AQA GCSE Synergy Paper 3: Physical sciences Foundation June 2025 question paper 8465/3F

Elements are arranged in the periodic table.

Figure 1 shows the position of five elements in the periodic table.

Which element in Figure 1 is a metal?

Tick () one box.

C Ca Cl He Si

Which element in Figure 1 is a halogen?

Tick () one box.

C Ca Cl He Si

Which element in Figure 1 forms fullerenes?

Tick () one box.

C Ca Cl He Si

Which element in Figure 1 has atoms with a stable arrangement of electrons?

Tick () one box.

C Ca Cl He Si

Which two elements in Figure 1 have atoms with the same number of electrons in their outer shell?

Figure 2 shows some of the elements in Group 1 of the periodic table.

An atom of lithium has 3 electrons.

Complete Figure 3 to show the electronic structure of lithium.

Figure 3

Which of the Group 1 elements in Figure 2 is the most reactive?

Figure 4 shows sodium reacting with water.

Give two observations that can be made when sodium reacts with water.

Sodium reacts with water to produce an alkaline solution.

What is the name of the alkaline solution produced?

Tick () one box.

Sodium chloride solution

Sodium hydroxide solution

Sodium sulfate solution

Two drivers race their cars in a straight line over a distance of 400 metres.

Figure 5 shows the cars.

Figure 6 shows a distance-time graph for one car in the race.

When was the car travelling at a constant speed?

Give a reason for your answer.

Tick () one box.

Between 2 seconds and 3 seconds

Between 3 seconds and 4 seconds

Between 4 seconds and 5 seconds

The two horizontal forces acting on the car were a driving force and air resistance.

How did the driving force compare with the air resistance when the car moved at a constant speed?

Give a reason for your answer.

Tick () one box.

The driving force was less than air resistance.

The driving force was the same size as air resistance.

The driving force was greater than air resistance.

At the end of the race, the driver applies the brakes and opens a parachute to decelerate the car.

Figure 7 shows one of the cars at the end of the race.

Enlarge

Why may it be dangerous for a car to have a very large deceleration?

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The car engine may overheat.

The car will stop in a short distance.

The driver may lose control of the car.

A student investigated how the resistance of a light dependent resistor (LDR) varied with light intensity.

Figure 8 shows the circuit used.

The student connected cells together to make the battery.

How many 1.5 V cells did the student use to make the 6.0 V battery?

Tick () one box.

2 cells 3 cells 4 cells

When the potential difference across the LDR was 3.0 V, the resistance of the LDR was 2000 Ω.

Calculate the current in the LDR.

Use the equation:

The resistor and the LDR were connected in series.

How does the potential difference across the battery compare with the total potential difference across the resistor and LDR?

Tick () one box.

The potential difference across the battery is less.

The potential difference across the battery is the same.

The potential difference across the battery is greater.

The potential difference across the battery was 6.0 V.

The potential difference across the LDR was 3.0 V.

How should the student calculate the potential difference across the resistor?

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The student plotted a graph to show how the resistance of the LDR varied with light intensity.

Figure 9 shows the results.

What was the resistance of the LDR when the light intensity was 50 arbitrary units?

Which two conclusions can the student make from Figure 9?

Tick () two boxes.

Resistance and light intensity have a non-linear relationship.

Resistance and light intensity have a positive correlation.

Resistance decreases as light intensity increases.

Resistance is directly proportional to light intensity.

Resistance is not affected by light intensity.

LDRs are often used in control circuits.

Which circuit would need an LDR?

Tick () one box.

A circuit to monitor the temperature of an oven.

A circuit to keep the contents of a fridge cold.

A circuit to switch lights on at night.

Lithium reacts with chlorine to produce lithium chloride.

Figure 10 shows models of chlorine and of lithium chloride.

Draw one line from each substance to the type of bonding in the substance.

Lithium chloride can also be produced by reacting lithium carbonate with an acid.

Which acid reacts with lithium carbonate to produce lithium chloride?

Tick () one box.

Hydrochloric acid

Nitric acid

Sulfuric acid

What type of substance is lithium chloride?

Tick () one box.

Acid

Alkali

Salt

Figure 11 shows the electrolysis of lithium chloride solution.

Lithium chloride solution contains Li⁺ ions and Cl⁻ ions.

Chloride ions move to the positive electrode to produce chlorine.

Explain why chloride ions move to the positive electrode.

Hydrogen gas and chlorine gas are produced during the electrolysis of lithium chloride solution.

Draw one line from each gas to the result of the test for that gas.

Why is hydrogen gas produced at the negative electrode?

Tick () one box.

Hydrogen is less reactive than lithium.

Hydrogen has the same reactivity as lithium.

Hydrogen is more reactive than lithium.

Hydrogen reacts with chlorine to produce hydrogen chloride. A hydrogen atom has 1 electron in the outer shell.

A chlorine atom has 7 electrons in the outer shell.

Complete the dot and cross diagram for a hydrogen chloride molecule.

Use the symbols O and X to represent electrons.

A student used an electromagnet to investigate magnetism.

Figure 12 shows the apparatus.

This is the method used.

1. Turn on the power supply.

2. Record the current on the ammeter.

3. Count the number of paperclips picked up by the electromagnet.

4. Turn off the power supply to release the paperclips.

5. Adjust the power supply and repeat steps 1 to 4 for different values of current.

Draw the circuit symbol for an ammeter in the space below.

Table 1 shows the results.

Complete Figure 13.

You should:

plot the data from Table 1

draw a line of best fit.

The first point has been plotted for you.

