Course: Combined Science + Separate Physics | Tier: Foundation + Higher | Time: about 60 minutes (you can split it into two 30-minute sessions)
✏️ You need: your exercise book, a pen, a coloured pen for corrections and a calculator. Work through the steps in order. Write every answer before you open it.
🗺️ Your route through this page
Step 1 Rate yourself (3 min) → Step 2 Watch, learn and check – 5 chunks (35 min) → Step 3 Exam questions (12 min) → Step 4 6-mark answer (8 min) → Step 5 Review (2 min)
⚡ what we use energy for → ♻️ renewable or non-renewable → 🏭 fossil fuels and nuclear → 🌍 renewables → 📈 how our energy use is changing
Step 1 – Rate yourself 🚦
Copy this table into your book. Give each statement a colour now: 🔴 I can’t do this yet · 🟠 I’m not sure · 🟢 I can do this. You’ll rate yourself again at the end.
| I can… | Start | End |
|---|---|---|
| name the main uses of energy resources and describe how a power station works | ||
| explain the difference between renewable and non-renewable | ||
| give advantages and disadvantages of fossil fuels and nuclear power | ||
| give advantages and disadvantages of renewable resources | ||
| explain which resources are reliable and which are not | ||
| explain why our energy use is changing, and use data to compare resources |
Step 2 – Watch, learn and check 🎬📖
Do each chunk in order:
1. 🎬 Watch the video and write 3 key facts in your book.
2. 📖 Read the notes.
3. ✅ Answer the quick check without looking back. Correct any mistakes in coloured pen.
Videos by Freesciencelessons (YouTube). If a video won’t play on your network, just read the notes – they cover everything you need.
Chunk A: What do we use energy resources for? ⚡🚗🔥
🎬 Watch: Energy from Fossil Fuels – look out for how a power station works.
📖 Read: we use energy resources for three main things:
- ⚡ Generating electricity – most power stations heat water to make steam, which turns a turbine, which turns a generator. Wind, water and tides turn the turbine directly.
- 🚗 Transport – mostly petrol and diesel (from oil), but more electric cars and some bio-fuels.
- 🔥 Heating – mostly gas boilers, but also electric heaters, heat pumps and solar water heating.
✅ Quick check A
1. Give the three main uses of energy resources.
2. In most power stations, what turns the turbine?
3. What does the turbine turn?
Show answers
1. Generating electricity, transport and heating
2. Steam (made by heating water)
3. A generator
Chunk B: Renewable or non-renewable? ♻️
🎬 Watch: no video for this short chunk – go straight to the notes.
📖 Read:
A renewable resource is one that is being replenished (replaced) as it is used – it will not run out.
A non-renewable resource will run out one day, because it is not replaced as fast as we use it.
| ♻️ Renewable | ⛔ Non-renewable |
|---|---|
| ☀️ solar · 🌬️ wind · 💧 hydroelectric · 🌊 tides · 🌊 waves · 🌋 geothermal · 🌾 bio-fuel | ⚫ coal · 🛢️ oil · 🔥 gas (these three are fossil fuels) · ☢️ nuclear fuel |
✅ Quick check B
1. What does “renewable” mean?
2. Name the three fossil fuels.
3. Is nuclear fuel renewable or non-renewable?
Show answers
1. It is replenished as it is used, so it will not run out
2. Coal, oil and gas
3. Non-renewable
Chunk C: Fossil fuels and nuclear power 🏭☢️
🎬 Watch: Nuclear Power. (You met fossil fuels in the Chunk A video.)
📖 Read:
| Resource | 👍 Advantages | 👎 Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| ⚫🛢️🔥 Fossil fuels | reliable; can be turned up quickly when demand rises; fairly cheap | release carbon dioxide (climate change); coal and oil release sulfur dioxide (acid rain); will run out |
| ☢️ Nuclear | reliable; no carbon dioxide released when running; lots of energy from a little fuel | makes radioactive waste; risk of accidents; expensive to build and shut down |
✅ Quick check C
1. Which gas released by burning fossil fuels causes climate change?
2. Which gas causes acid rain?
3. Give one advantage and one disadvantage of nuclear power.
Show answers
1. Carbon dioxide
2. Sulfur dioxide
3. Advantage: e.g. no carbon dioxide / reliable. Disadvantage: e.g. radioactive waste / risk of accidents / expensive to shut down.
Chunk D: Renewable resources 🌍
🎬 Watch: Renewable Sources of Energy. While you watch, make a table in your book: Resource · Advantage · Disadvantage.
📖 Read: renewables won’t run out and most release no carbon dioxide when generating. The big question is: are they reliable?
| Resource | 👍 Advantages | 👎 Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
| 🌬️ Wind | no fuel cost; no carbon dioxide when running | unreliable – depends on the wind; some people think turbines spoil the view and are noisy |
| ☀️ Solar | no fuel cost; good in remote places | only works in daylight; less in cloudy weather |
| 💧 Hydroelectric | reliable; can respond quickly to demand | building the dam floods valleys, destroying habitats |
| 🌊 Tidal | very reliable – tides are predictable | only in some places; can harm habitats and block boats |
| 🌊 Wave | no fuel cost | unreliable – depends on the weather |
| 🌋 Geothermal | reliable; no fuel cost | only possible in a few places (e.g. volcanic areas) |
| 🌾 Bio-fuel | can be “carbon neutral” – plants take in CO2 as they grow | needs lots of land that could grow food |
✅ Quick check D
1. Why is tidal power more reliable than wind power?
2. Name two other renewable resources that are reliable.
3. Give one disadvantage of bio-fuels.
Show answers
1. Tides are predictable – they happen twice a day. The wind does not always blow.
2. Any two: hydroelectric, geothermal (bio-fuel also accepted)
3. It needs lots of land that could grow food
Chunk E: How is our energy use changing? 📈
🎬 Watch: The UK Energy Mix
📖 Read:
- We now use more renewables and less coal, because burning fossil fuels causes climate change and they will run out.
