The Physics Question Bank

Hints for every question on the June 2023 GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy Physics Paper 1 Higher (8464/P/1H). Get the paper from AQA’s GCSE Combined Science page (Filter → Question papers → June 2023 → pick Physics Paper 1H). The hints tell you which equation to use and what to watch out for – but not the answer. Try each question first, and only open a hint if you’re stuck. ← All past papers

Question 1 – Wind and solar power (8 marks)

💡 Show hints for Question 1

• 01.1 Renewable = it will never run out. Which option is not a fuel that gets used up?
• 01.2 Giga = 10 to the power of what? (kilo = 10³, mega = 10⁶…)
• 01.3 (6 marks) Cover BOTH graphs AND both resources. Figure 1: describe the trend for solar and for wind 2014–2019 with numbers, and explain it (e.g. more turbines/panels installed). Spot any year where wind fell and suggest why. Figure 2: which resource is higher for most of the year? When is solar highest, and why (longer days, stronger sunlight)? When is wind highest, and why (windier season)? Level 3 needs trends from both graphs and explanations.

Question 2 – Body analysis scales (15 marks)

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• 02.1 A voltmeter goes in parallel – across both resistors together to measure the total.
• 02.2 For resistors in parallel, the total resistance is less than the smallest individual resistor. Compare 26 Ω with 20 Ω, and state the rule.
• 02.3 Copy it from the equation sheet.
• 02.4 Use V = I R. Convert 480 mA to A first.
• 02.5 Label each axis with the quantity and unit (Ω). Plot the two missing points within half a square. The data curve – draw a smooth curve of best fit, not a straight line.
• 02.6 Go across from 4.4 Ω on the total-resistance axis to your curve, then read off R.
• 02.7 Unpredictable variation between repeat readings – which type of error is that?
• 02.8 (3 marks) Read the body water % at 600 kΩ from Figure 6 for both category A and category B. Compare each with 45–65%, then give a conclusion for each category.

Question 3 – National Grid and street lamps (14 marks)

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• 03.1 Three-step chain: transformer X is step-up, so the p.d. … → so the current … → so what happens to the energy wasted heating the cables?
• 03.2 Use V_p × I_p = V_s × I_s, rearranged to I_s = V_p I_p ÷ V_s.
• 03.3 Current is never “used up” or “dissipated”. How are the lamps connected so the current splits between them?
• 03.4 As light gets dimmer, what happens to the LDR’s resistance? Then: what does that do to the current in the circuit – and so to the p.d. across R (V = I R)?
• 03.5 (4 marks) You know P and I, and want R. Use P = I² R, so R = P ÷ I². Convert mA to A first, then square it. (Or find V = P ÷ I first, then R = V ÷ I.)

Question 4 – Radioactive sample (11 marks)

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• 04.1 Other scientists checking work before it’s published – what’s the two-word name?
• 04.2 Nuclear radiation can knock electrons off atoms. What’s this property called? (Penetrating power is not the answer.)
• 04.3 The unit is named after a scientist. One decay per second = one …?
• 04.4 Two parts: say that not all the radiation is detected, then explain why – think about which directions radiation is emitted in, and whether any is absorbed on the way.
• 04.5 Which type of radiation only travels a few centimetres in air? Use the 10 cm result in Table 2 as your evidence.
• 04.6 How many times do you halve 1568 to reach 98? That tells you how many half-lives fit into 60 minutes. Then work out how many half-lives are in 30 minutes, and halve 1568 that many times.
• 04.7 Can you predict exactly when a particular nucleus will decay?

Question 5 – Spring toy (9 marks)

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• 05.1 Where is the student’s eye in position B compared with the top of the toy? Being level with it reduces which kind of error – and makes the measurement more…?
• 05.2 (5 marks) Use E_p = m g h, rearranged to m = E_p ÷ (g × h). Convert 64 cm to m first. There’s a separate mark for giving the answer to 2 significant figures.
• 05.3 The air gets warmer – so energy is leaving the toy. What’s true about the total energy in a closed system? Put both ideas in your answer.

Question 6 – Coffee-powered wheel (13 marks)

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• 06.1 Chain: hotter air → particles’ kinetic energy/speed … → they hit the walls more often or harder → so pressure … Say “collide more often” or “more frequently”, not just “more collisions”.
• 06.2 Metals are good thermal conductors. Link that to the rate of energy transfer to the air.
• 06.3 Which property tells you how much energy is needed to raise 1 kg by 1 °C? Is it high or low for air?
• 06.4 What would give a bigger temperature difference, or waste less energy in the moving parts?
• 06.5 (6 marks) Three steps. 1. Find the mass: m = ρ × V (use the ×10ˣ button). 2. Use ΔE = m c Δθ, so Δθ = ΔE ÷ (m × c) – convert 15 kJ to J first. 3. The coffee cools, so the final temperature = 76 °C − Δθ. Don’t stop at Δθ!

✅ Finished? Mark your paper with the mark scheme, then read the examiners’ report for the questions you found hardest. Find both on AQA’s GCSE Combined Science page (Filter → June 2023).