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Paper 6 Practical Skills Checklist
Paper 6, the Alternative to Practical, tests practical skills through written questions rather than hands-on work. Tick each skill once you can do it reliably under exam conditions. Paper 5 candidates can use the same list for the written parts of practical work.
These are the recurring skill types the paper rewards. Always confirm the exact requirements against the current 0625 syllabus and specimen papers.
Name: __________________ Sitting: Paper 5 / Paper 6 Target grade: ______
Using instruments and measuring
- Read a ruler, protractor, balance, thermometer, measuring cylinder, ammeter and voltmeter to a sensible precision
- State the correct unit with every reading
- Use a stopwatch and describe how to reduce timing error, for example timing several oscillations
- Describe how to reduce parallax error when reading a scale
Recording results
- Draw a results table with quantity and unit in each column heading
- Record raw readings to a consistent number of decimal places
- Repeat readings and calculate a mean where appropriate
Plotting graphs
- Choose scales that use more than half the grid and label both axes with quantity and unit
- Plot points accurately with small crosses or dots
- Draw a single best-fit line or smooth curve, not point-to-point
- Find a gradient using a large triangle and read an intercept where needed
Analysis and evaluation
- State a conclusion that answers the question using the data
- Identify the variable being changed, the one measured and those kept constant
- Suggest a specific improvement to the method, not just "be more careful"
- Identify a sensible source of error and whether a result is anomalous
Source: skills drawn from the Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 practical assessment. Checked against the 2026-2028 syllabus; confirm details in the official syllabus and specimen papers.
Practise These Skills in Context
The practical-skills guide works through each skill with examples, and a paid trial can rehearse the ones that lose the most marks.