Why Do I Keep Losing Marks in IGCSE Physics?

Losing marks repeatedly does not mean every part of Physics is weak. It usually means a small number of error types keep returning across different topics.

Find the first point where the answer went wrong

Do not begin with the final number. Trace the response from the start:

1. Did you understand what was being asked?
2. Did you identify the known and required quantities?
3. Did you select the right principle or equation?
4. Did you convert units?
5. Did you show the working?
6. Did you include the correct unit and sensible precision?
7. Did you answer the command word?

The first failure is usually the skill to practise.

Use clear error categories

Mark each lost mark as one of these:

• Recall: a definition, law or fact was missing.
• Concept: the Physics model was wrong.
• Selection: you knew the equation but did not recognise when to use it.
• Mathematics: rearrangement or arithmetic failed.
• Units: the quantities were inconsistent.
• Explanation: one or more causal links were not written.
• Graph or diagram: a construction rule was missed.
• Practical reasoning: a variable, limitation or improvement was vague.
• Reading: a condition, comparison or command word was missed.
• Timing: the method collapsed when the paper became rushed.

Count which categories return. Your total mark cannot tell you this.

Turn each error into a prevention rule

A useful rule is specific:

• “Convert milliamperes to amperes before using V = IR.”
• “Measure angles from the normal, not the surface.”
• “State the changing particle speed, collision rate and force before pressure.”
• “Use a large triangle on the best-fit line for a gradient.”

“Be more careful” is not a rule because it does not tell you what to do.

Retry after the answer is no longer familiar

Correct the question, close the solution and attempt a similar one. Return to the skill later without notes. If the same error returns, the correction was recognised but not learned.

Use the topic question bank to practise by skill, then return to an official paper for timed application.

Check the marks you cannot see

For explanations, underline each separate Physics point. For calculations, circle the equation, conversion, substitution and unit. For graphs, inspect each required feature. The examiner can only credit evidence on the page.

Avoid adding irrelevant facts. Extra writing can hide the required answer or introduce a contradiction.

When should you ask for help?

Ask when you cannot explain why the mark was lost, the scheme language is unclear or the same error survives several corrections. Bring your working, not only the question.

A teacher or tutor should identify the exact missing step and ask you to apply it again. The goal is not to watch a better answer. It is to produce the method independently.