Motion, forces and energy — IGCSE Science - Combined (0653) questions by topic
Calculations dominate this Combined Science topic: weight from mass and gravitational field strength, spring extension, and reading speed and time straight off a speed-time graph, alongside recall questions such as naming the Sun as the ultimate energy source. Explain and state carry real weight too, particularly when a constant speed has to be linked to balanced driving and frictional forces rather than just described.
Marks on these 53 questions, drawn from 2023 to 2025 papers, run from 1 to 12, so a single definition sits next to multi-step working. Submitting answers for instant marking is the fastest way to catch a forgotten unit conversion or a squared term left out of a kinetic energy calculation before it becomes a habit.
What examiners look for
- A recurring error is dividing mass by 10 instead of multiplying, turning a 2500 kg load into 250 N rather than 25 000 N.
- Force arrows on diagrams must touch the object itself, not the vehicle carrying it or the air around it.
- Volume conversions from cm3 to m3 are often missed, since dividing by 10^6 is easy to skip under time pressure.
- Examiners note candidates writing 'decreasing' alone, without adding that the deceleration was constant, and losing the mark.
- Strong scripts state that a constant speed persists because the driving force is balanced by the opposing frictional forces, not simply because the road is flat.
May–June 2025, Paper 11
The same object is moved using four different sets of conditions. The force used, the time taken and the distance moved are measured for each set of conditions. Which row shows…
Answer this question and get it marked →A metal plate is 3.0 m long and 2.0 m wide. The metal plate has a weight of 30 N and rests on the ground. Which pressure does the metal plate exert on the ground? A 5.0 Pa B 6.0…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 12
A solid block has mass m and weight W. The volume of the block is V. Which expression gives the density of the block? A m/V B V/m C V/W D W/V
Answer this question and get it marked →Three horizontal forces act on a box as shown. A force of 10 N acts to the left, and forces of 8.0 N and 5.0 N act to the right. What is the resultant horizontal force acting on…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 13
Which expression is the definition of density? A mass / volume B volume / mass C volume / weight D weight / volume
Answer this question and get it marked →A car is powered by a petrol engine. The car accelerates from rest along a horizontal road. Which energy transfer occurs? A electrostatic - kinetic B electrostatic - gravitational…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 21
The graph shows how the speed of a car changes with time. The car travels at constant speed from 0 to 5 s, then accelerates (a straight line) from 5 s to 20 s, then brakes to a…
Answer this question and get it marked →The diagrams show all the forces acting on different objects. The masses of the objects are shown. Which object has an acceleration of 3.0 m/s^2? A mass 27 kg, with a 3.0 N force…
Answer this question and get it marked →Which row shows what the weight of an object depends on? Key: ✓ = depends on this, ✗ = does not depend on this mass gravitational field strength --- --- --- A ✓ ✓ B ✓ ✗ C ✗ ✓ D ✗ ✗
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 22
The diagram shows the horizontal forces acting on a car of mass 1200 kg. A force of 600 N acts to the left and a force of 900 N acts to the right. What is the acceleration of the…
Answer this question and get it marked →A brick of mass 2.0 kg rests on a platform at a height of 15 m above the ground. The brick falls to the ground. The gravitational field strength g is 9.8 N/kg. What is the speed…
Answer this question and get it marked →Which process is the source of the energy released from the Sun? A chemical reactions B geothermal heating C nuclear fission D nuclear fusion
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 23
On planet R, there is no atmosphere and the acceleration of free fall g is 4.5 m/s². A rock of mass 2.0 kg falls from rest on planet R and hits the ground 4.0 m below. What is the…
Answer this question and get it marked →The diagram shows a speed–time graph for the motion of a car. The graph plots speed (vertical axis) against time (horizontal axis). The line starts at the origin and rises with a…
Answer this question and get it marked →A boy runs up some stairs to get to the top. Which two quantities on their own are used to calculate the useful power transferred? A his weight and the height of the stairs B his…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 31
Fig. 7.1 shows an electric motorcycle moving to the right (direction of motion). On Fig. 7.1, draw an arrow to show the direction of the air resistance acting on the motorcycle.…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 32
Fig. 7.1 shows a tram powered by electricity supplied through overhead cables. The tram moves to the right along a level track. Force P (2400 N) acts on the tram to the right (in…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 33
Fig. 7.1 shows a toy car, powered by a battery. The diagram shows the car with a driving force D acting horizontally to the right (arrow labelled D) and a total friction force F…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 41
Fig. 7.1 shows an electric car. The mass of the car is 2000 kg. The speed of the car increases from 5.0 m/s to 23 m/s in a time of 4.0 s. Complete Fig. 7.2 to show one energy…
Answer this question and get it marked →Fig. 8.1 shows the two tyres of a motorcycle. Tyre A (front) and tyre B (rear) are labelled. Tyre A is full of air and is at the correct pressure. Tyre B is flat and does not have…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 42
Fig. 7.1 shows a tram powered by electricity supplied through overhead cables. The tram accelerates horizontally along a level track. Four forces act on the tram: S (vertically…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 43
Fig. 7.1 shows a toy car, powered by a battery. The mass of the car is 0.64 kg. Complete the sentences about mass and weight. Mass is a measure of the quantity of ........... in…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 31
Fig. 6.1 shows a mechanical crane using force P to lift a box from the ground to the top of a building. The box weighs 15 000 N. Calculate the mass of the box. The gravitational…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 32
Fig. 3.1 shows an old-fashioned room heater made of iron. The heater burns oil as a fuel and a pan of water is being heated on top. The oil is a source of stored energy. State the…
