AQA GCSE Physics required practicals: All 10 explained

There are 10 required practicals in the AQA GCSE Physics specification (8463), and questions on them can appear on either Paper 1 or Paper 2. You will not carry out an experiment in the exam hall, but you will be expected to describe the method, identify variables, interpret results and evaluate the technique as if you had done it yourself.

Practical-skills questions are worth at least 15% of the total marks across both papers. AQA tests whether you understand the physics behind the experiment, not whether you have memorised a recipe. This guide lists all 10 required practicals with what you need to know for each one, then sets out the question types AQA returns to year after year.

The table below lists every required practical on the AQA GCSE Physics specification (8463), in the official AQA numbering order. Practicals 1 to 5 sit on Paper 1 topics (energy, electricity, particle model). Practicals 6 to 10 sit on Paper 2 topics (forces and waves). Note that magnetism is on the GCSE syllabus but does not appear as one of the 10 required practicals; the 'force on a current-carrying conductor' practical is an A-Level one, not GCSE. Two of the practicals are Physics-only and are not done by Combined Science students: RP2 (Thermal insulation) and RP9 (Light reflection and refraction).

For each required practical, you should be able to answer four things from memory. The method (step by step), the variables (independent, dependent and at least two control variables), the expected results, and the conclusion you can draw. Below is a breakdown of each one.

You measure the energy needed to heat a known mass of a material (typically a metal block or water) by a measured temperature rise. An electric immersion heater is connected to a joulemeter (or a voltmeter, ammeter and stopwatch) and inserted into the material with a thermometer. You record the temperature before and after heating, and the energy supplied. Specific heat capacity c is calculated from ΔE = mcΔθ. The independent variable is time or energy supplied, and the dependent variable is the temperature change. Common exam questions: Why insulate the block, why is the measured c usually higher than the true value (energy lost to the surroundings), and how to improve accuracy.

Physics-only practical (not done by Combined Science students). You investigate which materials are most effective at reducing heat loss, and how thickness affects insulation. A standard set-up uses a small beaker of hot water placed inside a larger beaker, with the gap filled with different insulating materials (cotton wool, bubble wrap, layers of newspaper). A thermometer or temperature probe records the temperature of the water over time, with a lid to reduce evaporation. Repeats with the same starting temperature and volume of water let you compare materials fairly. A second investigation varies the number of layers (typically newspaper) to see how thickness affects the rate of cooling. The independent variable is the material (or number of layers), the dependent variable is the temperature drop over a fixed time, and the main control variables are starting temperature, volume of water, room temperature, and time. Common exam questions: Identify control variables, explain why a lid is used, sketch a temperature-time graph for a good vs a poor insulator, and link the result to particle motion (kinetic theory).

A wire of constant material and thickness is connected in a circuit with an ammeter and voltmeter. The length of the wire in the circuit is varied using a crocodile clip on a metre rule. For each length you measure current and potential difference, then calculate R = V/I. The expected graph is a straight line through the origin, showing that resistance is directly proportional to length. The independent variable is length, the dependent variable is resistance, and the main control variables are wire material, cross-sectional area, and current (kept low to avoid heating). Common exam questions: Why keep the current low (heating changes resistance), why use thin wire, how a switch is used to avoid continuous heating.

You vary the potential difference across a component using a variable resistor and record current and voltage at each setting, including reversing the supply for negative values. You then plot a graph of I against V. A fixed resistor gives a straight line through the origin (ohmic). A filament lamp gives an S-shaped curve (resistance increases as the filament heats up). A diode gives current only in one direction with a sharp turn-on around 0.6 V. Common exam questions: Sketch the I–V graph for each component, explain why the filament lamp curve is non-linear, explain the diode's behaviour in terms of how a diode conducts in one direction only.

Density ρ = m/V. For a regular solid you measure dimensions with a ruler or vernier calliper and calculate the volume. For an irregular solid you use the displacement method – submerging the object in a eureka can and measuring the displaced water in a measuring cylinder. For a liquid you measure the mass of an empty cylinder, fill it to a known volume, and find the difference. Common exam questions: Calculate density from given data, identify a sample by comparing to a table of densities, describe the displacement method for an irregular object, and explain why measuring the diameter of a small ball with a ruler gives a large percentage error.

