IGCSE Physics Tutoring for Students in the UAE
IGCSE Physics is not a memory subject, which is why students who revise it like one plateau. The marks sit in choosing the right relationship, rearranging it safely, and carrying units through — three habits, practised on real papers.
- 2 awarding bodies, each examined differently — both set out below
- 16 syllabus areas mapped to your school’s scheme of work
- Taught by a specialist in this subject, not a generalist
- 90-minute online lessons, scheduled in UAE time
How Physics is assessed, board by board
2 awarding bodies examine Physics and they do not do it the same way. Find yours below — each block names the syllabus it came from and the date it was checked. If you do not know which board your school entered you for, the specification code is on the front of the syllabus and on every past paper.
Cambridge International
Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625)
| Component | Weight | Length | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (Core) or Paper 2 (Extended): Multiple Choice | 30% | 45 min · 40 marks | multiple choice — Forty four-choice items |
| Paper 3 (Core) or Paper 4 (Extended): Theory | 50% | 1 hour 15 min · 80 marks | short answer and structured questions |
| Paper 5: Practical Test | 20% | 1 hour 15 min · 40 marks | practical work — Experiments done in a laboratory. Schools enter for this or for Paper 6 |
| Paper 6: Alternative to Practical | 20% | 1 hour · 40 marks | practical work and data response — A written paper about experiments, for schools that enter for it instead of Paper 5 |
- Cambridge tiers this subject. Core candidates sit the Core papers and can be awarded grades C to G; Extended candidates sit the Extended papers and can be awarded A* to G. A student entered for Core cannot be given a grade above a C whatever they write, so if a sixth form is asking for a B in Physics, the entry tier is the first thing to check — and schools will usually still move a student between tiers if the work supports it.
- Practical skills carry 20% whichever paper the school enters for, and the Alternative to Practical is not the easier option — it asks students to describe, tabulate and evaluate experiments they can no longer see in front of them.
Read from the published syllabus and checked on 2026-09-22.
Pearson Edexcel
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Physics (4PH1)
| Component | Weight | Length | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (4PH1/01) | 61.1% | 2 hours · 110 marks | multiple choice, short answer, extended response and calculations |
| Paper 2 (4PH1/02) | 38.9% | 1 hour 15 min · 70 marks | multiple choice, short answer, extended response and calculations |
- Pearson does not tier this subject: every candidate sits the same papers and every grade is reachable from them. That removes the entry-tier decision entirely, which is one of the practical differences between the two boards.
- There is no practical exam and no coursework: experimental skills are examined inside the written papers. The practicals still have to be done, because the questions assume the student has done them, but nobody marks the student doing them.
Read from the published syllabus and checked on 2026-09-22.
Weightings are the awarding body’s own published figures. Where a board tiers the entry, the same weighting applies to both tiers — what changes is the grade range available.
What students usually need help with
Not a list of topics — a list of the specific things that cost marks in Physics regardless of how well the content is known.
Formula selection
Most students know the equations. The exam tests which one to reach for when the question names neither the quantity nor the equation, and that is a separate skill.
Graph work
Gradient, area under the curve and what each physically represents. A velocity–time graph question is usually worth more than the topic it comes from.
Units and prefixes
Answers correct except for milli, kilo or a squared unit are among the most frustrating losses on the paper, and they are entirely preventable.
Extended writing
Explaining induction or radiation in sentences, not symbols — the one part of Physics that reads like an English exam.
What the syllabus covers
The content both boards cover, grouped by area. Unit names and their order differ by specification — this shows the shape of the course; your own syllabus shows what is examinable.
Forces and motion
Distance–time and velocity–time graphs · Newton’s laws, momentum and moments · Density, pressure and hydraulics · Work, energy, power and efficiency
Thermal physics, waves and light
Kinetic particle model and specific heat capacity · Conduction, convection and radiation · Wave properties, reflection, refraction and diffraction · The electromagnetic spectrum and sound
Electricity and magnetism
Current, voltage, resistance and circuit calculations · Series and parallel circuits, and electrical safety · Magnetic fields, electromagnetism and the motor effect · Electromagnetic induction and transformers
Nuclear physics and space
Atomic structure, isotopes and radioactivity · Half-life and the uses and hazards of radiation · The solar system, orbits and gravity · Stellar evolution and the expanding universe
Where marks are actually lost
The single most common pattern we see is a student who can complete any calculation once the equation is named, and cannot start when it is not. Real questions describe a situation — a lift accelerating, a transformer with a given turns ratio — and the first mark is for recognising which relationship applies. That recognition is trained by working through varied questions with the formula sheet closed, not by re-reading notes, and it is the fastest improvement available in the subject.
The second is arithmetic under pressure in the electricity questions, where a circuit with two resistors in parallel and one in series produces four opportunities to drop a factor. Both boards write multi-step questions where the later parts depend on the earlier answer, so one slip costs marks twice. Writing the working in a fixed order — equation, substitution, answer, unit — recovers most of that, and examiners award method marks for it even when the final number is wrong.
Send the specification code
Two students can both be "doing IGCSE Physics" and sit different papers, at different lengths, with a different grade ceiling. The specification code — 0610, 4BI1 and so on — is on the front of your syllabus and on every past paper, and it is the first thing we ask for. With it we can put you with a tutor who has taught that paper; without it, the subject match can be right and the exam preparation wrong.
Frequently asked questions
The questions UAE students and parents ask us most often about this program.
Related programs
Other preparation tracks students often combine with this one.
IGCSE Tutoring
Subject tutoring for Year 10 and Year 11 students working towards IGCSE or GCSE. Lessons follow your school’s board and specification, with past papers from the start rather than at the end.
IGCSE Pricing
IGCSE tutoring is priced per subject. Starting in Year 10 rather than Year 11 is the single biggest thing a family can do to reduce what it spends.
How it works
Every student starts with a free consultation and ends with a plan that has a date on it. What happens in between depends on which exam you are sitting.
Tell us where Physics is going wrong
Send a recent piece of marked work or a past paper with the marks on it, and tell us the specification code. That shows us more in five minutes than a description of the problem does in an hour.