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Short answer. The O-Level Physics syllabus (6091) has 20 topics in six sections: Measurement, Newtonian Mechanics, Thermal Physics, Waves, Electricity and Magnetism, and Radioactivity. It is examined in three papers: multiple choice (30%), structured and free response (50%) and a practical exam (20%). From 2027 the same 20 topics carry the new SEC code K323.
If your child is in Sec 4 in 2026, they sit 6091, the last O-Level Physics paper. If they are in Sec 3 or below, they sit K323 under the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate. We put the 2026 and 2027 syllabus documents side by side, and the content outline is the same section for section and topic for topic. This page sets out that outline, the paper structure, the order most schools teach it in, and where students tend to lose marks.
The O-Level Physics syllabus: every section and topic
These are SEAB’s own section and topic names, in syllabus order.
| Section | Topics | What the topics cover |
|---|---|---|
| I. Measurement | 1. Physical Quantities, Units and Measurement | SI units and prefixes, measuring instruments, scalars and vectors, adding vectors by scale drawing |
| II. Newtonian Mechanics | 2. Kinematics 3. Dynamics 4. Turning Effect of Forces 5. Pressure 6. Energy |
Speed, velocity, acceleration and their graphs; Newton’s laws, friction, terminal velocity; moments, centre of gravity and stability; pressure in liquids and the atmosphere, hydraulics; energy stores and transfers, work, power and efficiency |
| III. Thermal Physics | 7. Kinetic Particle Model of Matter 8. Thermal Processes 9. Thermal Properties of Matter |
States of matter and gas pressure; conduction, convection and radiation; specific heat capacity, specific latent heat, melting, boiling and evaporation |
| IV. Waves | 10. General Properties of Waves 11. Electromagnetic Spectrum 12. Light |
Transverse and longitudinal waves, the wave equation, sound, echoes and ultrasound; the regions of the spectrum, their uses and hazards; reflection, refraction, total internal reflection, optical fibres and converging lenses |
| V. Electricity and Magnetism | 13. Static Electricity 14. Current of Electricity 15. D.C. Circuits 16. Practical Electricity 17. Magnetism 18. Electromagnetism 19. Electromagnetic Induction |
Charge and electric fields; current, e.m.f., p.d. and resistance; series and parallel circuits, potential dividers, thermistors and LDRs; power, cost of electricity and safety; magnets and field patterns; the motor effect, Fleming’s left-hand rule and the d.c. motor; induced e.m.f., the a.c. generator and the transformer |
| VI. Radioactivity | 20. Radioactivity | Nuclide notation, alpha, beta and gamma radiation, half-life, background radiation, fission and fusion, uses and hazards |
Electricity and Magnetism is the largest section by some distance: seven of the 20 topics. Two things parents sometimes expect to see are not in the syllabus at all. The word “momentum” does not appear in either document, and neither do “diffraction” or “interference”. If revision material spends time on collisions or on diffraction patterns, it was written for a different syllabus.
Sources: SEAB, O-Level Physics syllabus 6091 (2026) and SEC G3 Physics syllabus K323 (2027).
How O-Level Physics is examined: the three papers
| Paper | Type | Duration | Marks | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multiple choice | 1 h | 40 | 30% |
| 2 | Structured and free response | 1 h 45 min | 80 | 50% |
| 3 | Practical | 1 h 50 min | 40 | 20% |
Paper 1 is 40 compulsory multiple-choice questions in an hour.
Paper 2 has two sections. Section A is worth 70 marks and is all compulsory structured questions. The last two questions in Section A carry 20 marks between them, and one of them is a data-based question worth 8 to 12 marks. Section B is worth 10 marks: there are two questions and your child answers one.
Paper 3 is a hands-on practical exam with apparatus, in two sections. Section A has one or two experiments worth 20 marks in 55 minutes. Section B is one 55-minute experiment worth 20 marks. Planning, where the student designs an experiment rather than follows one, carries 15% of the practical marks.
Across Papers 1 and 2, about 45% of the marks test knowledge with understanding (about 15% is straight recall) and about 55% test handling information and solving problems. In plain terms, more than half the theory marks go to applying physics to a situation the student has not seen before. Memorising notes covers less than half the paper.
What changes with K323 from 2027
The certificate and the code change. The physics does not.
- Code: SEAB lists 6091 as the earlier reference code for K323 Physics.
- Content: the 2026 and 2027 documents list the same six sections and the same 20 topics. SEAB’s 2027 syllabus list does not flag Physics as having any content changes.
- Papers: the same three papers, durations, marks and weightings.
- Level: K323 is a G3 subject. Pure Physics is not offered at G2. A G2 student takes physics as part of Combined Science.
