The 10 AQA GCSE Physics required practicals you must know

There are 10 named required practicals on the AQA GCSE Physics specification. At least one appears in Paper 1 and at least one in Paper 2 — every year, without fail. Typically worth 5–6 marks per question. That's 10–12 marks across the two papers for material that is completely predictable in advance.

For students sitting AQA Physics, the required practicals are the highest-return revision target in the entire syllabus. The questions follow predictable shapes; the mark schemes reward specific phrasing; the content can be cleanly summarised onto one page per practical. Six hours of focused work on the practicals reliably banks 8–12 exam marks, which is roughly half a grade boundary.

This post is the cheatsheet we'd give our own children. For each practical: what it tests, the independent/dependent/control variables, the typical exam question shape, the common mark-losers.

The general structure of a required-practical answer

Before the 10 specific practicals, the structural point — every required-practical answer needs five things:

1. The IV (independent variable) — the variable you change in the experiment.
2. The DV (dependent variable) — the variable you measure.
3. Control variables — the variables you hold constant to make it a fair test.
4. The method — ordered steps with specific equipment named.
5. A sensible improvement — what you'd change to reduce uncertainty.

Almost every required-practical exam question awards a mark for at least three of these. Students who write a vague "I'd heat the water and measure the temperature" answer score 1–2 marks. Students who write "Independent variable: time. Dependent variable: temperature. Controls: mass of water, initial temperature, power of heater" score 3 marks before they've even described the method.

Paper 1 — the 5 typical Paper 1 practicals

1. Specific heat capacity of a metal block

What it tests: how much energy is needed to raise 1 kg of a substance by 1°C, using E = mc∆θ.

IV: time the heater is on (or energy supplied). DV: temperature of the block. Controls: mass of block, insulation, starting temperature, power of heater.

Typical exam question shape: a 5-mark "describe a method to find the specific heat capacity of aluminium" — or a calculation question where you're given mass, energy, temperature change and asked to find c.

Common marks lost:

• Forgetting insulation as a control variable. Heat loss to the surroundings is the dominant source of error in this experiment.
• Not stating that the heater should be left on long enough to give a measurable temperature change but not so long that the block overheats.
• Confusing specific heat capacity (J/kg°C) with specific latent heat (J/kg). Different units, different topic.

The improvement they want: "wrap the block in insulating material" or "use a higher-power heater for less time to minimise heat loss".

2. Density of regular + irregular solids and liquids

What it tests: ρ = m/V — mass over volume — measured experimentally.

For regular solids: measure with a ruler/vernier, calculate volume from dimensions. For irregular solids: water displacement in a measuring cylinder. For liquids: measure the mass of a known volume.

IV: the object being measured. DV: density. Controls: temperature (especially for liquids — density changes with temperature).

Typical exam question shape: a 4–5 mark "describe how to find the density of an irregularly-shaped stone" or a calculation question with mass and volume given.

Common marks lost:

• Forgetting to subtract the initial water level when finding volume by displacement.
• Saying "use a measuring cylinder" without specifying it's the displacement method.
• Mass and volume unit mismatches — kg and m³ for SI, but g and cm³ work too (just keep them consistent — 1 g/cm³ = 1000 kg/m³).

The improvement: "use a larger object so the percentage uncertainty in the volume reading is smaller".

3. Resistance vs length of wire

What it tests: that resistance is proportional to length for a uniform wire (R ∝ L).

IV: length of wire. DV: resistance (calculated from V and I via Ohm's law). Controls: cross-sectional area of wire, material of wire, temperature of wire.

Typical exam question shape: a 5–6 mark question describing the circuit and asking you to predict the shape of the R-against-L graph (straight line through origin), or asking you to identify a source of error.

Common marks lost:

• Forgetting that temperature must be controlled. The standard trick: use a low current so the wire doesn't heat up, or only briefly close the switch.
• Not naming the specific equipment: a micrometer for cross-sectional area (you'll be asked why), crocodile clips at known lengths along the wire.
• Saying "use a thicker wire" as an improvement — wrong; thicker means less resistance and harder to measure.

