QCE subject revision
QCE Physics revision from real past papers
Physics compresses big ideas — gravity, electromagnetism, relativity, the quantum world — into multi-step calculations and explain-why questions, and the external exam wants both done cleanly under time pressure.
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What's in the QCE Physics external exam?
| Paper | Format | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Section 1: 20 multiple choice (20 marks). Section 2: short response, around 5–7 questions (roughly 30 marks). | Working time 90 minutes plus perusal. QCAA-approved calculator and the QCAA formula and data book. |
| Paper 2 | Short response only, around 8–9 questions (roughly 50 marks). | Working time 90 minutes plus perusal. QCAA-approved calculator and the QCAA formula and data book. |
- The external examination contributes 50% of your final subject result.
- Two papers, sat in the end-of-year external assessment block.
- Paper 1 includes multiple choice and short response; Paper 2 is short response.
- A formula and data booklet is provided — marks come from choosing the right relationship, showing working and keeping units honest.
The authoritative source on exam structure is always the current QCAA syllabus and assessment specifications — check them for the fine print, and treat this page as a practical summary.
Which past papers are in the question bank?
The QCAA publishes each year's external assessment papers and marking guides. The question bank is built from the 2021–2025 papers, broken down question by question and mapped to the current syllabus subject matter, so out-of-scope items from the superseded syllabus are not scheduled.
Try a question in the exam style
Paper 1 Section 2, projectile motion
3 marks
A ball is launched horizontally at 8.0 m s⁻¹ from the top of a 20 m cliff. Ignoring air resistance and taking g = 9.8 m s⁻², calculate the time of flight and the horizontal distance from the base of the cliff at which the ball lands.
Show the worked answer
- Vertical: h = ½gt², so t = √(2h ÷ g) = √(40 ÷ 9.8) (1 mark).
- t = 2.0 s (1 mark).
- Horizontal: range = uₓ t = 8.0 × 2.02 = 16 m (1 mark).
An original question written in the style of the QCE Physics external assessment, not a QCAA item. In the app, real past-paper questions unfold the same way: you attempt first, then reveal the marking points one at a time and self-mark.
The verbs that carry the marks in Physics
Read the verb before the content. Across the 2021–2025 QCAA papers, 89% of short-response and extended items open with one of the QCAA’s cognitive verbs, and in Physics the marks cluster around a handful of them. “determine” alone heads 35 items. The verb sets the shape of the answer; the marks beside it set the depth.
| Verb | Items 2021–25 | Usually worth |
|---|---|---|
| Determine | 35 | 3–5 marks |
| Calculate | 32 | 3–5 marks |
| Explain | 16 | 2–5 marks |
| Describe | 11 | 2–5 marks |
| Identify | 7 | 1–2 marks |
In the app, every real Physics question shows its verb as a chip, with what the verb asks for, the moves a full answer makes and the marks it usually carries a tap away. The same verbs come back as cards in your daily session, frame the checklist when you self-mark, and can be tagged as “misread the verb” when marks go missing. What each verb means, in plain words, is in the QCE cognitive verbs guide.
Counts are items in the published QCAA external assessment papers 2021–2025 whose stem opens with the verb (multiple choice excluded); “usually worth” is the marks range covering most of those items. Verb meanings in the app and the guide are Captivate’s paraphrases of the QCAA cognitive verb framework, not the QCAA’s wording.
Topics covered
- Gravity and motion, including projectile motion, circular motion and Kepler's laws
- Electromagnetism, including Coulomb's law, magnetic fields and electromagnetic induction
- Special relativity, including time dilation and length contraction
- Quantum theory, including black-body radiation and the photoelectric effect
- The Standard Model, including quarks, leptons and Feynman diagrams
Coverage is mapped to the QCAA syllabus at subject-matter level, and the heatmap in the app shows exactly which points you've practised.
How does Physics revision work here?
Physics marks split between setting up the right model and executing the algebra cleanly, and the gap log treats those as different problems: multi-mark solutions unfold step by step so you commit to the physics before the numbers, handwritten working photographs in via a QR code, and tagging a loss as concept, setup or careless slip changes what the daily loop schedules next.
Each day the app composes one finishable session — quick recall, then the reviews your memory is about to drop (scheduled by FSRS spaced repetition), then past-exam questions on your weakest Physics knowledge points. Sit full papers under exam conditions when you're ready, and read your readiness forecast as a compass, not a promise. Add an internal assessment (IA1, IA2, IA3) with its date and scope and the plan aims at that instead, from per-point revision packs rather than past papers; when you're stuck, a tutor answers only from the Physics syllabus and names the point it used — see the assessment task guide and the tutor guide. The first-week guide, timed sits guide and readiness guide show each step on the live app. The technique itself is free: our evidence-based revision guide and spaced repetition explainer cover it with citations.
Watch: Your first daily loop (1:27)Pricing
$7 per subject a month, capped at $17.99 for 3–6 subjects. Start with a 3-day free trial — no card required. Stop paying and nothing is deleted; your account goes read-only with your progress saved.
Common questions
Which Physics papers are included?
Questions are drawn from official QCAA Physics external assessment papers, broken down question by question and mapped to the syllabus subject matter. Inside the app you can also regroup them and sit a paper as one timed piece.
Do the solutions show full working?
Yes — every multi-mark solution is broken into examiner-style steps and marking points, revealed one at a time so you can attempt the next line before seeing it, then self-mark honestly.
Do I lose marks for significant figures or units?
Since the 2024 paper the section instructions state that marks are not deducted for correct answers given in different units or with a different number of significant figures or decimal places from those indicated. Working and physics still earn the marks, so the bank's solutions show each step an examiner credits.
Other QCE subjects
Ready to see your Physics questions?
Pick your subjects at signup and your first daily loop is waiting.
- Real QCAA past-exam questions
- A tutor grounded in your syllabus
- FSRS spaced repetition
- Honest readiness forecast
- Add your IA dates and revision narrows to them
Questions are derived from QCAA external assessment papers, © State of Queensland (QCAA), used under CC BY 4.0, with per-question attribution shown in the app. Captivate Exam Hub is not affiliated with or endorsed by the QCAA. See our Copyright Notice.