Physics 0625 · syllabus 4.1
Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 — Magnetism topical past papers
Magnetic poles and the forces between them, magnetic and non-magnetic materials, induced magnetism, soft iron and steel, and plotting the field around a bar magnet.
- Questions
- 838
- Years
- 2009–2026
- With mark scheme
- 99%
- Questions 2022–2026
- 293
Anyone can browse these pages. Opening the questions and their mark schemes takes a free Momentum account.
What Magnetism covers
Every magnet has a north pole and a south pole. Like poles repel and unlike poles attract, and either pole attracts an unmagnetised piece of a magnetic material such as iron, steel, nickel or cobalt. Most other metals, including copper, aluminium and brass, are non-magnetic. Because a magnet attracts unmagnetised iron too, only repulsion proves that an object is itself a magnet.
A magnetic material near a magnet becomes a magnet itself, which is called induced magnetism: the end nearest the magnet's north pole becomes a south pole, so the two attract. Soft iron is magnetised easily and loses its magnetism as soon as it is taken away, so it makes temporary magnets and the cores of electromagnets. Steel is harder to magnetise but keeps its magnetism, so it makes permanent magnets.
Around a magnet is a magnetic field, the space in which another magnetic pole would be pushed or pulled. Field lines point the way a north pole would be pushed, so outside a magnet they run from N to S. You can plot them by moving a small compass step by step around a magnet and marking where its needle points, or show the whole pattern with iron filings. Permanent magnets are used in compasses, loudspeakers and fridge-door seals, and electromagnets, which can be switched off, in relays, electric bells and scrapyard cranes. Extended candidates explain magnetic forces as the interaction of two magnetic fields, and know that field lines drawn closer together show a stronger field.
In the syllabus
The headings this topic has in the Cambridge International 2026–2028 syllabus, as the board prints them.
- 4.1 Simple phenomena of magnetism
What you should be able to do
- Predict whether two poles, or a pole and a piece of magnetic material, attract or repel
- Explain induced magnetism and why it leads to attraction
- Compare soft iron and steel, and choose each for temporary or permanent magnets
- Draw the field pattern around a bar magnet, with arrows from N to S
- Describe how to plot field lines with a compass and how to show a field with iron filings
- Explain magnetic forces as interacting fields, and compare field strengths from the spacing of the lines (Extended)
Key ideas
- Like poles repel; unlike poles attract; either pole attracts unmagnetised magnetic materials
- Magnetic materials: iron, steel, nickel and cobalt; copper, aluminium and brass are non-magnetic
- Soft iron: easily magnetised and demagnetised, for temporary magnets; steel: keeps its magnetism, for permanent magnets
- Field lines show the direction of the force on a north pole: from N to S outside the magnet
- The closer together the field lines, the stronger the field (Extended)
How Magnetism has been examined
From 2022 to 2026, Magnetism was on Paper 4 · Theory (Extended) in 14 of 14 exam series, worth about 10% of that paper’s marks.
| Paper | Questions | Share of marks | Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 · Multiple Choice (Core) | 104 | 8% | 14 of 14 |
| Paper 2 · Multiple Choice (Extended) | 125 | 10% | 14 of 14 |
| Paper 3 · Theory (Core) | 32 | 8% | 12 of 14 |
| Paper 4 · Theory (Extended) | 32 | 10% | 14 of 14 |
Momentum’s own count, over the questions in its bank for these years: a series is one exam session, every zone included, and a question filed under two chapters counts in both. Median marks per question: 1. The bank files this topic together with neighbouring ones, so these figures count every question in its chapters, including some on those topics.
Filed in Momentum under: Magnets and Currents.
Mistakes that cost marks
- Using attraction to show that an object is a magnet — an unmagnetised iron bar is attracted too; only repulsion shows that both objects are magnets
- Drawing field lines that cross, or arrows from S to N outside the magnet — field lines never cross, and outside the magnet they point from N to S
- Calling aluminium or copper magnetic because they are metals — among common materials only iron, steel, nickel and cobalt are magnetic
- Choosing steel for an electromagnet's core — the core has to lose its magnetism when the current is switched off, so it is made of soft iron
- Giving the induced pole the same name as the nearby magnet pole — the near end of the induced magnet has the opposite polarity, which is why the two attract
Exam technique
- When drawing a field, put an arrow on every line and draw the lines closer together near the poles, where the field is strongest
- When describing compass plotting, say you mark the ends of the needle, move the compass on so that its tail sits on the last mark, repeat, and join the marks into a line
- In comparisons of soft iron and steel, say which is easier to magnetise and which keeps its magnetism
Practising in Momentum
- Every question in a chapter as one list, from every paper and year in the bank, newest first or shuffled.
- Each question turns over to its own part of the mark scheme, where the board published one.
- Narrow by paper, year, session, zone and marks, and star the questions worth keeping.
- Pick chapters, a number of questions and a time, and the exam builder draws a mock to sit and mark.
Past-paper questions and mark schemes are the copyright of Cambridge International. Momentum shows them to signed-in learners for revision and does not publish them on these pages.