OCRAS Level57 resources

OCR AS Level Physics B (Advancing Physics) Past Papers

Download OCR AS Level Physics B Advancing Physics (H157) past papers. Foundations of Physics and Physics in Depth papers. 7 resources including data booklet.

📅June 2016 – present📄57 resources available✅Free to download

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57 of 57 resources

June 2023

5 files

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Physics in depth

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Modified papers

Modified Paper

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Physics in depth

Mark Scheme

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Foundations of physics

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Foundations of physics

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June 2022

6 files

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Physics in depth

Question Paper

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Modified papers

Modified Paper

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Physics in depth

Mark Scheme

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Foundations of physics

Question Paper

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Foundations of physics

Mark Scheme

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🗂️

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Data sheet

Data Sheet

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November 2021

6 files

📦

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Data booklet

Additional Resources

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Modified papers

Modified Paper

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Physics in depth

Mark Scheme

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📄

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Foundations of physics

Question Paper

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Foundations of physics

Mark Scheme

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📦

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Data booklet

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November 2020

7 files

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark schemes

Mark Scheme

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📦

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Data booklet

Additional Resources

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📄

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Physics in depth

Question Paper

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✅

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Physics in depth

Mark Scheme

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📄

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Foundations of physics

Question Paper

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✅

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Foundations of physics

Mark Scheme

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📦

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Data booklet

Additional Resources

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June 2019

10 files

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Modified papers

Modified Paper

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📄

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Foundations of physics post exam correction

Question Paper

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Physics in depth

Question Paper

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📋

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Modified papers

Modified Paper

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✅

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Physics in depth

Mark Scheme

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📄

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Foundations of physics

Question Paper

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✅

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Foundations of physics

Mark Scheme

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🗂️

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Data sheet

Data Sheet

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📊

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Examiners’ report – Foundations of physics

Examiner Report

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Examiners’ report – Physics in depth

Examiner Report

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June 2018

9 files

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Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Modified papers

Modified Paper

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🗂️

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Data sheet

Data Sheet

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📄

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Physics in depth

Question Paper

Download

📋

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Modified papers

Modified Paper

Download

📄

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Foundations of physics

Question Paper

Download

✅

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Physics in depth

Mark Scheme

Download

✅

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Foundations of physics

Mark Scheme

Download

📊

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Examiners’ report – Foundations of physics

Examiner Report

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📊

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Examiners’ report – Physics in depth

Examiner Report

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June 2017

6 files

📋

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Modified papers

Modified Paper

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📋

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Modified papers

Modified Paper

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📄

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Physics in depth

Question Paper

Download

📄

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Foundations of physics

Question Paper

Download

✅

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Physics in depth

Mark Scheme

Download

✅

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Foundations of physics

Mark Scheme

Download

June 2016

5 files

📄

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Physics in depth

Question Paper

Download

📋

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Modified papers

Modified Paper

Download

✅

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Physics in depth

Mark Scheme

Download

📄

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Question paper – Foundations of physics

Question Paper

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✅

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Mark scheme – Foundations of physics

Mark Scheme

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No date

3 files

📝

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Data, formulae and relationships booklet

Sample Assessment Materials

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📝

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Physics in depth

Sample Assessment Materials

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📝

Physics B (Advancing Physics) – Foundations of physics

Sample Assessment Materials

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Advancing Physics: Modelling, Communication, and Imaging as Organising Themes

OCR AS Level Physics B (Advancing Physics) (H157) is developed around three unifying themes — Imaging and Signalling, Mechanical Modelling, and Matter and Radiation — that provide a conceptual coherence distinguishing the Advancing Physics specification from conventional physics courses. The approach emphasises the use of physics to model and explain physical systems, with explicit attention to the limits and validity of models. Paper 1: Foundations of Physics (H157/01, 1 hour 30 minutes, 70 marks) introduces the Advancing Physics approach. Content includes imaging and signalling (how telescopes, microscopes, and electronic communications use wave behaviour — refraction, reflection, diffraction, and interference), mechanical modelling (forces and moments, kinematics using graphs and SUVAT equations, Newton's laws), and an introduction to the properties of materials (stress, strain, elastic and plastic deformation, the Young modulus). The paper places these topics within broader physical modelling contexts — for example, using exponential models for radioactive decay alongside linear models for motion. Paper 2: Physics in Depth (H157/02, 1 hour 30 minutes, 70 marks) extends into matter and radiation. Content covers electric fields and charge (Coulomb's law, field lines, equipotentials), magnetic fields and induction, circuits at greater depth (EMF and internal resistance, Kirchhoff's laws), materials in more detail (phase diagrams, thermal properties), nuclear physics (radioactive decay, nuclear equations, half-life), and quantum physics (the photon model, line spectra, wave-particle duality). Extended data-handling and modelling questions test the ability to apply physical principles to unfamiliar quantitative scenarios.

