Q1
ORIGINAL
A cork is floating on still water. A single ripple passes the cork and reaches the far side of the tank. Describe what happens to the cork and explain what this shows about wave motion.
[3 marks]
Total for this question: 3
All AQA GCSE Physics topic questions
AQA GCSE Physics · Topic 4.6
Waves questions
Practice questions covering waves from this specification. Every question below is the real AQA question as it is printed on the paper, with its mark scheme.
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Questions to attempt
6 questions on Waves, each with its mark scheme and worked method. Reveal the answer when you have had a go.
- Q2ORIGINALIn a ripple tank, nine complete crest-to-crest intervals span . Five complete waves pass a marker in . Calculate the wavelength, frequency and wave speed.
[4 marks]
Total for this question: 4
- Q3ORIGINALAt a boundary, of the incident wave energy is transmitted and is reflected. Calculate the percentage absorbed and describe the three outcomes at the boundary.
[3 marks]
Total for this question: 3
- Q4ORIGINALA loudspeaker receives an alternating electrical signal. Describe the sequence of energy transfers that produces sound in the room and then makes a listener's eardrum vibrate.
[3 marks]
Total for this question: 3
- Q5ORIGINALAn echo sounder sends a pulse vertically down through seawater. The echo returns after . The speed of sound in seawater is . Calculate the water depth.
[3 marks]
Total for this question: 3
- Q6ORIGINALAn electromagnetic wave has frequency . Calculate its wavelength in a vacuum and identify its region of the spectrum. Use .
[3 marks]
Total for this question: 3
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Printable question pack — 4.6 WavesAll 130 questions across 13 specification points — 124 more than the 6 above — with the full mark scheme. Guest accessible · browser print.Real past-paper questions
62 questions shown as printed, 3 reference-only · newest series first
Question and mark-scheme extracts © AQA. Reproduced for educational use; the original paper is linked on every question. Contact hello@oscarsongtutoring.co.uk for removal.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2F · Q1 · 7 marks
7 marks
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[01.5] About 80 % of the students knew which line showed the wavelength of the wave. The most common incorrect answer was the distance showing half the wavelength. © 2025 AQA
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Light waves and water waves can both be reflected. A student used a ray box and mirror to investigate reflection of light.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2F · Q5 · 5 marks
5 marks
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[05.1] The principal focus was correctly identified by just over 60 % of the students.
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Some people wear reading glasses. Their lenses can be colourless or made from blue glass that acts as a filter.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2F · Q8 · 10 marks
10 marks
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[08.2] Just fewer than 80 % of the students choose the correct equation for calculating speed.
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In a thunderstorm, lightning produces visible light waves and sound waves.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2H · Q1 · 10 marks
10 marks
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[1.3] A straightforward substitution, rearrangement and evaluation to calculate the time was completed successfully by almost all of the students. A few examples of incorrect rearrangement resulted in an answer of 0.025. Many students adopted good practice and showed both the substitution and rearrangement stages.
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In a thunderstorm, lightning produces visible light waves and sound waves.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2H · Q4 · 10 marks
10 marks
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[4.4] Only just over half of the students knew that when radiation is red-shifted there is an increase in wavelength. Incorrect answers such as 'frequency' and 'wave speed' were commonly seen.
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The James Webb Space Telescope detects electromagnetic radiation beyond the visible spectrum and orbits the Sun at constant speed.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2F · Q1 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[01.1] 98% of students could name our galaxy correctly.
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A galaxy is a group of stars. The Sun is one of the stars in our galaxy and transfers visible and infrared radiation to Earth.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2F · Q4 · 10 marks
10 marks
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[04.8] Most attempted this question, but a minority concluded that when going from air to water the wavelength of a sound wave increases.
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Questions concern transverse and longitudinal waves and a practical method for measuring the speed of sound in air.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2F · Q6 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[06.4] This question was about white light shining onto a coloured flower. A significant number of students chose the correct words but not always in the incorrect order.
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Human eyes detect visible wavelengths of about 400-700 nm; bee eyes detect electromagnetic radiation from 300-600 nm. Questions also concern colour and reflection.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2F · Q8 · 6 marks
6 marks
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[08.2] Only 41% of students gained any marks for this description of a practical investigation about the refraction of light. There was confusion, or lack of detail, when describing the angles to measure. Many forgot to include a normal line. A small number of students had not read the question carefully and described reflection by a mirror.
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A student investigated refraction through a glass block using a ray box, paper and a protractor, taking angle-of-incidence and angle-of-refraction readings.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2H · Q1 · 6 marks
6 marks
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[01.5] Students did not always take sufficient care in drawing the reflected ray to show that i = r. A significant number of students appeared to have only read the first part of the question and, consequently, had not drawn a normal. 61% scored both marks, 21% scored one.
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A student investigated refraction through a glass block using a ray box, paper and a protractor, taking angle-of-incidence and angle-of-refraction readings.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2H · Q4 · 12 marks
12 marks
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[04.5] 95% of students gained at least 2 marks in this calculation of wavelength. Converting was sometimes unclear, often being done at the end rather than the beginning of the working, preventing students gaining all 3 marks. .
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A submarine descends into the Mariana Trench. Earthquakes produce P-waves and S-waves, which arrive at seismometers at different times.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2H · Q6 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[06.2] 72% of students (scored the mark for this item, displaying a good factual knowledge in giving a wide range of medical uses for gamma rays. However, there were students who did not focus on gamma rays, incorrectly giving MRI scans, X-ray imaging or ultrasound as their response and hence failing to score the mark.
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Radio waves and gamma rays both transfer energy and are both used in medicine.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2F · Q3 · 5 marks
5 marks
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[03.2] Almost 88% of students knew that increasing the current in the wire would increase the strength of the magnetic field.
