Standard circuit diagram symbols — AQA GCSE Physics
Test yourself on Standard circuit diagram symbols with AQA GCSE practice questions.
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Standard circuit diagram symbols explained
Circuit diagrams work because every component has one agreed symbol, so any physicist can read any diagram.
Read the full explanation
You need the cell, a long thin line and a short thick line, and the battery, two or more cells in line; the switch, open and closed; the fixed resistor, a plain rectangle; the variable resistor, a rectangle with an arrow through it; the lamp, a circle with a cross; the fuse; the voltmeter, a circle marked V; the ammeter, a circle marked A; the diode, a triangle against a bar, and the light emitting diode with arrows leaving it; the thermistor and the light dependent resistor, each a resistor with its own added symbol. Wires are drawn as straight lines meeting at right angles, and junctions are marked with a dot.
Your focus
- Draw the standard symbol for a cell, battery, switch, lamp, resistor, variable resistor, fuse, diode, thermistor, LDR, ammeter and voltmeter.
- Name the component represented by a given symbol in an unfamiliar circuit diagram.
- Distinguish between symbols that look similar, such as cell and battery or resistor and variable resistor.
Show all 4 objectives
- Complete a partly drawn circuit diagram so that it forms a closed loop.
Standard circuit diagram symbols exam tips
Marking Points
- one mark for drawing the correct standard symbol for the component named
- one mark for a diagram in which the symbols are joined by straight lines forming a complete circuit
- one mark for correct identification of a component from its symbol on a given diagram
- one mark for distinguishing similar symbols, such as the fixed resistor from the variable resistor
Examiner Tips
- 💡Draw with a ruler and a sharp pencil; examiners must be able to tell a resistor rectangle from a battery.
- 💡Add a dot at any junction where three or more wires meet so the connection is unambiguous.
- 💡Learn the symbols as pairs that are easy to confuse: cell and battery, resistor and variable resistor, diode and LED.
Common Mistakes
- drawing a cell with the long and short lines the same length, so the terminals cannot be told apart
- using a zigzag for a resistor, which is not the symbol used by this specification
- confusing the lamp symbol with the symbol for a motor or a cell
- leaving gaps between wires and components so the circuit drawn is not complete