GCSE Physics specification checklist

FoundationEvery student

• 1.1Identify energy stores: kinetic, gravitational potential, elastic, thermal, chemical, magnetic, electrostatic and nuclear, and describe transfers between them.
• 1.2Describe how energy is transferred by forces (mechanical work), electrical currents, heating and by waves such as light and sound.
• 1.3Describe the changes in energy stores for common systems: an object accelerated by a force, an object thrown upwards, a vehicle slowing down, and water boiling in a kettle.
• 1.4State the principle of conservation of energy: energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred between stores; in a closed system the total energy is constant.
• 1.5Describe unwanted energy transfers as dissipation, and explain how lubrication and thermal insulation reduce them.
• 1.6Explain how the rate of cooling of a building is affected by the thickness and thermal conductivity of its walls, and describe how insulation materials and cavity walls reduce conduction.
• 1.7Calculate efficiency as useful energy output divided by total energy input, or useful power output divided by total power input, as a ratio or a percentage, and describe ways to increase efficiency.
• 1.8Define power as the energy transferred per second and calculate it using power = energy transferred ÷ time, including reading power ratings of appliances.
• 1.9Calculate kinetic energy using kinetic energy = ½ × mass × speed² and gravitational potential energy using g.p.e. = mass × gravitational field strength × height.
• 1.10Calculate elastic potential energy using elastic energy = ½ × spring constant × extension².
• 1.11Define specific heat capacity and calculate the energy needed to change an object’s temperature using change in thermal energy = mass × specific heat capacity × temperature change.
• 1.12Describe the required practical: investigating how the energy supplied to a metal block depends on the block’s mass, the substance and the temperature change, measuring specific heat capacity with a heater, joulemeter or ammeter–voltmeter circuit.

FoundationEvery student

• 2.1List the main energy resources available for use on Earth: fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas), nuclear fuel, biofuel, wind, hydroelectricity, geothermal, the tides, the Sun and water waves.
• 2.2Describe how these resources are used in electricity generation, heating, cooking and transport.
• 2.3Distinguish between renewable energy resources, which can be replenished as they are used, and non-renewable resources, which are consumed faster than they form.
• 2.4Describe the environmental issues of each resource, including landscape and wildlife impact, noise, carbon dioxide and other emissions, and the decommissioning of power stations.
• 2.5Describe how fossil fuels are extracted and the effects of their use, including mining and drilling impacts and emissions such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide.
• 2.6Explain why some resources are more reliable than others, distinguishing resources available all the time from those that depend on the weather or the time of day.
• 2.7Describe patterns and trends in the use of energy resources, including the historic dependence on fossil fuels, the growth of renewables, and how the UK energy mix has changed over time.
• 2.8Compare the power ratings of everyday appliances and calculate domestic energy use and cost in kilowatt-hours using energy transferred = power × time and cost = number of kWh × price per kWh.
• 2.9Evaluate the use of different energy resources for a given purpose, weighing up reliability, environmental effects, cost and scale.

FoundationEvery student

• 3.1Draw and interpret standard circuit symbols: cell, battery, switch, lamp, resistor, variable resistor, ammeter, voltmeter, diode, thermistor, LDR, LED, fuse.
• 3.2Describe electric current as the rate of flow of charge and recall that current is measured with an ammeter placed in series; calculate charge moved using charge = current × time.
• 3.3Describe potential difference as the energy transferred per unit charge passed and recall that p.d. is measured with a voltmeter placed in parallel; calculate it using potential difference = current × resistance.
• 3.4Describe the circuit rules for series circuits: the current is the same everywhere, the p.d. of the supply is shared between components, and resistances add.
• 3.5Describe the circuit rules for parallel circuits: the p.d. across each branch equals the supply p.d., the total current is the sum of the branch currents, and the total resistance of two resistors is less than either alone.
• 3.6Explain the I–V characteristics of a fixed resistor, a filament lamp (resistance rises as it heats) and a diode (conducts in one direction only above about 0.7 V).
• 3.7Describe applications of thermistors (temperature sensors, thermostats) and LDRs (light sensors, automatic night lights) including how their resistance changes with temperature and light level.
• 3.8Explain, using the model of the lattice of ions and flowing electrons, why the resistance of a wire increases with its length and decreases with its cross-sectional area.
• 3.9Describe the required practicals: measuring the resistance of a wire at different lengths, and investigating resistor combinations in series and parallel.
• 3.10Describe the required practical: using a variable resistor or a potential divider circuit to measure I–V characteristics of a filament lamp, a diode and a fixed resistor.