The student repeated the investigation using an electromagnet with half as many turns of wire.

How does using fewer turns of wire affect the number of paperclips picked up, for the same value of current?

Tick () one box.

Fewer paperclips will be picked up.

The same number of paperclips will be picked up.

More paperclips will be picked up.

Electromagnets are used in recycling centres to move magnetic materials.

Which two of the following materials are magnetic?

Tick () two boxes.

Cobalt

Copper

Lead

Magnesium

Nickel

Why is an electromagnet more useful than a permanent magnet in a recycling centre?

This question is about temperature changes.

A student investigated the temperature changes as solids are dissolved in water.

This is the method used.

1. Measure 100 cm³ of water into a polystyrene cup.

2. Measure the temperature of the water.

3. Add 5.0 g of solid copper sulfate to the water.

4. Stir the mixture until all the copper sulfate has dissolved.

5. Measure the highest temperature reached by the mixture.

6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 with solid lithium chloride.

Draw one line from each measurement to the piece of equipment used to make the measurement.

Table 2 shows the highest temperature reached for each solid when dissolved in water.

Complete Figure 14.

You should:

use a suitable scale for the y-axis

plot the data for lithium chloride from Table 2 as a bar chart.

Before solid copper sulfate was added, the temperature of the water was 17 °C.

How do the results in Table 2 show that the process was exothermic?

The student used a different method to measure the temperature change when solid calcium chloride dissolved in water.

The student did four tests.

Table 3 shows the results.

Calculate mean value X in Table 3.

Figure 15 shows a reaction profile.

Which label on Figure 15 represents the products?

Tick () one box.

A B C D

Which label on Figure 15 represents the activation energy?

Tick () one box.

A B C D

Which label on Figure 15 represents the overall energy change?

Tick () one box.

A B C D

This question is about copper and copper compounds.

A teacher demonstrated the reaction of copper with silver nitrate.

Figure 16 shows the apparatus:

at the start

after a few minutes.

The word equation for the reaction is:

solution solution

What type of reaction happens between copper and silver nitrate?

Tick () one box.

Combustion

Displacement

Neutralisation

Give two observations that can be made when copper reacts with silver nitrate solution.

Use Figure 16 and the word equation.

Copper reacted with silver nitrate solution.

The teacher then added copper to nickel nitrate solution.

Copper did not react with nickel nitrate solution.

Write the order of reactivity for copper, nickel and silver.

A student reacted solid copper oxide with nitric acid to produce a solution of copper nitrate.

This is the method used.

1. Add 25 cm³ of nitric acid to a beaker.

2. Warm the nitric acid.

3. Add solid copper oxide to the nitric acid.

4. Stir the mixture.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until solid copper oxide is in excess.

Give one safety precaution the student should use.

The nitric acid was warmed in step 2 of the method.

Suggest how the reaction was affected by warming the nitric acid.

After the reaction finished, the beaker contained a mixture of solid copper oxide and copper nitrate solution.

Describe a method to obtain pure, dry copper nitrate crystals from the mixture.

Figure 17 shows a rugby player running with a rugby ball.

Use the Physics Equations Sheet to answer questions 08.1 and 08.2.

Which equation links distance (s), speed (v) and time (t)?

Tick () one box.

The rugby player travels a distance of 44 m in a time of 5.0 s.

Calculate the mean speed of the rugby player.

The rugby player collides with another player and stops.

Use the Physics Equations Sheet to answer questions 08.3 and 08.4.

Which equation links acceleration (a), change in velocity (Δv) and time (t)?

Tick () one box.

a = Δv × t

The velocity of the rugby player changes from 6.0 m/s to 0.0 m/s in a time of 400 ms.

Calculate the deceleration of the rugby player.

Figure 18 shows a rugby player wearing a ‘mouthguard’.

Mouthguards reduce the risk of injury when rugby players collide.

A mouthguard has been invented that transmits data about the deceleration of a rugby player’s head during a collision.

A deceleration of 540 m/s² or more automatically alerts the team doctor at the side of the rugby pitch.

Use the Physics Equations Sheet to answer questions 08.5 and 08.6.

Which equation links acceleration (a), mass (m) and resultant force (F)?

Tick () one box.

F = m × a

The mass of a rugby player’s head is 3500 g.

During a collision the rugby player’s head has a deceleration of 540 m/s².

Calculate the resultant force on the rugby player’s head.

Give one advantage of using the new mouthguard when playing rugby compared with a mouthguard that does not transmit data.

Metals are found in the Earth’s crust as the metal itself or as a metal compound.

Why is gold found in the Earth as the metal itself?

Aluminium is extracted from aluminium oxide by electrolysis.

The electrolyte is a molten mixture of aluminium oxide and cryolite.

Aluminium cannot be extracted from aluminium oxide using carbon.

Give one reason why.

Give two reasons why large amounts of energy are needed for the electrolysis of aluminium oxide.

Recycling aluminium needs less energy than extracting new aluminium.

Table 4 shows the energy needed for 1 kg of aluminium to be:

extracted

recycled.

Calculate the percentage decrease in energy needed when aluminium is recycled instead of extracted.

Give your answer to 2 significant figures.

This question is about forms of carbon.

A carbon nanotube has: a length of 2 mm

a diameter of 0.8 nm.

Calculate the simplest length to diameter ratio of the nanotube.

1 000 000 nm = 1 mm

Length to diameter ratio = _____________________________________________: 1

Figure 19 represents the structure of diamond and of graphite.

Compare the structure and bonding of diamond with the structure and bonding of graphite.