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Home · IGCSE 0625 · Space physics · Earth's rotation · Practice
Core · Practice questions · Earth's rotation

Day, year, seasons.

Six original Cambridge-style questions on the Earth's motions: day and night, the year, the Moon, the apparent motion of the Sun, and the cause of the seasons.

Original questions All questions on this page are original work, written in the Cambridge IGCSE style. They are not from past papers. They test the same concepts and skills the syllabus rewards.
What the examiner wants

Spin gives the day, orbit gives the year.

01
Recall
[2 marks]

Explain what causes day and night on the Earth.

  • The Earth spins on its axis once in about 24 hours. ✓
  • The half facing the Sun has day; the half facing away has night. ✓
02
Recall
[2 marks]

State how long the Earth takes to orbit the Sun, and how long the Moon takes to orbit the Earth.

  • The Earth orbits the Sun in about 365 days (one year). ✓
  • The Moon orbits the Earth in about one month. ✓
03
Analysis
[2 marks]

The Sun appears to move across the sky during the day. Explain why, and state the direction it appears to move.

  • The Earth is rotating, which makes the Sun appear to move (the Sun itself is not going round us). ✓
  • It appears to rise in the east and set in the west. ✓
04
Application
[3 marks]

Explain why the northern hemisphere has summer in June. Refer to the tilt of the Earth's axis.

  • In June the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun. ✓
  • It receives more direct sunlight. ✓
  • The days are longer, so it is warmer: summer. ✓
05
Analysis
[2 marks]

A student says the seasons happen because the Earth is closer to the Sun in summer. Use the two hemispheres to explain why this cannot be the reason.

  • When the north has summer, the south has winter at the same time. ✓
  • Both hemispheres are the same distance from the Sun, so distance cannot be the cause; the tilt is. ✓
06
Application
[2 marks]

It is midday for a person standing on the Earth. Describe where they are in relation to the Sun, and state what they will see about 12 hours later.

  • At midday they are on the side of the Earth facing the Sun. ✓
  • About 12 hours later the Earth has turned halfway, so they face away from the Sun: it is night (midnight). ✓

Mark this once you have attempted all six and checked your working. It records a Practiced badge on the topic and adds a one-time bonus. Revealing the solutions alone does not count.