Answer this question and get it marked →Fig. 6.1 shows a rover vehicle on the planet Mars. The vehicle travels at an average speed of 0.0089 m / s. Show that the average speed of the vehicle is 0.032 km / h.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 33
Fig. 3.1 shows three forces, Q, R and S, acting on a bus moving along a level road at constant speed (Q is the driving force forwards, S is friction backwards, R is the upward…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 41
Fig. 6.1 shows a mechanical crane using force P to lift a box from the ground to the top of a building. Force P is 15 000 N. The mass of the box is 1475 kg and the weight of the…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 42
Fig. 3.1 shows an old-fashioned room heater made of iron. The heater burns oil as a fuel (with a flame inside). Complete the sentence to state the energy transfers that occur when…
Answer this question and get it marked →Fig. 6.1 shows a rover vehicle on the planet Mars. Fig. 6.2 shows a speed–time graph for the vehicle on one of its journeys (speed in m/s, 0–0.012, vs time in s, 0–500). Use Fig.…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 43
Fig. 6.1 shows three forces, Q, R and P, acting on a bus moving along a level road at constant speed (Q is friction backwards, R is the upward normal force, P is the weight…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 31
Fig. 3.1 shows a block of wood with dimensions 30.0 cm × 15.0 cm × 8.0 cm. The mass of the block of wood is 2.7 kg. (a)(i) Calculate the weight of the block of wood. The…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 32
Fig. 6.1 shows a horse pulling a cart along a flat, horizontal road. The horse and cart move forward at a constant speed of 3.2 km / h. (a) Complete the sentences about the horse…
Answer this question and get it marked →Fig. 9.1 shows a candle made of wax (with a flame and wax labelled). (a)(i) On Fig. 9.1, draw and label a force arrow to show the weight of the candle.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 33
Fig. 6.1 shows a horse pulling a cart along a flat, horizontal road. The horse and cart move forward at a constant speed of 3.2 km / h. (a) Complete the sentences about the horse…
Answer this question and get it marked →Fig. 9.1 shows a candle made of wax (with a flame and wax labelled). (a)(i) On Fig. 9.1, draw and label a force arrow to show the weight of the candle.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 41
A block of wood has a weight of 24.1 N. Fig. 3.1 shows the block of wood on a shelf at a vertical height of 1.48 m above the ground. (a) The mass of the block of wood is 2.45 kg.…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 42
Fig. 3.1 shows an electric car with solar cells on its roof. (a) Complete the sentences about energy transfer. The solar cells absorb light from the Sun. The solar cells charge…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 43
Fig. 6.1 shows an ox pulling a plough along horizontal ground. (a) Fig. 6.2 shows a speed–time graph for the motion of the ox and plough on one journey (speed rises to 0.40 m/s by…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 31
Fig. 6.1 shows a moving conveyor belt carrying a box (weight 500 N) from the ground up to an aircraft. On Fig. 6.1, draw a force arrow to show the weight of the box. The arrow…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 32
Fig. 3.1 shows a speed–time graph (speed / m/s against time / s, time axis marked 0, 20, 40, 60, 80) for a car on part of a journey. Deduce the time interval for which the car is…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 33
Fig. 3.1 shows a football player kicking a football. Fig. 3.2 is a speed–time graph for the horizontal motion of the ball after leaving the player's foot (speed / m/s against time…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 41
Fig. 6.1 shows a moving conveyor belt carrying a box from the ground up to an aircraft. Complete the sentence. The gravitational force acting on the box is called the of the box.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 42
Fig. 3.1 shows a speed–time graph for a car on a journey (speed / m/s against time / s; axis 0,20,40,60,80). Describe the motion of the car for the first 10 s of its journey.
Answer this question and get it marked →The Sun is the source of energy for most of our energy resources. State the source of the Sun's energy.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 43
Fig. 3.1 shows a football player kicking a football; the ball travels straight up then falls and stops. Fig. 3.2 is a speed–time graph of the ball after leaving the player's foot…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 31
Fig. 3.1 shows the forces acting on an aircraft in flight (lift, weight, thrust, air resistance). The aircraft has a mass of 190 000 kg. Calculate the weight of the aircraft. The…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 32
Fig. 3.1 shows a truck carrying a load moving horizontally along a flat level road. The load has a mass of 2500 kg. Calculate the weight of the load. The gravitational force on…
Answer this question and get it marked →Fig. 6.1 shows a wind turbine used to generate electricity for the electrical system of a house. Complete the sentences to describe the energy transfers for the wind turbine. The…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 33
Fig. 3.1 shows a truck carrying a load moving horizontally along a flat level road. The load has a mass of 2500 kg. Calculate the weight of the load. The gravitational force on…
Answer this question and get it marked →Fig. 6.1 shows a wind turbine used to generate electricity for the electrical system of a house. Complete the sentences to describe the energy transfers for the wind turbine. The…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 41
Fig. 3.1 shows the names of the forces acting on an aircraft flying at a constant speed and at a constant height above the ground (lift up, weight down, thrust forwards, air…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 42
Fig. 3.1 shows a truck. Fig. 3.2 shows a speed–time graph for the motion of the truck on a journey (speed in m/s, 0–15, vs time in s, 0–300). State the time taken by the truck to…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 43
A spring has an original length of 10.0 cm. An object is suspended from the spring, and the spring extends to a length of 12.0 cm, as shown in Fig. 6.1. Determine the extension of…
Answer this question and get it marked →Other IGCSE Science - Combined topics
- Practical skills (96)
- Electricity and magnetism (38)
- Waves (32)
- Human nutrition (23)
- Acids, bases and salts (22)
- Organisms and their environment (21)
- Organic chemistry (21)
- Reproduction (20)
- Thermal physics (20)
- Plant nutrition (19)
- The Periodic Table (18)
- Metals (18)