A spring is hung vertically from a stand and its natural length recorded. Masses are added one at a time and the new length measured each time. Extension = new length minus original length. You plot a graph of force (F = mg) against extension. The graph is a straight line through the origin up to the limit of proportionality, after which it curves – Hooke's law no longer applies. The gradient gives the spring constant k from F = ke. Common exam questions: Sketch the F–e graph, identify the limit of proportionality, calculate k from the gradient, explain why measurements should be taken at eye level to avoid parallax error.

A trolley on a track is connected over a pulley to a hanging mass that provides the accelerating force. Light gates record the velocity at two points and the acceleration is calculated using a = Δv/t. You vary either the force (by moving masses from the trolley to the hanging string, keeping total mass constant) or the total mass. The expected result is that acceleration is directly proportional to force (gradient = 1/mass), and inversely proportional to mass, confirming F = ma. Common exam questions: Explain why mass is moved from trolley to string rather than just added (to keep total mass constant), describe the role of light gates, and identify sources of friction error.

Two methods. For waves on a stretched string, a signal generator drives a vibration generator at one end. You adjust the frequency until standing waves form. Wavelength is measured directly from the standing wave pattern, and wave speed is calculated from v = fλ. For ripples in a water tank, a strobe is used to freeze the wave pattern. You measure the wavelength on a screen and time how long the waves take to cross a known distance. Common exam questions: Calculate wave speed from wavelength and frequency, describe how to measure wavelength accurately, explain why standing waves form only at specific frequencies.

A ray box shines a narrow beam at a glass or perspex block resting on white paper. You draw around the block, mark the incoming and outgoing rays, then connect them through the block. The angle of incidence and angle of refraction are measured with a protractor from the normal. Refraction occurs because light slows down in the denser material, bending towards the normal on entry and away from the normal on exit. Common exam questions: Define the normal, draw and label a refraction diagram, explain why the light bends, and describe how to make measurements accurate (sharp pencil, ruler, protractor at eye level).

A Leslie cube is a hollow cube with four different surfaces (matt black, matt white, shiny silver, shiny black or grey). It is filled with hot water. An infrared detector held at a fixed distance from each face records how much infrared is emitted. Matt black emits the most, shiny silver the least. The same apparatus can investigate absorption by replacing the detector with a temperature sensor on a black or silver surface placed in front of a heater. Common exam questions: Describe the method, predict which surface emits or absorbs more, explain in terms of energy transfer by radiation, and list the control variables (distance from cube, time, water temperature).

AQA returns to a small set of question styles for required practicals year after year. Knowing the patterns means you can prepare your answers in advance.

Describe the method questions ask you to list the steps in order. Marks come from specifying equipment, quantities and exactly how measurements are taken. Vague answers like 'measure the temperature' score nothing – say which thermometer, where it's placed, and how often you read it.

Identify the variables questions want the independent variable (what you change), the dependent variable (what you measure) and at least two control variables (what you keep the same). State how each control variable is controlled.

Explain the results questions need you to use physics – not just describe what happened. For example, the filament lamp's I–V graph curves because the filament heats up and resistance increases.

Evaluate the method questions ask for weaknesses and improvements. The standard list of improvements covers more precise instruments, more repeats and a mean, better-controlled variables, and reduced energy loss to the surroundings.

Six-mark extended response questions sometimes focus entirely on one required practical. These need a logical structure – describe the method, explain the physics, and link the answer to the data shown.

Reading through the method is not enough. AQA tests whether you can think like a scientist, not whether you can recite a textbook.

For each practical, write the method out from memory, then check it against a Cognito video or your textbook. Pay attention to the steps you forgot – those are the marks you would have dropped.

Draw the expected graph for every practical. For resistance of a wire, that's a straight line through the origin. For I–V characteristics, three different shapes. For force and extension, a straight line that curves above the limit of proportionality. Labelling axes correctly and plotting the right shape are worth marks on their own.

Work through past paper questions on each practical. AQA recycles similar question styles, so the more papers you do, the more familiar the wording becomes. Mark schemes are valuable – note any marking points you missed.