Leaving Cert Physics 2020

The 2020 Leaving Cert Physics exam paper and official marking scheme, free below as direct PDF links from the State Examinations Commission archive.

Higher Level

Exam PaperMarking Scheme
What's in the 2020 Higher Level paper?
  • Q1 conservation of momentum, collisions, velocity · 40 marks
  • Q2 refractive index, snell's law, refraction · 40 marks
  • Q3 speed of sound, resonance, stationary waves · 40 marks
  • Q4 resistivity, resistance, graphical analysis · 40 marks
  • Q5 gas laws, mechanics, optics, nuclear physics · 56 marks
  • Q6 newton's laws, projectile motion, vectors · 56 marks
  • Q7 electrostatics, capacitance, specific heat capacity · 56 marks
  • Q8 radioactivity, nuclear decay, half-life · 56 marks
  • Q9 resonance, stretched string, electromagnetic induction · 56 marks
  • Q10 particle physics, nuclear fission, galvanometer, light emitting diode · 56 marks
  • Q11 atomic structure, cathode rays, diffraction, bohr model · 56 marks
  • Q12 gravitation, heat transfer, doppler effect, electric current · 56 marks

Ordinary Level

Exam PaperMarking Scheme
What's in the 2020 Ordinary Level paper?
  • Q1 mechanics, momentum, collisions, experiment · 40 marks
  • Q2 light, mirrors, focal length, experiment · 40 marks
  • Q3 waves, stretched string, resonance, experiment · 40 marks
  • Q4 electricity, resistance, temperature, experiment · 40 marks
  • Q5 short questions, mechanics, heat, electricity · 56 marks
  • Q6 newton's laws, force, kinetic energy, friction · 56 marks
  • Q7 light, refraction, lenses, magnification · 56 marks
  • Q8 static electricity, electric field, coulomb's law, charge · 56 marks
  • Q9 waves, sound, interference, doppler effect · 56 marks
  • Q10 electron, cathode ray tube, photoelectric effect, x-rays · 56 marks
  • Q11 passage question, energy, power, renewable energy · 56 marks
  • Q12 motion, temperature, electricity, radioactivity · 56 marks

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MechanicsHeat & TemperatureWaves & SoundLight & OpticsElectricity & MagnetismThe Electron, Photoelectric Effect & X-raysAtomic, Nuclear & Particle PhysicsExperimental Physics & Measurement
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Questions come from the official State Examinations Commission papers. Every link opens the original PDF on examinations.ie.