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VCE · VCE Units 3 & 4 · official past papers

VCE Physics past exams 2017–2025, by year and topic

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ATARMAxxing indexes 9 official VCAA Physics papers from 2017 to 2025, with 39 questions mapped to 5 areas of study. Every paper opens on the VCAA website.

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SD 2003–2016 (archive, two exams per year) · 2003–2016SD 2017–2023 · 2017–2023SD 2024–2027 (current) · 2024–2027

VCE Physics exams by year: official papers & marking guidance

Past exams indexed: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017. Open the official VCAA papers, with marking guidance where available.

YearStudy designOfficial paper(s)Marking guidance
2025 VCE Physics examSD 2024–2027 (current)Exam ↗Marking guidance ↗
2024 VCE Physics examSD 2024–2027 (current)Exam ↗Marking guidance ↗
2023 VCE Physics examSD 2017–2023Exam ↗Marking guidance ↗
2022 VCE Physics examSD 2017–2023Exam ↗Marking guidance ↗
2021 VCE Physics examSD 2017–2023Exam ↗Marking guidance ↗
2020 VCE Physics examSD 2017–2023Exam ↗Marking guidance ↗
2019 VCE Physics examSD 2017–2023Exam ↗Marking guidance ↗
2018 VCE Physics examSD 2017–2023Exam ↗Marking guidance ↗
2017 VCE Physics examSD 2017–2023Exam ↗Marking guidance ↗

9 official papers across 9 years (2017–2025), 9 with marking guidance, published by VCAA. These span more than one study design; the most recent is SD 2024–2027 (current). Earlier papers may cover material that has since changed.

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How do physicists explain motion in two dimensions? · 9 mapped questions

Newton's laws applied to linear/accelerated motion

Projectile motion near Earth's surface

Momentum and energy conservation in collisions

Impulse and momentum in collisions

Energy transformations (kinetic, elastic, gravitational potential)

Uniform circular motion

Forces on an inclined plane

Circular motion on banked and flat tracks

Also in this areas of study: Uniform circular motion (horizontal and vertical planes) — question-level mapping in progress; the year table above links every official paper.

How do things move without contact? · 9 mapped questions

Field models: gravitational, electric, magnetic

Electric fields about point charges (inverse square law)

Superposition of electric fields from point charges

Charged particles accelerated in uniform electric fields

Charged particles in magnetic fields

Force on current-carrying conductors in magnetic fields

Satellites and orbital motion in a gravitational field

Also in this areas of study: Operation of DC motors and particle accelerators — question-level mapping in progress; the year table above links every official paper.

How are fields used in electricity generation? · 7 mapped questions

Electromagnetic induction (Faraday's/Lenz's law)

AC generator operation and EMF induction

AC vs DC voltage and RMS quantities

Transformers and power transmission

Operation of DC motors

How has understanding about the physical world changed? · 10 mapped questions

Light as a wave (interference and diffraction)

Quantisation of light (photoelectric effect, spectra)

Wave-particle duality of matter (de Broglie)

Special relativity postulates and inertial frames

Length contraction and time dilation

Also in this areas of study: Mass-energy equivalence — question-level mapping in progress; the year table above links every official paper.

How is scientific inquiry used to investigate fields, motion or light? · 4 mapped questions

Designing and analysing a practical investigation

  • 2025SD 2024–2027 (current)Exam Section B Q1920 marksExtended practical-investigation question on force versus current for a current-carrying loop in a magnetic field: classifying variables, justifying experimental design choices, plotting data with uncertainty bars, finding a gradient, and estimating magnetic field strength from it.Official paper ↗Marking guidance ↗Check tutors for this question →

Systematic vs random measurement error

Interpreting experimental data and graphs

Linearising data for graphical analysis

Also in this areas of study: Scientific poster communication conventions — question-level mapping in progress; the year table above links every official paper.

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