Exam Paper Structure

Paper 1Calculator ✓

Foundations of Physics

⏱ 1 hour 30 minutes🎯 70 marks📊 50%% of grade

Imaging and signalling: waves and opticsMechanical modelling: forces and kinematicsProperties of materialsExponential models in physics

Paper 2Calculator ✓

Physics in Depth

⏱ 1 hour 30 minutes🎯 70 marks📊 50%% of grade

Electric and magnetic fieldsCircuits and internal resistanceNuclear physics and radioactive decayQuantum physics and wave-particle duality

Key Information

Exam Board	OCR
Specification Code	H157
Qualification	AS Level
Grading Scale	A–E
Assessment Type	2 written papers with data booklet
Number Of Papers	2
Exam Duration	1 hour 30 minutes per paper
Total Marks	140 (70 + 70)
Calculator Status	Calculator allowed
Available Sessions	June 2016 – present
Total Resources	7

Key Topics in Physics B (Advancing Physics)

Topics you need to know

Thin lens formula and image formationWave behaviour in imaging systemsHalf-life and radioactive decay calculationsElectric fields and Coulomb's lawPhysical modelling and assumptionsThe Young modulus and material propertiesQuantum physics and the photon model

Exam Command Words

Command word	What the examiner expects
Model	Apply physical principles with stated assumptions to predict or explain system behaviour
Comment on	Evaluate the validity or limitations of a physical model or result
Calculate	Show all steps with correct physical quantities and units
Sketch	Draw the shape of a graph with key features labelled — not to scale

Typical Grade Boundaries

Grade	Approximate mark needed
A	68–83%
B	56–67%
C	44–55%
D	32–43%
E	20–31%

⚠️ OCR AS Physics B (Advancing Physics) grade boundaries vary by session.

Physical Modelling, Radioactive Decay Calculations, and Advancing Physics Exam Technique

The Advancing Physics approach means questions frequently ask you to 'model' a system — that is, to make simplifying assumptions, apply physical laws, and produce a prediction, then evaluate how well the model matches reality. When a question asks you to 'comment on the model', examiners expect you to identify one or two assumptions the model makes (e.g., treating an object as a point mass, ignoring air resistance, assuming constant temperature) and state whether these are likely to be valid in the described scenario. For nuclear decay calculations, half-life questions use the exponential decay formula N = N₀ × (½)^(t/t½), where t is the elapsed time and t½ is the half-life. For problems involving several half-lives, the successive halving approach is faster: after one half-life, 50% remains; after two, 25%; after three, 12.5%. For decay constant questions, use A = λN where A is activity (decays per second), λ is the decay constant, and N is the number of undecayed nuclei. The relationship between decay constant and half-life is λ = ln2 / t½. For imaging questions, the thin lens formula 1/f = 1/v + 1/u links focal length (f), image distance (v), and object distance (u). Take care with sign conventions: OCR uses the real-is-positive convention for most lens problems, meaning real objects and real images have positive values for u and v respectively, while virtual images have negative v values. For a diverging lens, f is always negative. Practise identifying whether images formed are real or virtual, magnified or diminished, upright or inverted — these are common short-answer questions requiring precise terminology.

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OCR AS Level Physics B (Advancing Physics) Past Papers

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June 2023

June 2022

November 2021

November 2020

June 2019

June 2018

June 2017

June 2016

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Advancing Physics: Modelling, Communication, and Imaging as Organising Themes

Exam Paper Structure

Key Information

Key Topics in Physics B (Advancing Physics)

Exam Command Words

Typical Grade Boundaries

Physical Modelling, Radioactive Decay Calculations, and Advancing Physics Exam Technique

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