The Physics Question Bank

Hints for every question on the June 2023 GCSE Physics Paper 1 Higher (8463/1H). Get the paper from AQA’s GCSE Physics page (Filter → Question papers → June 2023). 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 – The National Grid (10 marks)

💡 Show hints for Question 1

• 01.1 Transformer X is next to the power station. Is it a step-up or step-down transformer? Then think: if the p.d. goes one way, what happens to the current?
• 01.2 This is the equation for power lost as heat in a cable. Find it on the equation sheet – it has the current squared.
• 01.3 Use P = I² R, rearranged to R = P ÷ I². Square the current first. Type the power in using the ×10ˣ button on your calculator.
• 01.4 Copy it from the equation sheet: efficiency = useful output energy transfer ÷ total input energy transfer.
• 01.5 Rearrange: useful output = efficiency × total input. The efficiency is already a decimal – don’t divide by 100. The answer stays in GJ, so no conversion is needed.

Question 2 – Specific heat capacity practical (7 marks)

💡 Show hints for Question 2

• 02.1 Think about the thermometer, not the block. What has to happen to the thermometer before its reading is correct?
• 02.2 Use ΔE = m c Δθ, rearranged to c = ΔE ÷ (m × Δθ). Read the temperature at 5 minutes and at 10 minutes from Figure 3 – Δθ is the change between those two times only, not the whole graph.
• 02.3 Insulation reduces energy transfer to the surroundings. Which two statements follow from that? Watch out: insulation doesn’t change the heater’s power.

Question 3 – Heated windscreen (14 marks)

💡 Show hints for Question 3

• 03.1 “Direct” is about direction. Careful: p.d. doesn’t “flow” – only current flows.
• 03.2 energy transferred = charge flow × potential difference.
• 03.3 Rearrange E = Q V to Q = E ÷ V. Unit: coulombs (C).
• 03.4 Use E = m L, rearranged to L = E ÷ m. The mass is already in kg.
• 03.5 (6 marks) Plan three stages: (1) particles in ice – arrangement and movement; (2) while melting at 0 °C – what happens to the bonds, and why doesn’t the temperature change?; (3) water warming to 5 °C – what happens to the particles’ speed and kinetic energy? For top marks, describe BOTH arrangement AND movement, and use the words potential energy and kinetic energy.

Question 4 – Hydroelectric generator (11 marks)

💡 Show hints for Question 4

• 04.1 Use E_p = m g h, rearranged to h = E_p ÷ (m × g). Convert MJ to J first (× 1 000 000).
• 04.2 (5 marks) Use P = E ÷ t, rearranged to t = E ÷ P. Convert kW to W first. Standard form means a number between 1 and 10 × 10 to a power – there’s a mark just for this.
• 04.3 Look at Figure 5: in which months is the hydro output lowest? When does the Sun shine most? Link the two – and quote months from the graph.

Question 5 – Radioactive isotopes (17 marks)

💡 Show hints for Question 5

• 05.1 Compare protons, neutrons AND electrons – which are the same, which are different? Carbon’s atomic number is 6. Any numbers you write must be correct, or you lose the mark.
• 05.2 Say exactly what halves – the number of unstable nuclei, or the activity/count-rate.
• 05.3 How many half-lives does it take to get to one quarter? (½, then ¼…) Multiply by fluorine-17’s half-life from Table 1.
• 05.4 Name the isotope first. A short half-life means the nuclei decay quickly – so what does that mean for its activity, and for the dose of radiation a person receives each second? “It has the shortest half-life” on its own doesn’t score – link it to activity and dose.
• 05.5 Learn the definitions: contamination = radioactive atoms get on or in something; irradiation = exposed to radiation, but not made radioactive.
• 05.6 What does ionising radiation do to cells?
• 05.7 Some radioactive materials emit a type of radiation that can only travel a few centimetres in air. Which type is it – and what would happen to its readings if the detector were further away?
• 05.8 Step 1: the pilot’s dose for 24 hours (hourly dose × 24). Step 2: divide that by the worker’s daily dose. Both are in mSv, so no conversion needed.

Question 6 – I–V characteristic of a filament lamp (16 marks)

💡 Show hints for Question 6

• 06.1 (6 marks) This is a required practical. Draw the circuit with a ruler: power supply, filament lamp, ammeter in series, voltmeter in parallel with the lamp, and a variable resistor. Then describe: how you change the p.d., what you record, how you get the negative values on the graph (reverse the connections), and a sensible range of readings.
• 06.2 Read the current at +3.0 V from Figure 6. Then use V = I R, rearranged to R = V ÷ I. Check whether the graph’s current is in A or mA.
• 06.3 (5 marks) Two steps: P = V I, then E = P t. Convert 30 minutes to seconds first (× 60).
• 06.4 P = V I. If V doubles, does the current double too? Look at the shape of Figure 6 – and think about what happens to a filament’s resistance as it gets hotter.

Question 7 – Baby bouncer (8 marks)

💡 Show hints for Question 7

• 07.1 What could happen to the spring if the baby is too heavy? Could it be stretched permanently – or stretch so far that the baby’s feet stay on the floor? (“Limit of proportionality” on its own won’t score.)
• 07.2 The baby is still at A and at B, so no kinetic energy at those points. Which store decreases as the baby moves down, and which increases? Name the stores in full (gravitational potential, elastic potential, kinetic).
• 07.3 Use E_e = ½ k e², rearranged to k = 2 E_e ÷ e². Convert cm to m FIRST, then square it. This is one of the most common places to lose marks!

Question 8 – Models of the atom (10 marks)

💡 Show hints for Question 8

• 08.1 Think about the order of the discoveries: the plum pudding model needed the electron; the alpha scattering experiment found the nucleus; the proton was identified after that; Chadwick’s neutron came last of all.
• 08.2 Particle A is pushed away from the nucleus. What charge does an alpha particle have, and what charge does the gold nucleus have? What happens to like charges? You need both parts: the charges AND the force.
• 08.3 Both are repelled by the positive nucleus (like charges repel). Which one passes closer to it? What does being closer do to the size of the force? (Don’t say B “hits” the nucleus – that scores zero.)
• 08.4 Particles D, E, F and G went straight through. What does that tell you?
• 08.5 What did Bohr say about where the electrons are?
• 08.6 Moving up needs energy in; moving down gives energy out. What form does that energy take? Use the words absorb and emit.

Question 9 – Air in a car tyre (7 marks)

💡 Show hints for Question 9

• 09.1 Which word describes the directions gas particles move in? (It starts with r.)
• 09.2 Same volume, but more particles. What happens to the number of collisions with the tyre walls per second?
• 09.3 (4 marks) Build a chain: temperature rises → particles’ kinetic energy → their speed → how often they hit the walls AND how hard → pressure. “More collisions” on its own won’t score – say “more collisions per second”.

✅ 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 Physics page (Filter → June 2023).