International GCSE (IGCSE) Physics is the qualification usually taken by private candidates. Edexcel and CIE both offer an International GCSE (IGCSE) Physics which is written exam-only. There is an explanation of the difficulties with taking ordinary GCSE sciences on the Science page; although there's no longer a practical exam, the exam centre has to sign a declaration about the core practical experiments and most won't do this, though you can always ask.
Which exam board you take will probably not make much difference to the content. The Edexcel 2009 and CIE IGCSE Physics specifications were virtually identical, though the structure of papers was different. We have not yet done a full comparison of the new specifications. However, it's likely that many topics will be similar. This means you can use resources intended for either, and could also use past papers from either specification for practice.
Physics Practicals are on a separate page - information on carrying out practical activities.
Edexcel International GCSE Physics
The current Edexcel IGCSE Physics specifcation is 4PH1 and is graded 9-1. First teaching was from 2017 and first exams summer 2019.
Exams available: in Summer and Winter.
Edexcel International GCSE Physics (2017) specification, draft materials, teacher support materials etc.
Exam Codes
Specification code: 4PH1
Paper codes 4PH1/1P and 4SD0/1P.
There are no tiers, and all candidates take the same two papers.
Previous Specifications
Edexcel International GCSE Physics (2009) - 4PH0 (that's a zero on the end) - A*-G grades.
First teaching was 2009, first exams 2011. Minor changes from 2012.
See also the Edexcel Certificate, KPH0. They shared the same syllabus and exam papers.
There are two papers. The first is 4PH0/1P, a 2-hour paper also taken by candidates for Double Science (4SC0), and 4PH0/2P, which is 1 hour long and is only taken by single IGCSE Physics candidates.
Edexcel IGCSE Physics from 2009 page.
Subsequent papers, mark schemes and reports are on the Edexcel IGCSE Physics from 2011 page.
The previous Edexcel specification for IGCSE Physics is 4420. Most of the material is similar so past papers are still useful for practice. You can download a collection of IGCSE Physics 4420 past papers.
Resources for Edexcel Physics IGCSE
The Scheme of Work (2017 syllabus) is basically a free complete course, listing every topic in the syllabus, and referring you to the correct section of the textbook plus linking to quality videos and animations online and making suggestions for practical work and additional activities
Edexcel Teacher Support Materials - the Teacher's Guide and Scheme of Work on the qualification page contain some helpful material, including advice on practical work.
Edexcel IGCSE Physics (2017) Mapping Document - tells you exactly what has changed from the last specification to this one, so that you know which materials can be re-used etc.
Textbooks
Edexcel list of approved textbooks.
Edexcel International GCSE (9-1) Physics Student Book
Authors: Johnson Penny, Woolley Steve, Arnold Brian
ISBN: 9780435185275
Publisher: Pearson Education Limited
Publication Date: 06 Jun 2017
Edexcel International GCSE Physics Student Book Second Edition
Publisher: Hodder Education
Author: Nick England
ISBN: 9781510405189
Textbooks for 2009 - 2018 specification
Edexcel IGCSE Physics Student Book by Johnson, Woolley and Arnold. Standard student textbook for the course which contains all material needed to cover the syllabus, plus plenty of practice exercises. You can download answers to the exercises; usually these are provided by the publisher either online or on the accompanying CD, so that teachers can choose whether to provide them to students or not. Note that there were several errors in the first edition of this book. You can download the publisher's amendments and check whether they have been updated in your edition. File:9780007450053 IGCSE Edexcel Physics Student Book Answers.pdf Collins Edexcel International GCSE Physics Student Book by Chris Sunley et al. Has been well received by home-ed families. The answers are not provided with the book, but the publishers will email them to home-ed families and a copy has been shared here for our use (please click on the PDF logo to the right to download).
Hodder Edexcel IGCSE Physics Student Book - no reviews from the group as yet, but it is specific to the syllabus so should do the job. Please check to see if answers can be obtained as often Hodder do not supply them with textbooks as standard, but will usually send them to parents if you ask.
Hodder Edexcel IGCSE Physics practice book - does not come with answers, but a member of the HE Exams Group obtained them from Hodder and you can download the Hodder Physics Practice book answers here.
