What is a possible unit for electric current?
- ampere / second
- coulomb / second
- joule / second
- volt / second
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. coulomb / second
Current is the rate of flow of charge, so I = Q ÷ t has units of coulomb per second.
O Level Physics: Electricity, questions with answers
Practise 57 real questions on Electricity from 2021 to 2026. See the answer and explanation as soon as you answer.
57real questions
47multiple choice
11exam sessions
About Electricity in O Level Physics
Electricity is one of the 14 main topics in our O Level Physics (Cambridge (CAIE) 5054) question bank, and about 8% of its real questions come from it. Tayyari Karo has 57 real questions on this topic from 2021 to 2026, from Paper 1, Paper 2; 47 are multiple choice and marked instantly, and the rest are structured questions with a model answer. By difficulty: 34 medium, 12 hard, 11 easy.
Work through the questions below, then open the explanation for each one. Redo the ones you missed a few days later.
Try 6 real questions
These are real past-paper questions. Think of your answer first, then open the explanation.
A student rubs an initially uncharged balloon with an initially uncharged cloth. The balloon gains a negative charge of magnitude Q, and the cloth becomes charged, with a force acting between the balloon and the cloth.
Which row correctly describes the magnitude and sign of the charge on the cloth and the type of force between the balloon and the cloth?
- equal to Q, positive, attraction
- equal to Q, negative, repulsion
- greater than Q, positive, repulsion
- greater than Q, negative, attraction
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. equal to Q, positive, attraction
Charge is conserved: electrons transferred from the cloth to the balloon leave the cloth with an equal but opposite (positive) charge to the balloon's negative charge, and opposite charges attract.
A battery is made from three 1.5 V cells connected in parallel with each other.
What is an advantage of this arrangement of cells?
- The battery can supply a current for a longer time than a single 1.5 V cell.
- The battery can supply any e.m.f. between 0 V and 4.5 V.
- The battery supplies more energy to each coulomb of charge than a single 1.5 V cell.
- The e.m.f. of the battery is 4.5 V.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. The battery can supply a current for a longer time than a single 1.5 V cell.
Cells in parallel keep the e.m.f. at 1.5 V but share the current between them, so the store of charge is three times greater and the battery lasts longer.
When the flash on a camera is used, a charge of 1.5 C flows for 0.0030 s through the flash lamp. The average voltage across the flash lamp is 3600 V.
What is the electrical energy supplied to the flash lamp and what is the average power supplied?
- energy = 2400 J; power = 7.2 W
- energy = 2400 J; power = 800 000 W
- energy = 5400 J; power = 16.2 W
- energy = 5400 J; power = 1.8 × 10⁶ W
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. energy = 5400 J; power = 1.8 × 10⁶ W
Energy = charge × voltage = 1.5 × 3600 = 5400 J, and power = energy ÷ time = 5400 ÷ 0.0030 = 1 800 000 W = 1.8 × 10⁶ W.
Which expression gives the electromotive force (e.m.f.) of a battery?
- work done × time
- work done × charge
- work done ÷ time
- work done ÷ charge
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. work done ÷ charge
E.m.f. is the energy transferred by the source per unit charge driven round the circuit, so it is work done ÷ charge.
An electron has mass. Where does a stationary electron experience a force?
- in an electric field only
- in a gravitational field only
- in a gravitational field and an electric field only
- in a gravitational, electric and magnetic field
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. in a gravitational field and an electric field only
A stationary charge experiences a force in both a gravitational field (because it has mass) and an electric field (because it has charge); a magnetic field only exerts a force on a moving charge.
Sessions with Electricity questions
| Session | Paper 1 | Paper 2 |
|---|---|---|
| May/June 2026 | 2 | 1 |
| May/June 2025 | 2 | – |
| Oct/Nov 2025 | 6 | 2 |
| May/June 2024 | 1 | – |
| Oct/Nov 2024 | 7 | 1 |
| May/June 2023 | 3 | – |
| Oct/Nov 2023 | 4 | 1 |
| May/June 2022 | 5 | – |
| Oct/Nov 2022 | 6 | 1 |
| May/June 2021 | 2 | 1 |
| Oct/Nov 2021 | 9 | 3 |
Common questions
What does the Electricity topic cover on this page?
57 real O Level Physics (5054) questions on Electricity from 2021 to 2026, from Paper 1, Paper 2. Each one shows the year, session and paper it came from.
Do I get the answers and explanations?
Yes. Every question shows the correct answer and a short explanation the moment you answer.
Is it free?
You can start free with no signup. A small set of papers per subject is free, and Premium unlocks every paper, the full question bank and the paper PDFs.