- But changing is not easy: renewables can be unreliable, building new power stations costs a lot, and some people object to wind farms or nuclear power near them.
- Decisions about energy also depend on money, politics and what people want – not just on science.
Using data 📊 – the table shows example data for where one country’s electricity comes from.
| Resource | gas | wind | nuclear | bio-fuel | solar | hydroelectric | coal | other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of electricity | 35 | 25 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
✅ Quick check E
1. Give two reasons we are using less coal.
2. Give one reason why it is hard to switch completely to renewables.
3. Using the table, which single resource provides the most electricity?
Show answers
1. It releases carbon dioxide (climate change); it will run out; it releases sulfur dioxide (acid rain)
2. Any one: renewables can be unreliable · new power stations are expensive · people object to them being built nearby
3. Gas (35%)
Step 3 – Exam questions ✏️
Answer in full sentences. The marks tell you how many points to make. The questions follow the same order as the chunks. Mark your work in coloured pen.
Q1 (Chunk B) What is meant by a renewable energy resource? [1 mark]
Mark scheme
one that is being (or can be) replenished as it is used / will not run out (1)
Q2 (Chunk B) Name two non-renewable energy resources. [2 marks]
Mark scheme
any two from (1 each): coal · oil · gas · nuclear fuel
Q3 (Chunk C) Give one advantage and one disadvantage of generating electricity using nuclear power. [2 marks]
Mark scheme
advantage (1): reliable / no carbon dioxide released when generating / lots of energy from a small amount of fuel
disadvantage (1): radioactive waste / risk of a nuclear accident / expensive to build or shut down
do not accept: “it’s dangerous” without saying why
Q4 (Chunk D) Wind turbines are described as an unreliable energy resource. Explain why. [1 mark]
Mark scheme
the wind does not always blow (or can be too strong), so electricity is not always generated when it is needed (1)
Q5 (Chunk D) A town has a hydroelectric dam built in a nearby valley. Give one advantage and one environmental disadvantage of the dam. [2 marks]
Mark scheme
advantage (1): renewable / reliable / can respond quickly to demand / no carbon dioxide released when generating
disadvantage (1): flooding the valley destroys habitats / homes or farmland are lost
Q6 (Chunk E) Use the example data table in Chunk E.
(a) Calculate the percentage of electricity generated from renewable resources. (b) Calculate the percentage generated from fossil fuels. [3 marks]
Mark scheme
(a) wind + bio-fuel + solar + hydroelectric = 25 + 10 + 5 + 3 (1) = 43% (1)
(b) gas + coal = 35 + 2 = 37% (1)
(Nuclear is non-renewable but not a fossil fuel.)
Step 4 – Write a 6-mark answer 📝
Q7 A town needs a new power station. Compare generating electricity using a gas-fired power station with a wind farm. [6 marks]
🧩 Planning frame – “compare” means you must say something about both in every point. Use your notes from Chunks C and D to fill in this table, then write in sentences using whereas or but.
| Point | Gas | Wind |
|---|---|---|
| Renewable? | … | … |
| Reliable? | … | … |
| Effect on the environment | … | … |
| Cost | … | … |
Sentence starter: “Gas is non-renewable and will run out, whereas wind is…”
Model answer and mark scheme
Model answer: Gas is a non-renewable resource and will eventually run out, whereas wind is renewable and will not run out. A gas power station is reliable and can be turned up quickly when more electricity is needed, but a wind farm is unreliable because it only generates electricity when the wind is blowing. Burning gas releases carbon dioxide, which adds to climate change, whereas wind turbines release no carbon dioxide when they are running. However, some people think wind turbines spoil the view and are noisy. Gas has fuel costs, but wind has no fuel costs, although a wind farm can be expensive to build. Overall, a wind farm is better for the environment, but the town might need a reliable back-up such as gas for when the wind is not blowing.
Level 3 (5–6): a clear comparison of both resources across several points, with a conclusion. Level 2 (3–4): advantages and disadvantages of both, with some comparison. Level 1 (1–2): simple points about one or both.
Step 5 – Review 🔁
1. Go back to your Step 1 table and fill in the End column.
2. For anything still 🔴 or 🟠, re-watch that chunk’s video, then write one question to ask your teacher.
3. Write down your score for Step 3 (out of 11) and Step 4 (out of 6).
⚡ What next?
Still 🔴? → Energy resources notes · Fill the gaps: Energy
Mostly 🟢? → Energy quiz · Power the Island lesson · Energy test (Foundation) · Energy test (Higher)
Back to the Energy topic page