As the syllabus is extremely similar to CIE's, you could use a textbook intended for CIE but then check the syllabus for the additional material. See the Teacher's Guide p5.
Ben Ryder's YouTube Videos - specifically for Edexcel IGCSE Physics, although his CIE IGCSE Physics videos would also be useful.
Past papers
June 2011 paper, mark scheme and report are on the Edexcel IGCSE Physics from 2009 page.
Subsequent papers, mark schemes and reports are on the Edexcel IGCSE Physics from 2011 page.
The previous Edexcel specification for IGCSE Physics is 4420. Most of the material is similar so past papers are still useful for practice. You can download a collection of IGCSE Physics 4420 past papers.
As with all exam boards , the most recent past paper is kept as secure download only so that exam centres can use it for mocks. This is important for schools as, if a student is unable to complete their exams due to illness, their mock result may be used to contribute towards their grade in some circumstances. Therefore the exam boards will not release the secure download logins to parents. However, you can usually obtain the most recent past papers via this Wiki's 'Where can I find Past Exam Papers?' section; generally a complete set of Edexcel IGCSE papers is uploaded soon after it becomes available to exam centres.
Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Physics
Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 - specification etc. on CIE website.
The specification number is 0625.
Dedicated Course Books:
Collins Cambridge IGCSE - Cambridge IGCSE Physics Student Book, by Chris Sunley, Sue Kearsey and Andrew Briggs - has been recommended by members of the HE Exams group
Cambridge IGCSE Physics Coursebook with CD-ROM, by David Sang - newer book, no reviews on group as yet, but looks promising.
Ben Ryder has a series of YouTube videos for the CIE Physics course. These are very very good and specifically for the CIE Specification. They are also suitable for Edexcel and there is a video of the content in the CIE course which is not in the Edexcel. Ryder also has A level videos and videos on exam technique
There is very little difference between the topics covered in CIE and Edexcel IGCSE Physics; on p5 of the Edexcel IGCSE Physics Teacher's Guide, there is a table showing how the syllabus compares to the CIE syllabus. This means you can use resources for Edexcel IGCSE physics to prepare for CIE, but do check those minor differences.
AQA Level 1/2 Certificate in Physics
This is a new specification available to private candidates from June 2013 - 2 papers
Resources
Seneca Learning - A free online learning platform that has courses in Physics for all of the exam boards, at both foundation and higher level. The content is written by senior examiners, and it is all completely free. The platform is designed with the help of neuroscientists at Oxford, Cambridge and UCL, and it makes students learn 2x faster than using text books or similar revision resources.
Ben Ryder Physics YouTube collection of physics revision videos, tailored for each exam board.
Chris Gozzard Physics Videos - YouTube collection of physics revision videos for IGCSE and A-level. Cheerful voice!
South West Science School -Offer online courses which you can study at your own rate with weekly question sheets and mock exams following the IGCSE EdExcel Physics Syllabus. The course is features over a 70 videos ranging from 15 mins to 1 hour, online assignments, self assessed assignments as well as mock exam questions throughout the course. The course is supported by a qualified teacher and a university lecturer.
iGCSE Science Courses - Graham Bray is a Director of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) at a large comprehensive school in East Sussex. He initially prepared a set of video courses for a local home ed student with dyslexia who was struggling with reading textbooks. He 'teaches' the whole syllabus in a series of c15minute videos of himself talking through a set of powerpoint animated slides. He now offers 'talking papers' with model answers, lesson plans and checklists. Videos cover each of the 3 sciences and CIE and Edexcel Boards.
Free IGCSE - GCSE Physics lessons from Mrs Haroony - diagrams and pictures good, though electronic reading voice not to everyone's taste.
Home-ed practicals for IGCSE Physics - one family's notes on experiments which can easily be carried out at home.
Sam Martell's Physics IGCSE course - correspondence course from home-ed parent.
LearnersCloud - subscription to educational videos sorted by curriculum. Free trial available. Short videos to introduce each topic, so you could watch the video before working through your textbook chapter.
Grade Gorilla - highly recommended by a home-ed physics tutor.