AQA GCSE Physics
AQA GCSE Physics 4.1.1.1 Energy Stores and Systems Exam Questions
Free AQA GCSE Physics exam questions for 4.1.1.1 Energy Stores and Systems, with a mark scheme for every pack. Covers energy stores, systems, energy transfers by heating, work done by forces and electric currents, and describing changes in a system.
4.1.1.1 Energy Stores and Systems exam questions
2 question packs of real past exam questions, each with its mark scheme. Do not stop after a few: answer as many as you can without notes, then mark every answer with the mark scheme. The more questions you do, the more quickly you will spot how examiners ask about each idea.
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About AQA GCSE Physics 4.1.1.1 Energy Stores and Systems
This opening section of the AQA GCSE Physics Energy topic gives you the language used across the whole course. A system is an object or group of objects, and when a system changes, energy moves between stores. You need to describe those changes clearly for examples like a ball thrown upwards, a car slowing down or a kettle boiling water. Energy is examined on Paper 1, and the store and transfer vocabulary returns in electricity, the particle model and forces. Examiners usually test whether you can name the correct stores before and after an event and the way energy was transferred.
What you need to know
- Energy stores The main stores are kinetic, gravitational potential, elastic potential, thermal (internal), chemical, magnetic, electrostatic and nuclear. Energy is not a substance; the stores are a way of keeping track of it.
- Systems A system is an object or group of objects you choose to study. A closed system is one where no energy enters or leaves, so the total energy in it stays the same.
- Ways energy is transferred Energy is transferred between stores mechanically (a force doing work), electrically (work done when charges move), by heating, or by radiation such as light and infrared.
- Describing changes For any event, state which store decreases, which store increases and how the energy was transferred. For example, a falling ball transfers energy from its gravitational potential store to its kinetic store, with some dissipated to the thermal store of the surroundings by air resistance.
- Work done Work is done when a force moves an object through a distance. Work done is equal to energy transferred, and both are measured in joules (J).
- Everyday examples A battery-powered torch: chemical store of the battery, transferred electrically, to light and the thermal store of the surroundings. A car braking: kinetic store of the car to the thermal store of the brakes, by the friction force doing work.
Common mistakes in 4.1.1.1 Energy Stores and Systems
- Writing that energy is 'used up' or 'lost'. Energy is conserved; it is transferred to other stores, often dissipated to the thermal store of the surroundings.
- Naming 'heat energy', 'sound energy' or 'movement energy' as stores. Use the AQA store names (thermal, kinetic) and describe sound and light as ways energy is transferred.
- Forgetting the surroundings in a description. Most real changes also transfer some energy to the thermal store of the surroundings.
- Giving only the start and end stores without the transfer pathway. Full answers say how the energy moves, for example 'by heating' or 'by a force doing work'.
Try three 4.1.1.1 Energy Stores and Systems exam-style questions
1. A cyclist free-wheels down a hill without pedalling. Describe the energy changes that take place. (3 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Energy is transferred from the gravitational potential store of the cyclist and bike; to the kinetic store as speed increases; some energy is dissipated to the thermal store of the surroundings by air resistance and friction (work done against resistive forces).
2. Explain what is meant by a closed system. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
A system in which no energy enters or leaves; so the total energy of the system remains constant (although it can move between stores within the system).
3. A kettle is switched on. Describe how energy is transferred from the mains supply to the water. (3 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Energy is transferred electrically by the current; to the thermal store of the heating element; then by heating to the thermal store of the water; some is transferred to the thermal store of the kettle and surroundings.
4.1.1.1 Energy Stores and Systems FAQs
What does AQA GCSE Physics 4.1.1.1 Energy stores and systems cover?
It covers the named energy stores, what a system is, and how to describe energy transfers by heating, by forces doing work and by electric currents when a system changes.
Which paper is 4.1.1.1 examined in?
Energy is part of AQA GCSE Physics Paper 1, along with electricity, the particle model of matter and atomic structure. The vocabulary is also used in Paper 2 questions on forces.
How should I answer 'describe the energy changes' questions?
Name the store that decreases, the store that increases and the transfer pathway, then mention any energy dissipated to the surroundings. Practise with everyday examples such as a bouncing ball, a car braking and an electric heater.
