AQA GCSE Physics (8463): papers, topics and grade boundaries

AQA GCSE Physics papers at a glance

The specification is AQA GCSE Physics 8463 (version 1.1, September 2019). Both papers are available at Foundation and Higher tier, and you sit both at the same tier. Questions are multiple choice, structured, closed short answer and open response. Open response questions are the longer ones, where the mark scheme rewards a clear line of reasoning rather than one fact. AQA's June 2023 paper covers list a ruler and a scientific calculator, and say you are expected to use the calculator where appropriate.

The equations you are given on the paper, and the ones you must remember, are set out in ourAQA GCSE Physics equation sheet guide.

What each AQA GCSE Physics paper covers

Paper 1: energy, electricity, particles and atoms

• Energy: energy stores and transfers, kinetic and gravitational potential energy, specific heat capacity, power, efficiency and energy resources.
• Electricity: circuit symbols, current, potential difference and resistance, series and parallel circuits, mains electricity, and power and energy transferred. Static electricity is physics only.
• Particle model of matter: density, states of matter, internal energy, specific latent heat and gas pressure.
• Atomic structure: the structure of the atom, isotopes, radioactive decay, half-life, and the uses and hazards of radiation. Nuclear fission and fusion is physics only.

Paper 2: forces, waves, magnetism and space

• Forces: scalars and vectors, speed, velocity and acceleration, Newton's three laws, stopping distances, work done, and elasticity. Momentum is Higher tier only, and levers, gears and pressure in fluids are physics only.
• Waves: waves in air, fluids and solids, the wave equation, and the electromagnetic spectrum. Black body radiation is physics only.
• Magnetism and electromagnetism: magnetic fields, and the motor effect. Induced potential, transformers and the National Grid are physics only.
• Space physics: the Solar System, the life cycle of a star, orbital motion and satellites, and red-shift. AQA marks space physics as physics only, so it is not in Combined Science.

AQA says Paper 2 questions may also draw on energy and electricity from Paper 1, so keep those topics in your revision after you move on.

AQA GCSE Physics required practicals

AQA lists ten required practical activities for GCSE Physics. They are assessed in the written papers, not by a separate practical mark, so you answer questions about method, variables, risks, results and conclusions. The ten are specific heat capacity, thermal insulation (physics only), resistance in circuits, I-V characteristics, density, force and extension for a spring, force and acceleration, waves in a ripple tank or on a string, reflection of light (physics only) and infrared radiation from different surfaces. Analyse your own results in the Practical Data Lab.

Worked examples in AQA style

Energy: heating water

An electric heater rated 1500 W warms 2.0 kg of water from 15 °C to 60 °C. Use 4200 J/kg °C for water. How long does it take, assuming all the energy goes to the water? First the energy needed:

Two marks go for the temperature change and the substitution, and one for the final answer with its unit. A real heater loses some energy to the surroundings, so the true time would be longer.

Electricity: power in a resistor

A 12 Ω resistor is connected to a 9.0 V supply. Find the current, the power and the energy transferred in 2.0 minutes.

Convert minutes to seconds before using E = Pt. That conversion is the most common lost mark on this kind of question.

Forces (Higher): stopping a car

A 900 kg car travelling at 20 m/s is stopped by a constant braking force of 4500 N. Find the braking distance. The deceleration comes from F = ma, and the distance from v² − u² = 2as:

The negative sign matters: the car is slowing down, so the acceleration points against the motion. Practise power and cost in our Electricity course, then press Mark to check your answer in the course:

AQA GCSE Physics grade boundaries

These are AQA's own raw boundaries from its GCSE grade boundary documents: the lowest total mark, out of 200, that earns each grade. AQA published the June 2026 figures on 20 August 2026 and the June 2025 figures on 21 August 2025. Foundation tier awards grades 5 to 1 and Higher tier grades 9 to 3.

AQA GCSE Physics Higher tier boundaries

AQA GCSE Physics Foundation tier boundaries

The Higher grade 4 boundary was 67 in 2026 and 70 in 2025, so it moved by 3 marks and the paper was a little easier to pass. Boundaries change every year because papers differ in difficulty, so use them as a guide, not a target. For every AQA GCSE subject side by side, see ourAQA GCSE grade boundaries 2026 guide.

How AQA GCSE Physics differs from Edexcel

Both boards set two 1 hour 45 minute papers of 100 marks, each 50% of the grade, with Foundation and Higher tiers and a calculator allowed. The split of topics is different. Pearson Edexcel GCSE Physics (1PH0) puts key concepts, motion and forces, conservation of energy, waves, light and the electromagnetic spectrum, radioactivity and astronomy in Paper 1, and energy and forces, electricity and circuits, static electricity, magnetism, electromagnetic induction, the particle model and forces and matter in Paper 2. So astronomy and waves are in AQA's Paper 2 but Edexcel's Paper 1, and electricity moves the other way. Edexcel lists eight core practicals where AQA lists ten. If you are on Edexcel, see theEdexcel GCSE Physics guide.

Use the daily paper as a short timed mock

Uni-Sine publishes a free daily paper on theGCSE Physics HigherandGCSE Physics Foundationtracks. Each is a short timed paper of 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks. It is not a full AQA paper and it is not written by AQA, so use it as a quick mock between full past papers. It is written for all boards, so it covers energy and specific heat capacity, power and efficiency, circuits, waves and the electromagnetic spectrum, radioactive decay and half-life, Newton's laws and momentum, stopping distances, the particle model and the motor effect, and Higher also includes space physics. Sit it without notes, mark it, and write down every mark you dropped.

Common mistakes in AQA GCSE Physics

• Forgetting unit conversions. Minutes to seconds, grams to kilograms and centimetres to metres before any equation.
• Writing "energy is used up". Energy is transferred or dissipated to the surroundings, never destroyed.
• Skipping the substitution line. In a 3 or 4 mark calculation the working earns marks even when the answer is wrong.
• Not giving the unit. A correct number with no unit, or the wrong one, usually loses the final mark.
• Vague open responses. Say what happens, then why, in the order the mark scheme can follow.

Exam answers

The answers and a worked mark scheme come with today's paper once it is marked. We do not publish official or past paper answers. Every question on the daily paper is our own.

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