A complete guide to Edexcel GCSE Physics

Edexcel GCSE Physics (specification 1PH0) is run by Pearson Edexcel and is the second most popular physics GCSE in the UK after AQA. It is a linear qualification, structured around fifteen topics and assessed across two written papers at the end of Year 11.

This guide covers everything you need to know to walk into the exam confident: How the papers are structured, which topics are tested on each, the core practicals you have to know, and the revision techniques that work best for physics.

Edexcel GCSE Physics is a linear qualification. Everything you have learned over Years 10 and 11 is assessed at the end of the course in one exam series, usually in May and June of Year 11. There is no coursework and no controlled assessment. Your grade comes entirely from two written papers.

Both papers are weighted equally and test the same three assessment objectives: Recall of physics, application to unfamiliar contexts, and analysis of practical and experimental data.

Each paper contains a mix of question types: Multiple choice, short structured answers, longer six-mark extended responses, and equation-heavy calculation questions. Around 30% of total marks across both papers test mathematical skills, which is the highest of any science GCSE. Many calculations reward correct working even when the final answer is wrong, so always show your method.

Paper 1 is sat first in the summer exam series. It covers topics 1 to 7, focusing on motion, energy, waves, light, radioactivity, and astronomy.

Units, prefixes, and significant figures. This is a short topic but underpins every calculation in both papers.

Speed, velocity, acceleration, equations of motion, distance–time and velocity–time graphs, Newton's laws of motion, momentum, and stopping distances. Higher Tier extends to projectile motion and momentum calculations in collisions.

Energy stores, energy transfers, conservation of energy, work done, power, efficiency, and renewable vs non-renewable energy resources.

Transverse and longitudinal waves, wave equations, the electromagnetic spectrum, refraction, reflection, sound, and ultrasound. Higher Tier covers seismic waves.

The electromagnetic spectrum in detail, including uses and dangers of each part. You cover absorption, transmission, and the inverse relationship between frequency and wavelength.

The history of the atom, isotopes, types of radiation (alpha, beta, gamma), half-life, nuclear equations, and the uses and dangers of radiation. Higher Tier covers fission and fusion.

The solar system, satellites, orbital motion, the life cycle of stars, red shift, and the Big Bang theory. This topic is only in Triple Physics, not Combined.

Paper 2 covers topics 8 to 15, plus revisits of topic 1. The content shifts towards energy, electricity, magnetism, and the particle model.

Force, work, and power calculations in context. You apply the work-energy principle to lifts, vehicles, and machines.

Moments, levers, gears, pressure in fluids, upthrust, and atmospheric pressure. Higher Tier extends to pressure differences with depth.

Circuit symbols, current, potential difference, resistance, Ohm's law, series and parallel circuits, the mains supply, and electrical power. Higher Tier covers thermistors, LDRs, and IV characteristics.

Charging by friction, electric fields, and the uses and dangers of static electricity.

Magnetic fields, electromagnets, the motor effect, and (Higher Tier) the equation F = BIL.

The generator effect, transformers, and the equation for transformer turns ratios. Higher Tier covers power transmission losses.

Density, the three states of matter, specific heat capacity, specific latent heat, and gas pressure. Higher Tier covers the gas laws.

Elastic and inelastic deformation, Hooke's law, and the energy stored in a stretched spring.

Edexcel specifies 8 core practicals you must have carried out (or seen demonstrated). You will not perform them in the exam, but you will be tested on the methods, the variables, the results, and the underlying physics. Around 15% of the marks across the two papers come from practical-related questions.

These are the 8 core practicals you need to know:

Edexcel GCSE Physics is tiered. Foundation Tier covers grades 1–5 and Higher Tier covers grades 4–9. The same topics appear on both tiers, but Higher Tier papers contain harder questions and additional Higher-only content (such as the motor effect equation in topic 12 and the gas laws in topic 14).

Your school usually decides which tier you sit, based on mock exam results and class assessments. If you sit Foundation and score above the boundary for grade 5, you will be awarded a 5. If you sit Higher and score below the grade 4 boundary, you will be ungraded (U), with no safety net of a grade 3.

Grade boundaries change every year. Pearson publishes the official boundaries on results day each August.

Physics is the most maths-heavy of the three sciences, and Edexcel is the most equation-heavy of the boards. The students who get grade 8 and 9 do not just learn the equations – they learn how to spot which one to use and how to rearrange it under pressure.

Edexcel provides a formula sheet in the exam, but it does not include every equation. Equations like work done, power, density, and Newton's second law must be memorised. Make a one-page sheet of the must-know equations and recite it daily for the two weeks before the exam.

Many physics questions test whether you can rearrange an equation, not just whether you can plug numbers in. Practise doing it without the formula triangle – exam stress makes the triangle harder to apply, and Higher Tier questions often need a two-step rearrangement.

Reading your notes feels productive but barely sticks. Active recall – closing the book and writing what you remember – forces your brain to retrieve information, which is what builds long-term memory. Flashcards work well for definitions, units, and the equations not on the formula sheet.

Do not just learn each method. Learn the kinds of questions examiners ask. What are the variables? Why is each control variable important? How would you calculate a percentage uncertainty from the data? Past paper questions on practicals are some of the most predictable mark-grabbers.

Doing a past paper and putting it back on the shelf is wasted work. Mark it honestly, write down every topic you got wrong, and revise that specific content before doing another paper. The biggest jumps in physics scores come from fixing recurring weaknesses, not from doing more papers.