GCSE PhysicsAQA, Edexcel and OCR
40 physics questions on energy. Pick your answer, then tap to see if you were right and why. Every answer comes from the Show Working science bank, checked against the GCSE content every board in England teaches.
01 / Quiz yourselfTry it, then tap to check
Choose your answer before you open it. Then read why, so it sticks.
01 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B Kinetic store
Every moving object has energy in its kinetic store. The amount depends on its mass and its speed: kinetic energy = 0.5 × mass × speed². A heavier or faster object has more.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.1.2 Changes in energy
02 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: D Elastic potential store
Stretching or squashing a spring stores energy in its elastic potential store. The amount depends on how stiff the spring is (its spring constant) and how far it is stretched (its extension): energy = 0.5 × spring constant × extension².
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.1.2 Changes in energy
03 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: C Gravitational potential store
Lifting an object raises the energy in its gravitational potential store. The gain depends on its mass, the gravitational field strength and the height it is raised: energy = mass × gravitational field strength × height.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.1.2 Changes in energy
04 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B It becomes four times as big
Kinetic energy = 0.5 × mass × speed². Speed is squared, so doubling the speed makes the kinetic energy four times as big. Mass is not squared, so doubling the mass only doubles it.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.1.2 Changes in energy
05 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: D Joule (J)
Energy, and the work done when energy is transferred, are both measured in joules (J). Watts measure power, the rate of transfer, and newtons measure force.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.1.2 Changes in energy
06 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: A Work done by a force
Energy sits in stores, such as kinetic, gravitational potential, elastic potential, thermal, chemical and nuclear stores. It moves between stores in ways such as heating, work done by forces and work done when a current flows.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.1.1 Energy stores and systems
07 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: C The energy to raise 1 kg of it by 1 °C
Specific heat capacity is the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of a substance by 1 degree Celsius, measured in J/kg °C. It is not the energy to melt or boil it: that is latent heat, in J/kg.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.1.3 Energy changes in systems
08 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B The copper
Change in thermal energy = mass × specific heat capacity × temperature change. A substance with a high specific heat capacity, like water, needs a lot of energy for each degree, so the same energy warms it less.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.1.3 Energy changes in systems
09 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B The thermal store of your hands
When forces do work against friction, energy is transferred to the thermal stores of the surfaces, so they warm up. That is why rubbing your hands makes them feel warmer.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.5.2 Work done and energy transfer
10 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B It warms up
When a current flows, work is done on the components in the circuit. In a resistor this energy goes to its thermal store, so it warms up and then heats the surroundings.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.2.4.2 Energy transfers in everyday appliances
11 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: D The rate at which energy is transferred
Power is how fast energy is transferred (or work is done): power = energy transferred ÷ time. It is measured in watts, and 1 watt is 1 joule transferred every second.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.1.4 Power
12 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: C Motor A has the greater power
Both motors do the same work, because they lift the same weight through the same height. Motor A does it in less time, so it transfers energy faster: it has the greater power.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.1.4 Power
13 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: A Kinetic store falls, gravitational potential store rises
An object moving upwards slows down as it gains height. Energy moves from its kinetic store to its gravitational potential store. Some is also dissipated by air resistance or friction.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.1.1 Energy stores and systems
14 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: C The thermal stores of the car, wall and surroundings
When a moving object hits an obstacle, its kinetic store empties. The energy is transferred by forces doing work, and ends up mostly in thermal stores, warming the objects and the surroundings. Sound is a way energy is transferred, not a store.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.1.1 Energy stores and systems
15 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B Kinetic store
The force does work on the trolley. On a level floor its height does not change, so the energy goes to its kinetic store and it speeds up. Some is dissipated by friction.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.1.1 Energy stores and systems
16 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: A The thermal store of the brakes and surroundings
Friction between the brakes and the wheels does work. This empties the car’s kinetic store and warms the brakes, which then heat the surroundings. On a level road the car gains no height, so its gravitational potential store does not change.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.5.6.3.3 and 4.5.6.3.4 Factors affecting braking distance
17 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B Thermal store
In a kettle, a current flowing through the heating element does work and warms it. The hot element then heats the water, filling the water’s thermal store until it boils.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.1.1 Energy stores and systems
18 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: A The 2000 W heater transfers twice as much energy
Energy transferred = power × time. An appliance with twice the power rating transfers twice as much energy in the same time, and leaving any appliance on for longer transfers more energy.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.2.4.2 Energy transfers in everyday appliances
19 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B It transfers 3000 J of energy each second
