Pearson Edexcel GCE

Mark Scheme (Results) June 2025 Pearson Edexcel GCE In Physics (9PH0) Paper 03 General and Practical Principles in Physics Edexcel and BTEC Qualifications Edexcel and BTEC qualifications are awarded by Pearson, the UK’s largest awarding body. We provide a wide range of qualifications including academic, vocational, occupational and specific programmes for employers. For further information visit our qualifications websites at or . Alternatively, you can get in touch with us using the details on our contact us page at Pearson: helping people progress, everywhere Pearson aspires to be the world’s leading learning company. Our aim is to help everyone progress in their lives through education. We believe in every kind of learning, for all kinds of people, wherever they are in the world. We’ve been involved in education for over 150 years, and by working across 70 countries, in 100 languages, we have built an international reputation for our commitment to high standards and raising achievement through innovation in education. Find out more about how we can help you and your students at: Summer 2025 Question Paper Log Number P78522A Publications Code 9PH0_03_2506_MS All the material in this publication is copyright © Pearson Education Ltd 2025 General Marking Guidance • All candidates must receive the same treatment. Examiners must mark the first candidate in exactly the same way as they mark the last. • Mark schemes should be applied positively. Candidates must be rewarded for what they have shown they can do rather than penalised for omissions. • Examiners should mark according to the mark scheme not according to their perception of where the grade boundaries may lie. • There is no ceiling on achievement. All marks on the mark scheme should be used appropriately. • All the marks on the mark scheme are designed to be awarded. Examiners should always award full marks if deserved, i.e. if the answer matches the mark scheme. Examiners should also be prepared to award zero marks if the candidate’s response is not worthy of credit according to the mark scheme. • Where some judgement is required, mark schemes will provide the principles by which marks will be awarded and exemplification may be limited. • When examiners are in doubt regarding the application of the mark scheme to a candidate’s response, the team leader must be consulted. • Crossed out work should be marked UNLESS the candidate has replaced it with an alternative response. Mark scheme notes Underlying principle The mark scheme will clearly indicate the concept that is being rewarded, backed up by examples. It is not a set of model answers. 1. Mark scheme format 1.1 You will not see ‘wtte’ (words to that effect). Alternative correct wording should be credited in every answer unless the MS has specified specific words that must be present. Such words will be indicated by underlining e.g. ‘resonance’ 1.2 Bold lower case will be used for emphasis e.g. ‘and’ when two pieces of information are needed for 1 mark. 1.3 Round brackets ( ) indicate words that are not essential e.g. “(hence) distance is increased”. 1.4 Square brackets [ ] indicate advice to examiners or examples e.g. [Do not accept gravity] [ecf]. 2. Unit error penalties 2.1 A separate mark is not usually given for a unit but a missing or incorrect unit will normally mean that the final calculation mark will not be awarded. 2.2 This does not apply in ‘show that’ questions or in any other question where the units to be used have been given, for example in a spreadsheet. 2.3 The mark will not be awarded for the same missing or incorrect unit only once within one clip in epen. 2.4 Occasionally, it may be decided not to insist on a unit e.g the candidate may be calculating the gradient of a graph, resulting in a unit that is not one that should be known and is complex. 2.5 The mark scheme will indicate if no unit error is to be applied by placing brackets around the unit. 3. Significant figures 3.1 Use of too many significant figures in the theory questions will not prevent a mark being awarded if the answer given rounds to the answer in the MS. 3.2 Too few significant figures will mean that the final mark cannot be awarded in ‘show that’ questions where one more significant figure than the value in the question is needed for the candidate to demonstrate the validity of the given answer. 3.3 The use of one significant figure might be inappropriate in the context of the question e.g. reading a value off a graph. If this is the case, there will be a clear indication in the MS. 3.4 The use of g = 10 m s−2 or 10 N kg−1 instead of 9.81 m s−2 or 9.81 N kg−1 will be penalised by one mark (but not more than once per clip). Accept 9.8 m s−2 or 9.8 N kg−1 3.5 In questions assessing practical skills, a specific number of significant figures will be required e.g. determining a constant from the gradient of a graph or in uncertainty calculations. The MS will clearly identify the number of significant figures required. 4. Calculations 4.1 use of the formula means that the candidate demonstrates substitution of physically correct values, although there may be conversion errors e.g. power of 10 error. 4.2 If a ‘show that’ question is worth 2 marks, then both marks will be available for a reverse working. If the question is worth 3 marks then only 2 marks will be available. 4.3 The mark scheme will show a correctly worked answer for illustration only. 5. Quality of Written Expression 5.1 Questions that asses the ability to show a coherent and logically structured answer are marked with an asterisk. 5.2 Marks are awarded for indicative content and for how the answer is structured. 5.3 Linkage between ideas, and fully-sustained reasoning is expected. 6. Graphs 6.1 A mark given for axes requires both axes to be labelled with quantities and units, and drawn the correct way round. 6.2 Sometimes a separate mark will be given for units or for each axis if the units are complex. This will be indicated on the mark scheme. 6.3 A mark given for choosing a scale requires that the chosen scale allows all points to be plotted, spreads plotted points over more than half of each axis and is not an awkward scale e.g. multiples of 3, 7 etc. 6.4 Points should be plotted to within 1 mm. 6.5 For a line mark there must be a thin continuous line which is the best-fit line for the candidate’s results. Question Number Acceptable Answer Additional Guidance Mark 1(a) • The ammeter is in series with the bulb and the voltmeter is in parallel with the bulb Or Adjusting the variable resistor will vary the current/p.d. (1) Allow “the measurements of current and p.d. will be valid” • The circuit may not be able to give a full range of applied p.d.s Or Reducing the variable resistance will place a p.d. across the bulb much larger than 3 V (1) • Comment on suitability consistent with stated characteristics of circuit (1) 3 1(b) • Precision is the closeness of agreement (consistency) between (repeated) measurements (1) • As the student has only taken a single value of current, the student cannot say the current is precise (1) • Accuracy is how close the measured value is to the true value (1) • The true value is not known, so the student cannot say the value will be accurate Or There may be a systematic error, so the student cannot say the value will be accurate (1) 4