AQA GCSE Physics Past Papers

Misunderstanding Electricity and Magnetism Fundamentals

Significant confusion exists regarding the direction of current in diodes/LEDs and the difference between the motor effect and the generator effect.

Misunderstanding Fundamental Nuclear Physics

Students often incorrectly state that radiation "ionizes cells," whereas ionization actually occurs at the atomic level. There is also frequent confusion between nuclear fission (splitting a nucleus) and nuclear fusion (joining nuclei).

““ionizes cells”

Vague Logic in Forces and Motion

A common misconception is that a resultant force of zero means an object must be stationary, forgetting that it could also be moving at a constant speed. In terminal velocity questions, students often fail to account for the increasing effect of air resistance as speed increases.

Technical Inaccuracies in Electricity and Magnetism

Students often struggle to distinguish between the motor effect (input current, output motion) and the generator effect (input motion, output current). In transformers, many wrongly believe the iron core is used because it conducts electricity, rather than for its magnetic properties.

Missing "Normal" Lines in Ray Diagrams

In questions involving the reflection or refraction of light, students often fail to draw a normal line or use a protractor to measure angles accurately. This leads to incorrect paths for light rays.