AQA GCSE Trilogy Physics Paper 1 Higher June 2025 question paper 8464/P/1H

Fossil fuels are burned in car engines and in power stations.

Describe how different energy stores change in a car engine when a fossil fuel is burned.

Some car engines burn a fuel that is produced using plants.

Name a fuel produced using plants.

Some cars do not contain an engine that burns a fuel.

Suggest how cars that do not burn a fuel are powered.

Figure 1 shows how the total amount of electricity generated in the UK has changed with time.

The proportion of electricity that is generated using renewable energy resources has increased since the year 2013.

Which conclusion is correct?

Use Figure 1.

Tick () one box.

The UK plans to stop burning fossil fuels to generate electricity.

Explain one reason why it will take many years before all electricity is generated using renewable resources.

Renewable energy resources can have a negative impact on the environment.

Give one negative environmental impact of hydro-electric power and of wind power.

Hydro-electric power

A student investigated the specific heat capacity of aluminium.

The student used an electric heater to increase the temperature of an aluminium block.

The student measured the:

• mass of the block

• energy transferred to the block

• temperature change of the block.

Table 1 shows the results.

Calculate the specific heat capacity of aluminium.

Use the Physics Equations Sheet.

Describe a method the student could have used to obtain the results in Table 1.

Wrapping the aluminium block in insulation makes the value for the specific heat capacity of aluminium more accurate.

Which are two reasons why?

Tick () two boxes.

A student investigated the resistance of a resistor.

The student used:

• the resistor

• a cell

• a switch

• an ammeter

• a voltmeter.

Draw a circuit diagram for a circuit the student could use to measure the resistance of the resistor.

The student:

• added a variable resistor to the circuit

• used the variable resistor to change the readings on the ammeter and the voltmeter

• recorded several different pairs of readings from the ammeter and the voltmeter.

When the reading on the ammeter was 450 mA, the reading on the voltmeter was 2.7 V.

Calculate the resistance of the resistor.

Use the Physics Equations Sheet.

The student plotted a graph of current against potential difference for the fixed resistor.

Complete Figure 2 to show a sketch graph for a fixed resistor at a constant temperature.

Figure 2

Figure 3 shows five resistors with the same resistance but different power ratings.

The power rating of a resistor is the maximum energy the resistor can transfer each second without overheating.

Each resistor has a resistance of 2.2 kΩ.

Determine which resistors in Figure 3 are suitable to be used in a circuit that has a maximum current of 0.012 A.

Use the Physics Equations Sheet.

Three types of radiation emitted by unstable nuclei are:

• alpha particle

• beta particle

• gamma ray.

Describe each type of radiation.

The radioactive isotope gold-198 (Au) decays to mercury (Hg) by emitting beta radiation.

Complete the nuclear equation for the decay of gold-198.

Gold-198 is used in the treatment of cancer.

A small sample containing gold-198 is surgically implanted into a patient, very near to the cancer cells.

Figure 4 shows how the activity of the sample changes after it has been implanted.

Determine the half-life of gold-198.

Determine the percentage decrease in the activity at 5 days.

Give your answer to 2 significant figures.

The sample containing gold-198 is implanted very near to the cancer cells.

Give two reasons why.

After treatment, the sample containing gold-198 is not removed from the patient.

Suggest why the sample is left in the patient and not removed.

Figure 5 shows a laptop computer, and a charger plugged into the mains supply.

Give the potential difference and frequency of the UK mains electricity supply.

The cable that connects the charger to the plug contains two wires that have coloured insulation.

The cable does not contain an earth wire.

Name each wire in the cable.

Give the colour of the insulation covering each wire.

Name of wire Colour of insulation

The input to the charger is an alternating potential difference.

The output from the charger is a direct potential difference.

Describe the difference between an alternating potential difference and a direct potential difference.

A student is using the laptop computer.

The student notices that the battery has no stored energy.

The student quickly plugs the charger into the laptop and continues to use the laptop.

The laptop charger provides a constant power to the laptop.

The laptop takes longer to charge when the student uses the laptop than when the laptop is not used.

Explain why.

The potential difference across the laptop circuit is 15 V.

The average current in the laptop circuit when it is being used is 4.8 A.

The laptop charger provides a constant power of 97 W.

The maximum energy that the battery can store is 225 kJ.

Calculate the time taken to fully charge the battery from zero when the laptop is used continuously.

Use the Physics Equations Sheet.

Give your answer in hours.

A system is designed to store excess energy from the National Grid.

• Excess energy from the National Grid powers a motor that lifts a large cube.

• To transfer the energy back to the National Grid, the cube is allowed to fall.

• The falling cube turns a generator which produces electricity.

Figure 6 shows the cube before it is lifted and after it is lifted.

The cube has a density of 4200 kg/m³.

Determine the mass of the cube.

Use the Physics Equations Sheet.

Explain why the cube is made from a material with a high density.

The system is designed to store excess energy from the National Grid.

Explain how the efficiency of the system could be determined.

The system in Figure 6 on page 20 needs to be able to store excess energy as quickly as possible.

Explain one change to this system that would allow the same amount of energy to be stored more quickly.

Do not refer to efficiency in your answer.