GCSE physics equations: What's on the sheet and what to know

Good news: for GCSE Physics exams in 2026 and 2027, every equation you need is on the formula sheet you are given in the exam. Ofqual and AQA extended the 2022 concession through 2027, so you do not need to memorise physics equations for either of the next two exam series.

That does not mean you can ignore equations. You still need to know what each equation does, which variables go where, and when to reach for it. And from 2028 onwards the concession ends, so anyone starting their GCSE course now should still build the habit of recalling the core equations from memory.

This guide lists every equation on the AQA GCSE Physics specification, grouped by topic. For each one, it tells you whether the equation is on the sheet in a normal year, or whether you would normally need to recall it from memory – so you can prioritise your revision accordingly.

In a normal year, AQA GCSE Physics gives you a partial formula sheet in every exam. It lists the equations that are harder to recall or less commonly used – things like specific heat capacity, specific latent heat, and the kinematic equation. The remaining equations – the ones that come up most often and are short enough to drill – you are expected to recall from memory.

Because of the ongoing concession, the sheet you get for 2026 and 2027 contains every equation. You will not need to recall any from memory. But understanding what each equation means and when to use it still matters, because reading the sheet during the exam and actually knowing how to apply an equation are two different things.

In the tables below, each equation is labelled as it would be in a normal year: 'on the sheet' means it is provided every year, and 'memorise (normally)' means you would need to recall it from memory once the concession expires. For 2026 and 2027 you will see all of them on the sheet regardless.

Having every equation in front of you is not the same as knowing how to use them. Students who rely on the sheet without practising run into three problems in the exam.

First, they waste time hunting. If you have never seen the sheet before, you will spend seconds flicking back and forth trying to find the right row. Students who have practised with the sheet go straight to the equation they need.

Second, they pick the wrong equation. The sheet gives you the formula, not the application. If you cannot tell whether a question about a falling ball needs Eₖ = ½mv² or Eₚ = mgh, the sheet does not help. Practice questions are the only way to build that judgement.

Third, they struggle with rearranging. Many equations appear on the sheet in a single form, but exam questions often want you to find a different variable. Rearranging v = fλ to λ = v/f is straightforward if you have practised it and painful if you have not.

Even though you do not strictly need to memorise equations for 2026, the students who perform best still understand them deeply. That means knowing what each symbol represents, what units go with each variable, and being able to rearrange the equation on demand.

One effective technique is to write each equation out from memory on a blank page, including units, then check against the sheet. Do this once a week during exam season. It takes about five minutes and builds fluency that the sheet alone cannot provide.

Another is to practise exam questions that combine two or more equations. Many higher-tier questions ask you to find a quantity that needs one equation to get from the given data to an intermediate value, and a second to get to the final answer. These are exactly the questions where students who memorise the equations do better than students who can only read them off a sheet.

If you are in Year 10 in 2026, the concession ends before your exams, so starting to memorise now saves panic later. Year 11 students sitting exams in 2026 or 2027 can focus purely on application.