So a Sec 3 student in 2026 is learning exactly what they will be examined on in 2027, and O-Level past papers set on the current 6091 syllabus are still good practice. Our page on every 2027 SEC maths and science code covers the other subjects.
Which topics come in Sec 3 and which in Sec 4
MOE and SEAB do not split the syllabus by year. Each school sets its own order, so treat the table below as a typical pattern, not a rule. It is based on the published Sec 3 and Sec 4 schemes of work from two MOE secondary schools and on what our own students bring to class.
| Typically taught in | Topics |
|---|---|
| Sec 3 | Measurement (1), all of Newtonian Mechanics (2 to 6), all of Thermal Physics (7 to 9). Many schools also start Waves (10 to 12) in Sec 3. |
| Sec 4 | Any Waves topics not finished in Sec 3, then all of Electricity and Magnetism (13 to 19), then Radioactivity (20). |
Two things follow from that order. First, the largest section, Electricity and Magnetism, lands in Sec 4, the same year as prelims, so it gets the least time to settle before the national exam. Second, Sec 3 mechanics is the foundation for a lot of what comes later. Energy, work and power come back in practical electricity, and forces come back in the motor effect. A weak Sec 3 tends to show up again in Sec 4 rather than going away.
If your child’s school runs a different order, ask for the scheme of work at the start of the year. It is a better revision plan than any topic list, including this one.
Where students lose the most marks
This section is our judgement from marking students’ work, not a SEAB statement. Three areas come up again and again.
Electromagnetism and electromagnetic induction (topics 18 and 19). Students learn Fleming’s left-hand rule and then use it in the wrong place, or cannot say which way an induced current flows. The syllabus wants the principle that the induced e.m.f. opposes the change producing it, explained in words, not just a hand rule applied. Our guide to O-Level electricity and magnetism goes through the concepts in more detail.
Kinematics graphs (topic 2). The syllabus asks students to read distance-time and velocity-time graphs, and to find displacement from the area under a velocity-time graph. The common mistakes are reading a value straight off the graph when the question wants a gradient or an area, and mixing up a distance-time graph with a velocity-time graph that looks the same. This is Sec 3 content, but it turns up in Sec 4 papers.
Practical skills (Paper 3). The practical is a fifth of the grade, and planning alone is 15% of the practical marks, or 3% of the whole grade. Students who only revise from notes reach Paper 3 without enough practice recording readings to the right precision, drawing a proper best-fit line, or writing a plan someone else could follow. You cannot cram these the week before.
The fix is the same for all three: do questions written for this syllabus, mark them against the mark scheme, and rewrite the explanations that lost marks. In our O-Level Physics tuition class, Karthiga (Sec 4 in 2026) had failed Physics before. She scored an A1 in her 2026 Physics prelims.
Sec 3 and Sec 4 Physics, five students per class
We teach Pure Physics to the full syllabus, with practical-skills work and mark-scheme feedback on every written answer. Classes are capped at five students, at Blk 208 Hougang Street 21, #04-215, near Kovan MRT.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many topics are in the O-Level Physics syllabus?
Twenty, in six sections: Measurement (1 topic), Newtonian Mechanics (5), Thermal Physics (3), Waves (3), Electricity and Magnetism (7) and Radioactivity (1). The 2027 SEC Physics syllabus, K323, has the same 20 topics.
What is the difference between Physics 6091 and K323?
6091 is the O-Level Physics syllabus, sat for the last time by the 2026 Sec 4 cohort. K323 is the G3 Physics syllabus under the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate from 2027. The topics, papers, marks and weightings are the same. The certificate and the code are new.
Is momentum in the O-Level Physics syllabus?
No. Momentum does not appear in the 2026 6091 syllabus or the 2027 K323 syllabus. Neither do diffraction and interference. Some revision guides and overseas materials include them, so check which syllabus a resource was written for.
Is the Physics practical exam still part of the grade?
Yes. Paper 3 is a 1 hour 50 minute practical exam with apparatus, worth 40 marks and 20% of the grade. Planning an experiment carries 15% of the practical marks.
Which Physics topics are taught in Sec 3?
Typically measurement, mechanics (kinematics, dynamics, turning effect of forces, pressure, energy) and thermal physics, often with a start on waves. Electricity and magnetism and radioactivity usually come in Sec 4. MOE does not fix the order, so your child’s school scheme of work is the final word.
Can my child take Pure Physics at G2?
No. Pure Physics (K323) is offered at G3 only. At G2, physics is taken as part of Combined Science. Our guide to choosing between Pure and Combined Science covers that decision.
If your child is starting Sec 3 Physics or heading into the Sec 4 year, come and sit in on a class in Hougang. Book a trial lesson and we will tell you plainly where the gaps are.