2025-2027 Physics 9702 specification. It distinguishes published requirements from study advice and does not predict the exact experiment, apparatus, equation, data, or graph in a future paper.

1. Paper 5 at a glance

Paper 5 belongs to the full A Level route. An AS-only entry uses Papers 1, 2, and 3. A valid staged A Level entry adds Papers 4 and 5 after the AS components, while an all-components A Level entry takes Papers 1 to 5 in one series. Confirm the actual entry, series, administrative zone, component code, and carry-forward conditions with the school or examination centre.

Paper 3 remains the candidate-run Advanced Practical Skills component. Paper 5 does not replace it.

2. The two published questions

Question 1 is not highly structured. Question 2 is structured, but candidates decide what processing is needed to reach the answer.

Some contexts may be difficult to investigate in a school laboratory because of cost, equipment, or restricted materials. Cambridge does not require theory or equipment beyond the syllabus and supplies necessary information for a topic outside it.

3. Defining the planning problem

For Question 1, candidates should identify:

• the independent variable;
• the dependent variable;
• the variables to keep constant.

The plan must then explain how the independent variable changes, how both variables are measured, and how the other variables remain constant. A clear labelled diagram should show a workable apparatus arrangement and procedure.

Full credit requires a setup that could collect the required data without undue difficulty. Measuring instruments must be fit for purpose, measure the correct physical quantity, and provide suitable precision for the investigation.

4. Data collection and analysis plan

A source-aligned plan can explain:

1. the apparatus and procedure;
2. the independent-variable range and measurement method supported by the task;
3. how the dependent variable and control variables are measured or maintained;
4. the raw readings and derived quantities needed;
5. the table headings and units;
6. the graph to plot;
7. how the gradient, intercept, or other result reaches the conclusion;
8. relevant calibration, circuit, or initial-trial details;
9. risks and precautions.

Additional detail depends on the experiment. Cambridge's published capabilities include using an oscilloscope to measure voltage, current, time, and frequency; using light gates and a data logger for time, velocity, and acceleration; and using other sensors with a data logger. These are not guaranteed future-paper topics.

5. Safety boundaries

Candidates assess the risks of the proposed experiment and describe precautions that reduce them. The response should identify the actual hazard, explain the risk, and give a workable control.

Do not add a generic safety sentence when the plan presents no relevant hazard. Course supervision and centre laboratory responsibilities remain separate from the written response.

6. Linearising the supplied relationship

For Question 2, candidates should be able to rearrange relationships into these published forms:

• y = mx + c;
• y = a x^n;
• y = a e^(kx).

The corresponding graph choices can be:

• plot y against x to obtain m and c;
• plot log y against log x to obtain a and n;
• plot ln y against x to obtain a and k.

Candidates decide which derived quantities to calculate from the raw data. The supplied equation determines the axes, gradient, intercept, and route to the constant. Do not assume every Question 2 uses logarithms, a power law, or an exponential relationship.

7. Tables and logarithms

Tables follow the current Paper 3 conventions. Candidates calculate derived quantities, record them in the table, and use the Paper 3 significant-figure rules.

When a logarithm is required, show the unit with the quantity being logged, such as ln(d / cm). The logarithm itself has no unit. The decimal places in a logarithmic value should correspond to the significant figures in the original quantity. Cambridge's example permits three or four decimal places for the logarithm of a three-significant-figure value.

8. Graph, conclusion, and uncertainty

The current requirements include:

• plot the graph using Paper 3 conventions;
• show error bars in both directions where appropriate;
• draw a straight best-fit line;
• draw a worst acceptable straight line through the error bars;
• distinguish the worst line by labelling it or drawing it broken;
• determine gradient and vertical intercept;
• derive expressions linking gradient or intercept to the required constant;
• give the conclusion with correct units and suitable significant figures.

The worst acceptable line is the steepest or shallowest line that can pass through all the error bars. It is not an arbitrary second line.

Candidates should also be able to:

• convert between absolute, fractional, and percentage uncertainty;
• show absolute uncertainty beside every value in the results table;
• calculate uncertainty in derived quantities;
• estimate gradient uncertainty from the difference between the best-fit and worst-line gradients;
• estimate intercept uncertainty from the difference between the best-fit and worst-line intercepts;
• report a quantity as value, uncertainty, and unit.

Use the supplied data and error bars. The worst acceptable line and uncertainty depend on the plotted points, not one memorised slope choice.

9. A source-bounded preparation method

This is study advice, not a Cambridge rule: after verifying the route, practise workable diagrams, fit-for-purpose instruments, variable control, linearisation, error bars, worst acceptable lines, and value-uncertainty-unit conclusions. Cambridge requires repeated supervised planning, performance, and evaluation but sets no provider, weekly schedule, or fixed session count.

10. What this guide does not establish

The specification does not fix a future experiment, apparatus, equation, graph, or uncertainty; mandate one range, repeat count, sensor, diagram, safety control, or limitation phrase; set a preparation count; or guarantee grade improvement from tuition or any other format.

See the Physics 9702 Paper 3 guide for the candidate-run component.

References

1. Cambridge International, Physics 9702 syllabus, 2025-2027.
2. Cambridge International, Physics 9702 overview.