HigherHigher tier only

• 3.11Calculate current, p.d. and resistance in mixed series and parallel circuits, including the total resistance of pairs of resistors in parallel.
• 3.12Explain qualitatively, in terms of the number of paths for charge, why adding resistors in parallel reduces the total resistance.

FoundationEvery student

• 4.1Describe direct potential difference (d.c.) as p.d. that keeps the same polarity, and alternating potential difference (a.c.) as p.d. that repeatedly reverses polarity.
• 4.2Recall that UK mains electricity is alternating at about 230 V with a frequency of 50 Hz, and describe how a cathode ray oscilloscope trace shows d.c. and a.c.
• 4.3Describe the functions of the live, neutral and earth wires, the colour coding used in UK plugs, and why the live wire is dangerous even when a switch is open.
• 4.4Explain how fuses, circuit breakers and earthing protect users and appliances, including choosing the correct fuse rating.
• 4.5Calculate the power of appliances using P = V I and P = I² R, and the energy transferred using E = P t, including domestic energy in kilowatt-hours.
• 4.6Describe how the National Grid transmits electricity from power stations to consumers and explain, using P = I² R, why it does so at very high voltage and low current.
• 4.7Describe the role of step-up and step-down transformers in the National Grid. (Transformer calculations are Higher tier.)
• 4.8Describe how insulating materials become charged by rubbing, that like charges repel and unlike charges attract, and how sparks form when charge jumps through air. (Physics only)Physics only
• 4.9Describe the electric field around a charged object, how it gets weaker with distance, and how a second charge experiences a force within it. (Physics only)Physics only
• 4.10Describe uses and hazards of static electricity, including paint spraying, lightning conductors, earthing fuel tankers and defibrillators, and why earthing prevents charge build-up. (Physics only)Physics only

FoundationEvery student

• 5.1Describe the particle model of solids, liquids and gases, including the arrangement, separation and energies of the particles, and use it to explain the properties of each state.
• 5.2Describe changes of state (melting, freezing, boiling, evaporating, condensing, sublimation) as physical changes that conserve mass, and identify them on a heating or cooling curve.
• 5.3Define internal energy as the total kinetic and potential energy of all the particles in a system, and describe how it changes when a substance is heated or changes state.
• 5.4Define density as mass per unit volume and calculate it using density = mass ÷ volume, converting between g/cm³ and kg/m³.
• 5.5Describe the required practical: measuring the density of regular and irregular solid objects and of liquids, including use of a eureka can and measuring cylinder.
• 5.6Define specific latent heat as the energy needed to change the state of 1 kg of a substance with no temperature change, and calculate it using energy = mass × specific latent heat for melting/freezing and boiling/condensing.
• 5.7Interpret heating and cooling curves, identifying where temperature rises, where the substance changes state, and how latent heat explains the flat sections.
• 5.8Explain gas pressure as the result of gas particles colliding with surfaces, and explain how raising the temperature raises the pressure at fixed volume.

