AQA · GCSE · Physics
Course version: 8463 · Version from Sept 2016
A renewable energy resource is one that is being (or can be) replenished…
Full specification wording
National and global energy resources: A renewable energy resource is one that is being (or can be) replenished as it is used.
A renewable resource is one that is being replenished, or can be replenished, as it is used, so it will not run out: wind, hydroelectricity, geothermal, the tides, the Sun, water waves and…
Checked against the AQA 8463 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 2 of 5
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
A renewable resource is one that is being replenished, or can be replenished, as it is used, so it will not run out: wind, hydroelectricity, geothermal, the tides, the Sun, water waves and bio-fuel, since crops regrow. A non-renewable resource is finite, meaning there is a fixed amount and using it uses it up: coal, oil, gas and nuclear fuel. The examiner wants replenished or replaced for the first and finite or limited supply for the second. Answers such as it will never run out, it has an infinite supply or it is sustainable are ignored, because they describe the consequence rather than the property. Being renewable says nothing about reliability or cleanliness: bio-fuel is renewable yet releases carbon dioxide, and wind is renewable yet unreliable.
What earns the marks
- Defining renewable as being replenished or replaced as it is used.
- Defining non-renewable as finite or of limited supply.
- Correctly sorting named resources into the two groups.
- A distinction that does not confuse renewable with reliable or with clean.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Answering that a renewable resource will not run out, which is ignored in the mark scheme.
Using the word sustainable as the definition of renewable.
Calling a resource non-renewable because it is running out quickly rather than because it is finite.
Assuming every renewable resource releases no carbon dioxide, which bio-fuel does when burned.
Exam tips
- Use the words replenished and finite; they are the two the mark scheme is built around.
- Give the property first and the consequence second, as the property is where the mark sits.
- In a two-mark define question, answer both halves even if only one appears in the stem.
Try the lesson
The start of the National and global energy resources: A renewable energy resource is one that is being (or can be) replenished as it is used. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which of these energy resources is renewable because it is replenished as it is used?
Listen
A renewable resource is one that is being replenished, or can be replenished, as it is used, so it will not run out: wind, hydroelectricity, geothermal, the tides, the Sun, water waves and bio-fuel, since crops regrow. A non-renewable resource is finite, meaning there is a fixed amount and using it uses it up: coal, oil, gas and nuclear fuel. The examiner wants replenished or replaced for the first and finite or limited supply for the second. Answers such as it will never run out, it has an infinite supply or it is sustainable are ignored, because they describe the consequence rather than the property. Being renewable says nothing about reliability or cleanliness: bio-fuel is renewable yet releases carbon dioxide, and wind is renewable yet unreliable. A strong answer earns marks for these points. defining renewable as being replenished or replaced as it is used. defining non-renewable as finite or of limited supply. correctly sorting named resources into the two groups. a distinction that does not confuse renewable with reliable or with clean. Exam tip: Use the words replenished and finite; they are the two the mark scheme is built around.
See it
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
renewable
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
non-renewable
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
finite
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
replenished
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- renewable
- A resource that is being, or can be, replenished as it is used.
- non-renewable
- A resource that is finite, meaning there is a fixed amount and using it uses it up.
- finite
- Of limited supply, so that using the resource uses it up.
- replenished
- Being replaced as it is used, which is the property the mark scheme wants for renewable.
Label the diagram
Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.
1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3
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