The improvement: "use a longer wire so the percentage uncertainty in length measurement is smaller" or "use a thinner wire so resistance is higher and easier to measure accurately".

4. I-V characteristics for filament lamp / diode / resistor

What it tests: the relationship between current and voltage for three components — a fixed resistor (linear, through origin), a filament lamp (S-shaped curve), and a diode (zero current until threshold voltage, then sharp rise).

IV: voltage (varied with a variable resistor or potential divider). DV: current. Controls: same component, temperature, ambient conditions.

Typical exam question shape: an 8–10 mark "describe the circuit and explain the shape of the I-V curve for [component]". This is one of the most commonly examined practicals.

Common marks lost:

• Drawing the ammeter and voltmeter in the wrong positions. Ammeter: in series with the component. Voltmeter: in parallel across the component.
• Not explaining the filament lamp's S-shape in terms of temperature: as current increases, the filament heats up, resistance increases, so the curve flattens.
• Drawing the diode I-V graph symmetrically through the origin — it isn't. Below the threshold voltage (~0.7V for silicon), there's essentially zero current.

The improvement: "use a potential divider rather than a variable resistor to access voltage values from zero" — this matters specifically for the diode practical.

5. Insulation effectiveness on heat loss from a beaker

What it tests: which materials are best at reducing rate of heat loss from a hot water beaker.

IV: insulating material (bubble wrap, newspaper, foil, none). DV: temperature of water after fixed time (or time for fixed temperature drop). Controls: starting temperature of water, mass of water, surface area of beaker, ambient room temperature.

Typical exam question shape: a 5–6 mark "compare the effectiveness of these four insulators" or "evaluate this experimental design".

Common marks lost:

• Not controlling the lid — if the beaker is open, evaporation dominates and the insulation barely matters.
• Conflating "best insulator" with "most layers" — the question is about the material, not thickness, unless thickness is the IV.
• Forgetting that water loses heat by evaporation, conduction (to the bench), convection (to the air), and radiation. A complete answer mentions at least two routes.

The improvement: "use a lid to prevent evaporation" or "place all beakers on the same insulating mat to control conduction losses to the bench".

Paper 2 — the 5 typical Paper 2 practicals

6. Spring extension under load (force-extension graph)

What it tests: Hooke's law — F = ke — and the elastic limit.

IV: force (mass × g). DV: extension of spring. Controls: same spring, same starting length, temperature.

Typical exam question shape: plot the force-extension graph, identify the elastic limit, calculate the spring constant k from the gradient.

Common marks lost:

• Confusing length with extension. Extension is the increase from the original length, not the total length.
• Reading k from the y-intercept instead of the gradient. k is the gradient of F-against-e (or 1/gradient if e is on the y-axis).
• Going past the elastic limit and trying to use F = ke on the curved part — it only applies in the linear region.

The improvement: "use a smaller-mass increment to get more data points near the elastic limit" or "use a marker on the spring to read extension against a fixed ruler".

7. Acceleration of a trolley + light gates

What it tests: that acceleration is proportional to net force (Newton's second law, F = ma).

IV: force applied (using hanging masses over a pulley, or a force sensor). DV: acceleration (calculated from velocity-time data via light gates). Controls: mass of trolley, friction (compensated with a tilt), surface.

Typical exam question shape: 6-mark "describe the apparatus and method" or a calculation involving converting two light-gate readings into acceleration.

Common marks lost:

• Forgetting to compensate for friction by tilting the track so the trolley rolls at constant velocity with no applied force.
• Not naming light gates specifically as the timing apparatus — "stopwatch" gets the method mark but not the accuracy mark.
• Confusion between the hanging mass and the trolley mass. The driving force is the hanging mass × g; the accelerating mass is both combined.

The improvement: "use a data logger to record times electronically rather than relying on student reactions".

8. Wave speed on a stretched string + ripple tank

What it tests: v = fλ and how to measure speed, frequency and wavelength of waves.