HigherHigher tier only

• 5.9Explain how increasing the volume of a gas at fixed temperature lowers its pressure, and why pumping a bike tyre warms the pump. (Higher)
• 5.10Calculate pressure and volume changes for a fixed mass of gas at constant temperature using p V = constant. (Higher)

FoundationEvery student

• 6.1Describe the structure of the atom: a nucleus of protons and neutrons surrounded by electrons in energy levels (shells), with the charges and relative masses of each particle.
• 6.2Recall that the radius of an atom is about 1 × 10⁻¹⁰ m and that the radius of the nucleus is less than 1/10 000 of that.
• 6.3Describe how the model of the atom changed: new experimental evidence led to Dalton’s spheres, Thomson’s plum pudding model, Rutherford’s nuclear model from alpha scattering, Bohr’s electron shells and Chadwick’s discovery of the neutron.
• 6.4Explain why the alpha-particle scattering experiment led to the replacement of the plum pudding model: most alphas passed straight through (mostly empty space), some were deflected (concentrated positive charge) and a few bounced back (tiny, dense nucleus).
• 6.5Describe atoms of the same element as having the same number of protons, and isotopes as atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
• 6.6Use nuclide notation (mass number, atomic number, symbol) to state the numbers of protons, neutrons and electrons in atoms and ions.
• 6.7Relate the electron arrangement to the position of the element in the periodic table, and describe how atoms form ions by losing or gaining electrons.
• 6.8Explain the difference between atoms and ions in terms of electron gain or loss, and that isotopes have identical chemical properties.

HigherHigher tier only

• 6.9Describe nuclear fission as the splitting of a large, unstable nucleus (e.g. uranium-235 or plutonium-239) after absorbing a neutron, releasing energy and further neutrons that can start a chain reaction. (Higher)
• 6.10Describe nuclear fusion as the joining of two light nuclei to form a heavier nucleus, releasing energy — the process that powers stars — and explain why fusion releases energy. (Higher)

FoundationEvery student

• 7.1Describe that some atomic nuclei are unstable and may emit radiation (alpha, beta, gamma) as they change to become stable; this is a random process called nuclear radiation.
• 7.2Describe alpha particles (helium nuclei, 2 protons + 2 neutrons), beta particles (fast electrons ejected when a neutron changes into a proton) and gamma rays (electromagnetic waves), including their penetrating and ionising powers and ranges.
• 7.3Write balanced nuclear equations for alpha and beta decay, and recall that the emission of a neutron changes neither charge nor chemical identity.
• 7.4Define the activity of a radioactive source in becquerels (Bq), as the number of decays per second, and describe how it is measured with a Geiger–Müller detector as a count rate.
• 7.5Define half-life as the time for the number of unstable nuclei (or the activity) to halve, and calculate activities or amounts remaining after a whole number of half-lives.
• 7.6Interpret decay graphs (activity or count rate against time) to read off half-life and to predict how long activity takes to fall to a given level, and explain why decay cannot be predicted for a single nucleus.
• 7.7Describe background radiation from natural and man-made sources (radon, cosmic rays, rocks, medical, nuclear industry and fallout) and correct measurements for it.
• 7.8Distinguish radioactive contamination (unwanted radioactive atoms on or in an object) from irradiation (exposure to radiation), and describe their different hazards and precautions.
• 7.9Describe uses of nuclear radiation — medical tracers, radiotherapy, sterilising equipment, thickness control, smoke alarms and radiocarbon dating — and evaluate each choice of isotope and radiation.
• 7.10Describe the hazards of ionising radiation to living cells (tissue damage, mutation, cancer) and how the hazard depends on the type of radiation and the half-life, including the disposal of radioactive waste.