A power rating tells you how much energy an appliance transfers each second when it is working: 1 kW is 1000 J every second. Appliances that heat things quickly, like kettles, have high power ratings.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.2.4.2 Energy transfers in everyday appliances
20 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B The kinetic store of the blades
Appliances transfer energy from the mains or a battery. In devices with electric motors, such as mixers and fans, the useful transfer is to a kinetic store. In heaters and kettles it is to a thermal store.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.2.4.2 Energy transfers in everyday appliances
21 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: C Energy cannot be created or destroyed
Energy can be transferred usefully, stored or dissipated, but it cannot be created or destroyed. So in a closed system, however the energy moves between stores, the total stays the same.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.2.1 Energy transfers in a system
22 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B The useful output energy plus the wasted energy
Energy is conserved, so every joule put in comes out somewhere: some as the useful transfer and the rest as wasted (dissipated) energy. Adding the useful and wasted energy always gives the input energy.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.2.1 Energy transfers in a system
23 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: C It has been dissipated to the surroundings
Air resistance and friction at the pivot do work on the pendulum, so energy is dissipated to the thermal store of the surroundings. None is destroyed: the total energy of the pendulum and surroundings stays the same.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.2.1 Energy transfers in a system
24 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B It spreads out and is stored in less useful ways
In every system change some energy is dissipated: it spreads out, usually warming the surroundings a little, and is stored in less useful ways. This energy is often described as wasted.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.2.1 Energy transfers in a system
25 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: C Some energy is dissipated by heating
A lamp is meant to light a room, so warming the surroundings is a wasted transfer. Mechanical and electrical processes become wasteful whenever they cause an unwanted rise in temperature.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.2.1 Energy transfers in a system
26 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B To reduce friction between the parts
Lubricants such as oil let surfaces slide over each other more easily. Less friction means less work is done against it, so less energy is dissipated as unwanted heating.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.2.1 Energy transfers in a system (thermal conductivity)
27 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B Reducing the rate of energy transfer out by heating
Thermal insulation, such as loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and double glazing, slows down the transfer of energy from a warm house to the colder outside. The house cools more slowly, so less energy is needed to keep it warm.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.2.1 Energy transfers in a system (thermal conductivity)
28 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B Energy is conducted through X faster
The higher the thermal conductivity of a material, the higher the rate of energy transfer by conduction through it. Good thermal insulators have a low thermal conductivity.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.2.1 Energy transfers in a system (thermal conductivity)
29 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B Use thicker walls of low thermal conductivity
A building cools more slowly when its walls are thicker and made of materials with a lower thermal conductivity. Both reduce the rate of energy transfer through the walls.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.2.1 Energy transfers in a system (thermal conductivity)
30 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: A Useful output energy ÷ total input energy
Efficiency compares the useful part of a transfer with the whole of it: useful output energy ÷ total input energy, or useful power output ÷ total power input. It can be given as a decimal or a percentage.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.2.2 Efficiency
31 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: C Energy cannot be created
Efficiency is one energy divided by another, so the units cancel and it has no unit. The useful output can never be more than the input, because energy cannot be created, so efficiency is never more than 1 (100%).
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.2.2 Efficiency
32 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: C A wastes a smaller fraction of its input energy
A more efficient device turns a bigger fraction of its input energy into the useful output, so it wastes a smaller fraction. Efficiency says nothing about how fast energy is transferred: that is power.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.2.2 Efficiency
33 / EnergyHigher only
Answer: A Lubricating its moving parts
To increase efficiency, cut the wasted transfers: lubricate moving parts to reduce friction, streamline vehicles to reduce air resistance, insulate to reduce unwanted heating, and use low resistance wires so less energy heats the cables.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.2.2 Efficiency
34 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: A It is replenished as it is used
A renewable resource is replenished (replaced) as it is used: wind, the tides, the Sun, hydro-electricity and bio-fuel. Fossil fuels and nuclear fuel are non-renewable: once used, they are gone, and supplies will run out.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.3 National and global energy resources
35 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: A Coal, oil and gas
The fossil fuels are coal, oil and natural gas. They formed from the remains of living things over millions of years, so they cannot be replaced as we use them. Uranium is a nuclear fuel, not a fossil fuel.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.3 National and global energy resources
36 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: B They produce nothing at night
Wind and solar power depend on the weather and on daylight, so their output changes from hour to hour. Solar cells need light, not heat. The tides come in and out at times that can be predicted far ahead, so tidal power is more reliable.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.3 National and global energy resources
37 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: D Carbon dioxide
Every resource has costs. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, which adds to climate change. Nuclear power releases almost no carbon dioxide as it runs but leaves radioactive waste. Hydro-electric dams flood valleys, destroying habitats.
