What the board asks
We went through the ISC board papers, question by question, and matched each question to a topic. Here is what was asked, how often, and what was never asked.
Physics: 427 topics in the 2027 syllabus, across 9 units. The board has asked 269 of them at least once. 158 were never asked in the papers we checked.
Pick a unit
P1 Electrostatics
This unit carries about 7.3 marks in the paper. We split it into 63 topics: each is one thing an examiner can ask, and you can practise it on paper in 5 to 25 minutes. The board has asked 28 of them. 35 were never asked. The top 5 topics make 36% of all the times this unit was asked. Last asked: Specimen 2027.
The syllabus says: Headline text says: capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor and energy stored in a capacitor - no derivation, formulae only. Polarisation of matter in a field: qualitative discussion. Position coordinates of vectors not necessary in Coulomb's law vector form.
28asked by the board at least once
35in the syllabus, never asked
47times a topic of this unit was asked
9.7hours for one attempt at every topic
What the papers ask most
- Derive E on the axis (end-on position) of a dipole4 times, last Specimen 2027
- Numericals: equivalent capacitance, charge and voltage in networks4 times, last 2026
- Numericals: flux through a closed surface from enclosed charges3 times, last 2026
- Zero-potential locus of a dipole; zero work along it3 times, last 2026
- Reason out how flux changes with surface or charge3 times, last 2025 improvement
- Derive torque on a dipole in a uniform field2 times, last Specimen 2027
- Numericals: field of one plane sheet and two parallel sheets2 times, last Specimen 2027
- Parallel plate capacitor: formula, factors, numericals2 times, last Specimen 2027
- Numericals: potential energy of two or three point charges2 times, last 2025 improvement
- Numericals: capacitor completely filled with a dielectric2 times, last 2025 improvement
In the syllabus, never asked (35)
They can still come, because they are in the syllabus. Give each one clean attempt. Your plan has two practice questions for each.
- Electric charge basics: frictional electricity, two types, conductors, insulatorsStatement
- State quantisation and conservation of electric chargeStatement
- State Coulomb's law: scalar form, vector form, unitsStatement
- Numericals: Coulomb force between two point chargesNumericals
- Compare Coulomb's law with Newton's law of gravitationComparison
- Numericals: net force on a charge by superpositionNumericals
- Electric field and intensity: definition, units, point-charge fieldStatement
- Numericals: field of point charges, resultant by superpositionNumericals
- Continuous charge distribution: linear, surface, volume charge densityStatement
- Electric lines of force: definition and properties with reasonsStatement
- Draw field lines: point charges, dipole, like charges, platesDiagram
- Electric dipole and dipole moment: definitions, direction, unitStatement
- Electric flux: definition, area vector, special cases, unitStatement
- Numericals: flux through a plane surface in uniform fieldNumericals
- Derive E of an infinite line charge by Gauss' theoremDerivation
- Derive E of a uniformly charged infinite plane sheetDerivation
- Derive E of a thin spherical shell: outside, surface, insideDerivation
- Graph: E versus r for a thin spherical shellGraph
- Numericals: field of a charged spherical shellNumericals
- Potential, potential difference, potential energy: definitions and unitsStatement
- Derive potential at a point due to a point chargeDerivation
- Graphs: E and V versus r for a point chargeGraph
- Show dipole potential on the equatorial line is zeroDerivation
- Derive potential of a short dipole at any pointDerivation
- Numericals: potential due to a dipoleNumericals
- Numericals: potential energy of a charge in a fieldNumericals
- Obtain potential energy of systems of two and three chargesDerivation
- Derive potential energy of a dipole in a uniform fieldDerivation
- Numericals: dipole energy and work done in rotating itNumericals
- Conductors and insulators; free and bound chargesStatement
- Capacitance and capacitor: definition, C = Q/V, faradStatement
- Energy density of the electric field: formula and numericalsNumericals
- Polarisation of a dielectric in a uniform field (qualitative)Statement
- Dielectric inserted with battery connected: C, Q, E, UGive reason
- Numericals: capacitor partly filled with a dielectric slabNumericals
The 10 topics Physics papers ask most
Counted on the board papers from 2018 to the 2027 specimen paper, which every unit has been checked against.
- 1.Numericals: peak, rms, mean, frequency from an ac equationP4 Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Currents · asked 7 times since 2018
- 2.Uses and special properties of each region (table)P5 Electromagnetic Waves · asked 7 times since 2018
- 3.State Bohr's postulates for the hydrogen atomP8 Atoms and Nuclei · asked 7 times since 2018
- 4.Magnetic force on a moving charge and Lorentz forceP3 Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism · asked 6 times since 2018
- 5.Numericals: average power and power factorP4 Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Currents · asked 6 times since 2018
- 6.Doping, n-type and p-type, donors, acceptors, carriersP9 Electronic Devices · asked 6 times since 2018
- 7.Numericals: two-loop network with two batteries (Kirchhoff)P2 Current Electricity · asked 5 times since 2018
- 8.Derive B at the centre of a circular loopP3 Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism · asked 5 times since 2018
- 9.Numericals: B at the centre of a circular coilP3 Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism · asked 5 times since 2018
- 10.Ampere's law: derive B near a long straight wireP3 Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism · asked 5 times since 2018