FoundationEvery student

• 8.1Distinguish scalars (magnitude only — distance, speed, time, mass, energy) from vectors (magnitude and direction — displacement, velocity, acceleration, force, weight, momentum).
• 8.2Describe contact forces (friction, air resistance, tension, normal contact) and non-contact forces (gravitational, electrostatic, magnetic) as vector quantities with a size and direction.
• 8.3Explain weight as the force acting on an object through gravity, calculate it using weight = mass × gravitational field strength (W = m g), and describe weight as measured in newtons with a calibrated spring balance (newtonmeter).
• 8.4Describe that the weight of an object acts from its centre of mass and that g differs slightly across the Earth but is treated as 9.8 N/kg (or 10 N/kg) in calculations.
• 8.5Draw and interpret free-body diagrams, calculate resultant forces as vectors acting along a line, and explain how a zero resultant keeps an object at rest or at constant velocity.
• 8.6Draw and interpret distance–time graphs: gradient = speed, and use velocity–time graphs where gradient = acceleration and the area under the graph = distance.
• 8.8State Newton’s three laws: (1) an object stays at rest or at constant velocity unless acted on by a resultant force; (2) the resultant force on an object equals mass × acceleration (F = m a); (3) forces occur in equal and opposite pairs acting on different objects.
• 8.10Describe the required practical: investigating how force and mass affect the acceleration of a trolley, using light gates or ticker tape, with method, variables and graph.
• 8.11Describe examples of Newton’s third law pairs and explain that the two forces act on different objects.

HigherHigher tier only

• 8.7Calculate acceleration using a = Δv ÷ t and, for uniform acceleration, use v² − u² = 2 a s. (The second equation is Higher tier.)
• 8.9Explain inertia (the tendency to keep moving or stay still) and define inertial mass as the ratio of force over acceleration. (Higher)

FoundationEvery student

• 9.1State that the stopping distance of a vehicle is the sum of the thinking distance (distance travelled during the driver’s reaction time) and the braking distance (distance travelled under the braking force).
• 9.2Describe typical values: a reaction time of around 0.2–0.9 s, and typical stopping distances at UK road speeds.
• 9.3Explain the factors that increase thinking distance: greater speed and any factor that increases reaction time (tiredness, alcohol, drugs, distractions such as mobile phones).
• 9.4Explain the factors that increase braking distance: greater speed, poor road conditions (wet or icy), poor tyre or brake condition, and greater vehicle mass.
• 9.5Explain that braking transfers energy from the kinetic store of the vehicle to the thermal store of the brakes, and that a larger braking force means a larger deceleration.
• 9.6Explain the dangers of large decelerations (brakes overheating, loss of control) and why braking distance grows with the square of the speed.
• 9.7Estimate the forces and decelerations involved in road vehicles using F = m a and the equations of motion for typical speeds and masses.

HigherHigher tier only

• 10.1Define momentum as mass × velocity (p = m v), state its unit (kg m/s) and treat it as a vector, so objects moving in opposite directions have momenta of opposite sign. (Higher)
• 10.2State and apply the law of conservation of momentum: in a closed system, the total momentum before an event equals the total momentum after. (Higher)
• 10.3Apply conservation of momentum to collisions (objects joining together) and to explosions and recoil problems. (Higher)
• 10.4Explain that when a force acts on an object for a time, the object’s momentum changes: force × time = change in momentum (F t = Δ(m v)). (Higher)
• 10.5Explain how vehicle safety features — crumple zones, air bags and seat belts — increase the time over which momentum changes, reducing the force on occupants. (Higher)
• 10.6Explain why rapid changes of momentum produce very large forces, using examples such as collisions and catches. (Higher)

FoundationEvery student

• 11.1Recall and use work done = force × distance moved along the line of action of the force (W = F s), in joules, and describe work done as energy transferred.
• 11.2Recall and use power = work done ÷ time taken (P = W/t), in watts, and describe one watt as one joule transferred per second.
• 11.3Recall and use Hooke’s law: the extension of a spring is directly proportional to the force applied, F = k e, and describe the limit of proportionality where the relationship stops being true.
• 11.4Required practical: investigate the relationship between force and extension for a spring — method, variables, graph, and finding the spring constant from the gradient.

