AQA GCSE Physics
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Explore your topics
8 topics · 91 subtopics
Energy to atomic structure4 topics · 39 subtopics
Energy
Energy stores and systems14 objectives- Changes in energy7 objectives
- Energy changes in systems8 objectives
- Power11 objectives
- Energy transfers in a system29 objectives
- Efficiency21 objectives
- National and global energy resources20 objectives
Electricity
Standard circuit diagram symbols8 objectives- Electrical charge and current8 objectives
- Current, resistance and potential difference16 objectives
- Resistors52 objectives
- Series and parallel circuits9 objectives
12 of 38 shown
Forces to space physics4 topics · 52 subtopics
Forces
Scalar and vector quantities12 objectives- Contact and non-contact forces15 objectives
- Gravity15 objectives
- Resultant forces21 objectives
- Work done and energy transfer18 objectives
- Forces and elasticity21 objectives
- Moments, levers and gears (physics only)21 objectives
- Pressure in a fluid 127 objectives
- Pressure in a fluid 2 (HT only)18 objectives
- Atmospheric pressure18 objectives
- Distance and displacement12 objectives
- Speed27 objectives
12 of 52 shown
Assessment and exam guidance
Assessment Objectives
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas and scientific techniques and procedures
Apply knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas and scientific enquiry, techniques and procedures
Analyse information and ideas to interpret and evaluate, make judgements and draw conclusions, and develop and improve experimental procedures
Exam Structure
Paper 1: topics 1–4 (Foundation)
1h 45m
Duration
100
Marks
50%
Weighting
Paper 1: topics 1–4 (Higher)
1h 45m
Duration
100
Marks
50%
Weighting
Paper 2: topics 5–8 (Foundation)
1h 45m
Duration
100
Marks
50%
Weighting
Paper 2: topics 5–8 (Higher)
1h 45m
Duration
100
Marks
50%
Weighting
Tips and common mistakes
Common Exam Mistakes
Pitfalls to avoid in your exams
- •treating the system as one object only, leaving out the barrier, spring or surroundings that the question named
- •listing electrical, light or sound as energy stores when they are pathways between stores
- •writing that energy is lost or used up when it has been transferred to the thermal store of the surroundings
- •writing that energy is created by the pump or used up by the heater instead of transferred between stores
- •naming heating, a pathway, as the final store rather than naming the thermal store
- •listing features of each method in turn, which caps a compare question at the lower level
- •saying the kinetic energy is destroyed in a collision rather than transferred to thermal stores and sound
- •forgetting that a kettle also heats its own element and body, not only the water
Top Examiner Tips
Expert advice for exam success
- •Open the answer by saying what is inside the system; the boundary has to be clear before the energy argument means anything.
- •For a closed system, the examiner credits stating that there is no net energy transfer to or from the surroundings, which means the total energy remains constant.
- •In a compare question, write sentences that hold both options together: method A stores more per kilogram but wastes 40% against method B at 25%.
- •Give the magnitude of any difference when the data allows it; the top level asks for the size of the difference, not just its direction.
- •Write the change as a chain: store, pathway, store, then add where energy is dissipated.
- •Say which object holds the store, because the thermal store of the brakes is not the thermal store of the road.
- •A one-mark answer still needs both ends of the transfer, so never name a single store on its own.
- •Write the equation, then the substitution, then the answer; the first two marks survive even when the arithmetic slips.
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