Kinematics is Mechanics Topic 7 on Paper 3, part of a mechanics section worth roughly 50 marks a series alongside forces and moments. Year 1 covers the language of motion, displacement–time and velocity–time graphs, and constant-acceleration suvat in one dimension; Year 2 extends the same ideas into two-dimensional vectors and projectile motion. Questions built directly around this topic typically account for something in the region of 18 of the 300 available marks — an estimate, and likely an understatement, since kinematics resurfaces throughout forces and moments too.
The five suvat equations are printed in the formula booklet, but deriving them — from a v–t graph or from calculus — is still examinable. The calculus relationships linking displacement, velocity and acceleration (v = dr/dt, a = dv/dt, and their integrals) aren't given anywhere and sit on the must-memorise list.
In Year 2, the same relationships repeat component by component in i–j or column form, and projectiles combine the horizontal and vertical components into range, time of flight and greatest height.
The specification statements this topic covers. AS = Year-1 content, also assessed in the standalone AS course (8MA0); A2 = full A level only. Typical share of a 300-mark series: ≈18 marks — our estimate from the 2018–2025 papers, not an official weighting.
| Ref | Spec statement | Level |
|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | Language of kinematics | AS |
| 7.2 | Motion graphs | AS |
| 7.3 | suvat (constant acceleration, 1D) | AS |
| 7.3 | suvat in 2D with vectors | A2 |
| 7.4 | Calculus in kinematics (1D) | AS |
| 7.4 | Calculus in kinematics (2D vectors) | A2 |
| 7.5 | Projectiles | A2 |
Examiners repeatedly report over-accurate answers being penalised once g = 9.8 is substituted in — four or five figures where 2–3 significant figures were expected. Exact multiples of g are normally accepted; round only on the final line.
Because suvat is printed in the booklet, this topic often asks you to derive a result rather than quote it. Examiners repeatedly report marks lost for skipping a line or reaching the printed answer without justifying each step — it's a destination, not a starting point.
Projectile questions often close by asking you to criticise the model, and vague answers like 'it isn't realistic' are consistently rejected. The expected answer is usually that air resistance has been ignored, reducing the real range and time of flight.
Method marks reward a correct suvat equation with the right values substituted, independently of the arithmetic that follows — a bare final number risks losing marks a visible substitution would have protected. Write the equation down before working it out, especially under pressure.
Distance and speed are never negative, even though displacement and velocity are signed. When motion reverses, integrating velocity over the whole interval nets to a displacement, not a distance — find where velocity is zero first, then split the journey there.
Velocity from a displacement–time graph is a gradient, not a height on the curve; distance from a velocity–time graph is an area, not a gradient. Name the axes first, and split a trapezium-shaped v–t graph into pieces before finding the area.
suvat only holds for genuinely constant acceleration — substituting a = 3t² into v = u + at scores nothing, since the formula assumed a fixed value. An acceleration written as an expression, not a number, is the signal to differentiate or integrate instead.
A positive direction only helps if every quantity is signed consistently — a landing point below the launch needs a negative displacement (say, −1.25 m), and mixing that up derails which root of a resulting quadratic makes sense.
Feeding speeds or magnitudes into v = u + at scores nothing once the vectors aren't collinear — the equation only holds component by component, not for vector sizes. Stay in i–j or column form, and take a magnitude only at the very end.
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Get Year 1 automatic before layering vectors and projectiles on top: motion graphs, one-dimensional suvat, and the calculus relationships between displacement, velocity and acceleration. Don't memorise the suvat equations — they're in the booklet — but do practise deriving each one from a v–t graph or from calculus, since that's what a 'show that' question on this topic actually tests. The calculus definitions themselves aren't given anywhere, so drill those until they're instinctive.
Write down your positive direction and the suvat equation you're using before substituting numbers — it protects the method mark if the arithmetic slips, and stops sign errors spreading through a projectile calculation. Even when a calculator does the arithmetic, write the equation first; forming it correctly is usually where the marks sit. Practise projectiles end to end — velocity, time of flight, then range or height — rather than in isolated pieces, and keep 'air resistance' ready as your model-criticism answer.
All 19 topics: Edexcel A level Maths topic guides. Reference: formula booklet vs memorise and grade boundaries.
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Original questions written for the Pearson Edexcel A Level Mathematics (9MA0) specification. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Pearson.