For a string: vibration generator at a known frequency, length adjusted to standing wave, wavelength = 2 × (length / number of half-wavelengths). For a ripple tank: stroboscope freezes the wave pattern, measure wavelength with a ruler, frequency from the signal generator.

IV: typically frequency. DV: wavelength. Controls: tension in string, type of string, water depth in ripple tank.

Typical exam question shape: 5–6 mark "describe how to measure the speed of waves on a string" or a calculation given f and λ.

Common marks lost:

• Counting nodes instead of half-wavelengths. One full wavelength = two nodes apart on a standing wave (one full peak and one full trough).
• Treating the wavelength on the string as the distance between two nodes — that's half a wavelength.
• For ripple tanks: forgetting that the wave shows up as bright and dark bands on the floor below; the bright-to-bright distance is one wavelength.

The improvement: "measure the length over several half-wavelengths and divide, to reduce percentage uncertainty".

9. Reflection / refraction of light at boundaries

What it tests: the laws of reflection (angle in = angle out) and refraction (light bends towards the normal in denser media).

IV: angle of incidence. DV: angle of refraction (or reflection). Controls: same ray box, same medium, same light wavelength.

Typical exam question shape: 4–5 mark "describe the method" or a diagram-based question about which direction the ray bends entering or leaving a glass block.

Common marks lost:

• Measuring angles from the surface instead of from the normal. Always measure from the normal (the perpendicular to the surface).
• Drawing the refracted ray bending away from the normal when entering glass — wrong direction. Light entering denser glass bends towards the normal.
• Not naming a protractor explicitly, or using a ruler-and-pencil method without marking the normal.

The improvement: "use a sharp pencil and mark the incident and emergent rays before removing the block, then draw the refracted ray inside the block".

10. Radiation absorption + emission from different surfaces

What it tests: that dark, matt surfaces absorb and emit infrared radiation better than shiny, light surfaces.

For emission: use a Leslie's cube filled with hot water; measure IR emitted from each face with an infrared detector. For absorption: shine an IR lamp at differently-coloured surfaces of cans, measure temperature rise of water inside.

IV: surface colour/finish. DV: temperature change (or detector reading). Controls: starting temperature, distance from heat source, mass of water (for absorption setup).

Typical exam question shape: 5–6 mark "describe a method to compare the rate of emission from different surfaces" or "explain why a matt black surface is a better absorber than a shiny silver surface".

Common marks lost:

• Saying "black absorbs heat" without specifying infrared or electromagnetic radiation.
• Forgetting that an object emits and absorbs at the same rate at thermal equilibrium — good absorbers are also good emitters.
• Not controlling distance from the IR source in the absorption variant. Inverse-square-law effects are large.

The improvement: "use an infrared detector at fixed distance from each face" or "use a thermal imaging camera".

How to revise the 10 practicals efficiently

A practical priority order, given limited time:

1. I-V characteristics — high mark value, predictable shape, multiple components to know.
2. Specific heat capacity — frequent, classic calculation overlap with E = mc∆θ.
3. Acceleration with light gates — high-mark "describe the method" question.
4. Resistance vs length — straightforward but with predictable improvement marks.
5. Spring extension — entry-level but always appears in some form.

Then the others as time allows.

A reasonable plan: spend 30 minutes per practical writing a one-page summary covering IV, DV, controls, equipment, common errors, and a sensible improvement. That's 5 hours total. Add 5 minutes per practical reviewing it every other day in the final two weeks and you've banked 8–12 exam marks for almost no risk.

Where our tools fit

The GCSE Physics topic pages include practical-specific notes within each relevant topic. The Past Papers hub lets you find recent AQA papers — search for "required practical" questions and you'll see how predictable the question shapes really are.

The honest bottom line

Required practicals are the single most predictable thing in GCSE Physics. The 10 practicals are known in advance, the question shapes are known in advance, the mark scheme phrasing is recyclable across years. Students who treat the practicals as 10 things to learn — not 10 things to fear — bank a reliable 10+ marks before the rest of the paper has even started.

For most Year 11 students, this is the single highest-ROI revision target in the whole subject. Put 6 hours of structured work into it. The marks pay back every time.