Checked against AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification, 4.1.3 National and global energy resources
38 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: C Oil
Energy resources are used for transport, electricity generation and heating. In the UK, petrol and diesel made from oil still supply most transport energy, and natural gas is the main fuel burned to heat homes.
Checked against DESNZ, UK Energy in Brief 2026, final energy consumption by fuel and sector (page 10), gov.uk
39 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: D It has fallen to nothing
The UK used a lot of coal to make electricity in 1990. Its use fell over the following decades, and the last coal-fired power station closed in September 2024, so no electricity was made from coal in 2025. Wind and solar generation have grown fast: in 2025, renewables made just over half of UK electricity.
Checked against DESNZ, UK Energy in Brief 2026, electricity generated and supplied by fuel type (pages 27 and 28), gov.uk
40 / EnergyBoth tiers
Answer: A To cut carbon dioxide emissions
The government aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which cause climate change, and to use cleaner energy. Fossil fuels have not run out; they are being replaced because of their effect on the environment.
Checked against DESNZ, UK Energy in Brief 2026, electricity generated and supplied by fuel type (pages 27 and 28), gov.uk
02 / Longer answersMarked by levels
Write your answer first, on paper. Then open it and tick off the points you made. How 6-mark questions are marked.
6 marks / Keeping a house warmBoth tiers
On a cold winter night a house cools quickly once the heating is switched off.
When the heating is off, energy is transferred from the warm inside of the house to the colder surroundings, mainly by conduction through the walls, so the house cools down. The bigger the temperature difference between inside and outside, the faster this happens. The rate of energy transfer depends on the walls. A material with a higher thermal conductivity lets energy pass through it more quickly, so walls made of a material with a low thermal conductivity reduce the rate of cooling. Thicker walls also reduce the rate of cooling, because the energy has to be conducted through more material. So a house with thick walls made of a low thermal conductivity material cools more slowly. The rate of cooling could be reduced further by filling the cavity in the walls with foam, because foam traps air, which has a very low thermal conductivity. Loft insulation and double glazing would reduce energy transfer through the roof and windows in the same way. If the house cools more slowly, less energy needs to be supplied by the heating to keep it warm, so it costs less.
Saying insulation “stops heat escaping” or “keeps the cold out” loses marks. Say it reduces the rate of energy transfer, and link a lower thermal conductivity and thicker walls to slower cooling.
6 marks / Energy changes in a bungee jumpBoth tiers
A bungee jumper steps off a high bridge. She falls until the elastic rope becomes tight, and the rope then stretches until she stops at her lowest point. She bounces up and down several times, each bounce lower than the one before, and finally hangs still.
As she falls, energy is transferred from her gravitational potential energy store to her kinetic energy store, so she speeds up. Once the rope becomes tight, it starts to stretch, and energy from her kinetic and gravitational potential energy stores is transferred to the elastic potential energy store of the rope until she slows to a stop. At her lowest point she is momentarily still, so her kinetic energy store is empty and the elastic potential energy store of the rope is at its largest. The rope then pulls her back up, transferring energy from its elastic potential energy store to her kinetic energy store and then to her gravitational potential energy store. All the time she is moving, work is done against air resistance, and the rope warms slightly as it stretches and relaxes, so some energy is transferred to the thermal energy stores of the surroundings and the rope. This energy is dissipated, which means it is stored in less useful ways. The total energy is conserved, but because some is dissipated on every bounce, less energy is left in the useful stores each time, so each bounce is lower until she hangs still.
Answers often say energy is “lost” or “used up”. Energy is never destroyed: say it is dissipated to the thermal energy store of the surroundings, and name each store in full, such as “gravitational potential energy store”.
6 marks / Wind farm or gas power stationBoth tiers
A town council must choose between building a wind farm and a gas-fired power station. The wind farm would need about 40 turbines spread across the hills near the town. The gas power station would fit on one small site and could supply the same maximum power.
The wind farm uses a renewable resource, so it will never run out, and the wind is free. The turbines release no carbon dioxide while they generate electricity, so they do not add to global warming. However, the wind farm is less reliable, because the turbines generate nothing when the wind is too slow or too strong, so the town would still need a backup supply. The 40 turbines would also take up a lot of land on the hills, could spoil the view and could be noisy for people living nearby. The gas power station is reliable: it can generate electricity whenever it is needed and can be started up quickly when demand rises, and it needs only one small site. However, natural gas is a fossil fuel, so it is non-renewable and will run out, and it has to be bought and transported. Burning it releases carbon dioxide, which adds to climate change. Overall I think the wind farm is the better choice, because over many years it causes far less harm to the environment, as long as the town keeps a backup supply for calm days.
An evaluation needs both sides and a conclusion that says which option is better and why. A list of advantages with no judgement cannot reach the top level.
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