OCR A-level Physics past papers and mark schemes
27 papers · June 2017 – June 2024
The 27 papers on this page are for OCR A-level Physics A (H556), and each is paired with its mark scheme. They fall under Component 01 (Modelling physics), Component 02 (Exploring physics) and Component 03 (Unified physics), with 9 papers in each, and every component is listed at 100 marks and 2 hours.
Between June 2017 and June 2024 there are 24 papers from exam series, including the November 2020 and November 2021 series, plus 3 specimen papers. The files open on Physics & Maths Tutor. A practical routine is to sit a full paper in 2 hours, mark it with the mark scheme and keep a short list of the questions you got wrong to revisit a week later. Using older series first leaves the most recent ones as fresh practice near the exam.
Reschedule is an independent A-level revision planner that turns your paper dates into a daily plan. It works from the specification down to individual subtopics, and since each paper has its own date, each subtopic is scheduled before the paper that examines it. Past papers with mark schemes are added to the plan, and subtopics link to study material such as textbook chapters, Physics & Maths Tutor and Save My Exams.
Component 01 (Modelling physics)H556/01
2 h · 100 marks
What this paper covers
- 1 Development of practical skills in physicsPractical skills assessed in a written examination · Practical skills assessed in the practical endorsement
- 2 Foundations of physicsMaking measurements and analysing data
- 3 Forces and motionMotion · Forces in action · Work, energy, and power · Materials · Laws of motion and momentum
- 5 Newtonian world and astrophysicsThermal physics · Ideal gases · Circular motion · Oscillations · Gravitational fields · Stars · Cosmology (the Big Bang)
| Series | Code | Question paper | Mark scheme | Insert |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2024 | H556/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2023 | H556/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2022 | H556/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| November 2021 | H556/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| November 2020 | H556/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2019 | H556/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2018 | H556/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2017 | H556/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| Specimen | H556/01 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
Opens on Physics & Maths Tutor
Component 02 (Exploring physics)H556/02
2 h · 100 marks
What this paper covers
- 1 Development of practical skills in physicsPractical skills assessed in a written examination · Practical skills assessed in the practical endorsement
- 2 Foundations of physicsMaking measurements and analysing data
- 4 Electrons, waves and photonsCharge and current · Energy, power, and resistance · Electrical circuits · Waves 1 · Waves 2 · Quantum physics
- 6 Particles and medical physicsCapacitance · Electric fields · Magnetic fields · Particle physics · Radioactivity · Nuclear physics · Medical imaging
| Series | Code | Question paper | Mark scheme | Insert |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2024 | H556/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2023 | H556/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2022 | H556/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| November 2021 | H556/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| November 2020 | H556/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2019 | H556/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2018 | H556/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2017 | H556/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| Specimen | H556/02 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
Opens on Physics & Maths Tutor
Component 03 (Unified physics)H556/03
2 h · 100 marks
What this paper covers
- 1 Development of practical skills in physicsPractical skills assessed in a written examination · Practical skills assessed in the practical endorsement
- 2 Foundations of physicsMaking measurements and analysing data
- 3 Forces and motionMotion · Forces in action · Work, energy, and power · Materials · Laws of motion and momentum
- 4 Electrons, waves and photonsCharge and current · Energy, power, and resistance · Electrical circuits · Waves 1 · Waves 2 · Quantum physics
- 5 Newtonian world and astrophysicsThermal physics · Ideal gases · Circular motion · Oscillations · Gravitational fields · Stars · Cosmology (the Big Bang)
- 6 Particles and medical physicsCapacitance · Electric fields · Magnetic fields · Particle physics · Radioactivity · Nuclear physics · Medical imaging
| Series | Code | Question paper | Mark scheme | Insert |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2024 | H556/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2023 | H556/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2022 | H556/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| November 2021 | H556/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| November 2020 | H556/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2019 | H556/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2018 | H556/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| June 2017 | H556/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
| Specimen | H556/03 | Question paper | Mark scheme | — |
Opens on Physics & Maths Tutor
Common questions
- Where can I find OCR Physics mark schemes?
- Every paper on this page has its mark scheme linked in the same row. Each link opens the PDF where it is hosted.
- Which years of OCR Physics past papers are here?
- The page lists 24 papers from 8 exam series, June 2017 to June 2024, and 3 specimen or sample papers.
- How are OCR Physics past papers organised on this page?
- Papers are grouped by exam paper, then by series with the newest first: Component 01 (Modelling physics) (2 hours, 100 marks), Component 02 (Exploring physics) (2 hours, 100 marks) and Component 03 (Unified physics) (2 hours, 100 marks). Durations and marks are the most common values across the series listed.
- Are these the official OCR papers?
- They are the papers set by OCR. Links open the PDF where it is hosted: 27 on Physics & Maths Tutor. Reschedule is independent and not affiliated with any exam board.
- How do I fit past papers into my revision plan?
- Add Physics and OCR in Reschedule with the date of each paper. It builds a daily revision plan that schedules each subtopic before the paper that examines it and adds past papers for each paper, then re-fits the plan if you miss a day.
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