HigherHigher tier only

• 11.5Calculate the energy stored in a stretched spring using elastic potential energy = ½ k e². (Higher)
• 11.6Interpret force–extension graphs, including the linear region where the gradient gives the spring constant and the area under the graph giving the work done in stretching. (Higher)

FoundationEvery student

• 12.1Describe the turning effect of a force (its moment) as force × perpendicular distance from the line of action of the force to the pivot, M = F d, in newton-metres. (Physics only)Physics only
• 12.2State and apply the principle of moments: when an object is balanced, the sum of the clockwise moments about the pivot equals the sum of the anticlockwise moments. (Physics only)Physics only
• 12.3Describe how levers transmit the turning effect of a force, and explain the trade-off: a smaller force is needed further from the pivot, but it moves through a larger distance. (Physics only)Physics only
• 12.4Explain how gears transmit rotational effects: the ratio of teeth sets the ratio of rotational speeds, and a slower-turning larger gear delivers a larger turning moment. (Physics only)Physics only
• 12.5Calculate moments, balancing distances and unknown forces using the principle of moments, and calculate gear speeds and moments from tooth numbers. (Physics only)Physics only

FoundationEvery student

• 13.1Recall and use pressure = force ÷ area (P = F/A), in pascals, and explain everyday examples where a large force over a small area (or a small force over a large area) is used. (Physics only)Physics only
• 13.2Describe that pressure in a liquid acts at right angles to all surfaces, and that it increases with depth: at any given depth the pressure is the same in all directions. (Physics only)Physics only
• 13.3Describe upthrust as the upward force on an object in a fluid, equal to the weight of fluid displaced, and explain that a body floats when its weight is balanced by the upthrust. (Physics only)Physics only
• 13.5Describe atmospheric pressure, explain that it acts in all directions, and describe how it decreases as altitude increases (with a falling density of air). (Physics only)Physics only

HigherHigher tier only

• 13.4Calculate the pressure at depth h in a liquid of density ρ using P = h ρ g. (Higher, Physics only)Physics only

FoundationEvery student

• 14.1Describe wave motion as a transfer of energy without a net transfer of matter, and distinguish transverse waves (oscillations perpendicular to the direction of travel) from longitudinal waves (oscillations parallel to it).
• 14.2Define amplitude, wavelength, frequency and period; recall that period = 1/frequency and that frequency is measured in hertz.
• 14.3Recall and use the wave equation v = f λ, and describe how to measure the speed of ripples on a water surface (required practical) and waves on a stretched string.
• 14.4Describe reflection (angle of incidence = angle of reflection) and refraction (a change of direction when wave speed changes across a boundary).
• 14.5Describe sound as a longitudinal wave produced by vibrations, the human hearing range (about 20 Hz to 20 kHz), and uses and applications of ultrasound (frequency above 20 kHz), including echo ranging.
• 14.6Describe seismic waves: P-waves (longitudinal) and S-waves (transverse), and explain how their behaviour inside the Earth provides evidence for its structure, including a liquid outer core.

FoundationEvery student

• 15.1Describe electromagnetic waves as transverse waves that all travel at the same speed in a vacuum (3 × 10⁸ m/s) and can be reflected, refracted and absorbed; recall the order of the spectrum by wavelength and frequency: radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays.
• 15.2Give uses of each part of the spectrum: radio (broadcasting), microwaves (cooking, satellite communication), infrared (heaters, thermal imaging, optical fibres), visible light (vision, illumination), ultraviolet (fluorescent lamps, sterilising), X-rays (medical imaging), gamma rays (cancer treatment, sterilising equipment).
• 15.3Describe the hazards of each part of the spectrum: microwaves (internal heating of body tissue), infrared (skin burns), ultraviolet (skin damage and cancer, eye damage), X-rays and gamma rays (ionising — mutation and cancer), and how the risks depend on energy and penetration.
• 15.4Describe refraction: waves change speed (and direction) when they cross a boundary into a medium where their speed is different; recall that frequency stays constant while speed and wavelength change.

