The exam
At the end of your GCSE Physics course, you will sit two exam papers. You will be entered for both papers at the same tier (either Foundation tier or Higher tier). Each paper:
- is worth 50% of your GCSE in Physics
- has a total of 90 marks
- lasts for 1 hour 45 minutes
Learn how to revise with Dr Alex Lathbridge
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Dr Alex Lathbridge breaks down how to revise for your GSCE science exams.
Paper 1
This paper will cover the following topics:
- Matter
- Forces
- Electricity
- Magnetism and magnetic fields
Each paper is split into two parts, Section A and Section B.
Section A
This section is worth 15 marks, and only has multiple choice questions, each worth 1 mark.
You should spend no more than 30 minutes on this section.
Section B
This section is worth 75 marks, and has short answer questions. Each question is worth 1 to 5 marks, and include:
- practical questions
- maths questions
- structured questions
This section also has a six-mark extended Level of Response question.
Paper 2
This paper will cover the following topics:
- Waves in matter
- Radioactivity
- Energy
- Global challenges
Your knowledge of the topics covered in Paper 1 is also assumed for this paper, so these topics may also be assessed.
Section A
This section is worth 15 marks, and only has multiple choice questions, each worth 1 mark.
You should spend no more than 30 minutes on this section.
Section B
This section is worth 75 marks, and has short answer questions. Each question is worth 1 to 5 marks, and include:
- practical questions
- maths questions
- structured questions
- synoptic questions
This section also has a six-mark extended Level of Response question.