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A Level Physics Examiners' Edition: Common Mistakes by Topic (Edexcel) | GuideMyGrades
Examiners’ Edition · Edexcel A Level Physics
Aiming for an A or A*? Stop losing easy marks.
Most marks aren’t lost on the hardest questions. They’re lost to the same small mistakes examiners flag year after year. We’ve gone through the Pearson Edexcel AS and A Level Physics papers and examiners’ reports from 2016 to 2025 and pulled out the mistakes that cost the most marks in every topic.
- See the mistake examiners flag year after year, topic by topic.
- Learn the fix, and what examiners saw in the exam.
- Practise and mark it with original questions and full mark schemes.
Written by Mr A Hudha, Head of Physics and examiner
A Level Physics · Topic 6
Further Mechanics
Examiners’ Edition: Securing A*s
6.1 Impulse, momentum and collisions A Level only
1 Change in momentum is a vector
✗ Common mistake
Subtracting the speeds when an object bounces back, so the change in momentum comes out far too small.
1
✓ Do this instead
Momentum p = mv is a vector: choose a positive direction and give every velocity a sign. A ball hitting a wall at 12 m s−1 and rebounding at 8 m s−1: Δv = (−8) − (+12) = −20 m s−1, not 4.
2
In the exam
“On a bouncing-ball question, a fair proportion got the sign of the change in momentum wrong, and even more just gave the final momentum.” Jun 2016, AS P1
Examiners flagged this in 4 exam series, 2016 to 2023
Question 1.1 · Check itMark scheme ›3
A ball of mass 0.15 kg hits a wall at 12 m s−1 and rebounds along the same line at 8.0 m s−1. It is in contact with the wall for 0.040 s. Calculate the average force exerted on the ball by the wall. (3)
force = N
Mark scheme · Q1.1‹ Back to question
Δp = 0.15 × ((−8.0) − (+12)) = −3.0 kg m s−11
F = Δp ÷ Δt = 3.0 ÷ 0.0401
75 N1
Common wrong answer: subtracting the speeds gives Δp = 0.60 kg m s−1 and a force of 15 N.
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Pearson Edexcel AS & A Level Physics · 8PH0, 9PH0
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Materials
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Oscillations
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