HigherHigher tier only

• 15.5Explain that all bodies emit radiation, that a perfect black body is the best possible absorber and emitter, and that a body at constant temperature absorbs and emits at the same rate. (Higher, Physics only)Physics only
• 15.6Explain how the radiation emitted by a body changes with temperature (more radiation per second at every wavelength; the peak wavelength decreases) and how the balance between absorbed and emitted radiation fixes the Earth’s temperature. (Higher, Physics only)Physics only

FoundationEvery student

• 16.1Draw ray diagrams to describe the action of a convex (converging) lens and a concave (diverging) lens; recall that the principal focus is where parallel rays meet (convex) or appear to diverge from (concave), and the focal length is the distance from the lens centre to the principal focus.Physics only
• 16.2Construct ray diagrams to locate the image formed by a convex lens, and describe how the image changes with object distance (real, inverted and diminished or magnified; virtual, upright and magnified inside the focal length).Physics only
• 16.3Recall and use magnification = image height ÷ object height, and distinguish real images (can be formed on a screen) from virtual images (cannot).Physics only
• 16.4Describe specular reflection (smooth surfaces, one direction) and diffuse reflection (rough surfaces, scattered), with angles of incidence and reflection measured from the normal; describe refraction of light at boundaries.Physics only
• 16.5Explain colour: opaque objects reflect only the colours we see, filters transmit only their own colour, and white light can be dispersed into the spectrum; predict apparent colours of objects in different lights.Physics only
• 16.6Required practicals: investigate the reflection of light by different surfaces and the refraction of light by different substances (RP8), and investigate how the infrared radiation absorbed or emitted by a surface depends on the surface (RP9).Physics only

FoundationEvery student

• 17.1Describe permanent and induced magnets, the regions of attraction (poles: like poles repel, unlike attract), and magnetic fields as the region where a magnetic material experiences a force; recall that field lines run from the north pole to the south pole outside a magnet and that a plotting compass aligns with the field.
• 17.2Describe how to map the magnetic field around a bar magnet and explain how a solenoid (a current-carrying coil) produces a field like a bar magnet’s, with ways to strengthen an electromagnet (more turns, larger current, iron core) and give uses.
• 17.3Describe the motor effect: a force acts on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field; recall Fleming’s left-hand rule for its direction; and calculate the force F = B I L (Higher).
• 17.4Explain how a simple DC electric motor works (opposite forces on the two sides of a current-carrying coil, reversed by a split-ring commutator) and how the force is reversed by swapping polarity or field direction.
• 17.5Describe the generator effect: the induction of a potential difference (and current in a complete circuit) when a conductor experiences a changing magnetic field; recall the factors that increase the induced potential, and the difference between alternators (AC) and dynamos (DC).
• 17.6Explain how microphones and loudspeakers use the generator and motor effects. (Physics only)Physics only
• 17.7Explain how transformers work (AC in the primary gives a changing field in the core that induces a potential in the secondary), use the turns ratio Vs/Vp = Ns/Np (Higher), and explain why the National Grid transmits power at very high voltage. (Physics only)Physics only

FoundationEvery student

• 18.1Describe the solar system: the Sun, eight planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids and comets; recall that the Sun is one of billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy, and that the universe contains billions of galaxies.Physics only
• 18.2Describe the life cycle of a star: formation from a cloud of dust and gas pulled together by gravity; the main sequence (stable star fusing hydrogen); and, for stars about the size of the Sun, red giant → white dwarf; for much more massive stars, red supergiant → supernova → neutron star or black hole.Physics only
• 18.3Explain that a star remains stable during its main sequence because the outward pressure from fusion energy balances the inward pull of gravity, and that fusion of hydrogen (and later larger nuclei) in stars produces the elements; elements heavier than iron can be formed in supernovae.Physics only
• 18.4Explain that gravity provides the centripetal force that keeps planets, moons and artificial satellites in circular orbits, and describe the difference between geostationary satellites (24-hour period above the equator) and low polar orbits.Physics only
• 18.5Describe red-shift: light from galaxies that are moving away from us is shifted to longer (redder) wavelengths; the further away a galaxy, the greater its red-shift and the faster it is receding.Physics only
• 18.6Explain how red-shift and the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) both support the Big Bang theory: the universe is expanding and began from a single, extremely small, hot and dense point.Physics only