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A current-carrying wire produces a magnetic field and an electromagnet operates an electric bell.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2F · Q4 · 3 marks
3 marks
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[04.1] 90% of students recognised the reason why a new scientific model would need to be introduced.
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Scientific models of the solar system change with evidence. Planet data show: Mercury 58 million km/0.25 Earth years per orbit; Venus 108/0.60; Earth 150/1.00; Mars 228/1.90.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2F · Q5 · 4 marks
4 marks
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[05.4] The majority of students calculated the distance correctly
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Microwaves are electromagnetic waves used in mobile-phone communication.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2F · Q6 · 7 marks
7 marks
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[06.3] 21% of students were able to identify the resolution of the protractor.
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A student investigated refraction through a glass block with a narrow light beam and protractor. Three angle-of-refraction readings for one incidence angle were 35°, 31° and 33°.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2F · Q8 · 4 marks
4 marks
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[08.3] Most students gave similarities of the ray diagrams rather than the images. 08.76% of students obtained all 3 marks. Of those who didn’t, some started with an incorrectly rearranged equation and thus scored zero. The most common error was dividing the magnification by the object height, instead of multiplying, to get the image height.
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Parallel rays passing through a convex lens converge at a marked point F. A magnifying glass produces magnification 3.5 for a symbol 1.6 mm high.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2F · Q9 · 17 marks
17 marks
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[09.3] Many students scored zero as they had selected the incorrect box. The reason had to state greatest/highest temperature, or the liquid was the hottest. A higher temperature or hotter liquid was insufficient to gain this mark. 21% of students scored both marks.
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A student compares infrared emission from black and silver flasks, then compares absorption by equal metal cubes: matt white temperature rise 3.0 °C; shiny white 2.0 °C; matt black 6.5 °C; shiny black 4.0 °C. Each cube has a square base 0.12 m by 0.12 m.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2H · Q1 · 17 marks
17 marks
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[01.5] The most common response related to the matt black surface and the shiny white surface. This was awarded 1 mark. Some did mention that black was the best absorber but failed to adequately describe the relative absorbance of matt versus shiny surfaces, as they did not explain this only applied for the same colour surface. In addition, some gave their response in terms of emission or reflection of IR radiation, both of which scored zero. Only 3% of students successfully gave both conclusions.
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A student compares infrared emission from black and silver flasks, then compares absorption by equal metal cubes: matt white temperature rise 3.0 °C; shiny white 2.0 °C; matt black 6.5 °C; shiny black 4.0 °C. Each cube has a square base 0.12 m by 0.12 m.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2H · Q4 · 7 marks
7 marks
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[04.4] 88% of students knew that it is the motor effect that causes the coil to move..
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A megaphone uses a microphone and a loudspeaker. The loudspeaker has a permanent magnet and a 6.5 m wire coil.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2H · Q6 · 9 marks
9 marks
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[06.4] 6% of students gained full marks for this explanation. students scored a mark for the 2nd or 3rd marking point, and it was unusual to have to consider the award of the compensation mark. A significant number of students thought that galaxies A and B were emitting radiation with a greater wavelength than that emitted by the Sun.
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The Hubble Space Telescope orbits Earth and uses microwaves to communicate.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2H · Q7 · 4 marks
4 marks
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[07.5] 11% of students scored both marks. A significant number of students thought that the results were for angles of reflection, not refraction. There were many students who considered the construction of the protractor and offered various reasons for there being issues with the results.
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A student measured reflection from a smooth mirror. Mean reflected angles for incidence 10°, 20°, 30°, 40° and 50° were respectively 10°, 20°, 30°, 40° and 50°.
AQA 8463 · June 2022 · Paper 2F · Q5 · 11 marks
11 marks
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[05.1] Very few of the students seemed to know that all electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed in a vacuum.
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Ultraviolet and visible light are parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. UVA spans 315–400 nm and has low relative ionising power; UVB spans 280–315 nm and has medium power; UVC spans 100–280 nm and has high power. The ozone layer absorbs all UVC, nearly all (95%) UVB and no UVA.
AQA 8463 · June 2022 · Paper 2F · Q7 · 16 marks
16 marks
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[07.2] The answers were split 50/50 between parallel and perpendicular.
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Sound travels as longitudinal waves at 330 m/s. At a concert, loudspeaker B is farther from a technician than loudspeaker A; distance A is 13.2 m.
AQA 8463 · June 2022 · Paper 2F · Q9 · 6 marks
6 marks
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[09.1] Many of the students did not appear to know which experiment to describe. A significant number described a reflection experiment using a mirror whilst others described how the data would be displayed rather than how it would be obtained. Approximately 30% of the students did not attempt the question.
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A student investigates how angle of refraction varies with angle of incidence for a ray passing from air into a glass block.
AQA 8463 · June 2022 · Paper 2H · Q2 · 6 marks
6 marks
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[02.1] Approximately 80% of students gave a level 2 or level 3 answer. The best answers usually had a clearly labelled diagram with a written explanation. Many of the students tried to draw a 3D picture of the apparatus, in general these were not helpful. Points often missed from the description included: • removing the glass block to mark the path of the ray through the block; • marking or describing the positions of the angles of incidence and refraction; • the full range and interval for the angle of incidence.
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A student investigates how angle of refraction varies with angle of incidence for a ray passing from air into a glass block.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2F · Q1 · 6 marks
6 marks
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A water wave has frequency 2.0 Hz and wavelength 0.032 m.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2F · Q3 · 9 marks
9 marks
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A student compares infrared absorption by identical black and silver flasks placed the same distance from an infrared heater. The temperature increases (°C) are: black 19, 17, 27; silver 10, 12, 11.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2F · Q5 · 5 marks
5 marks
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A lens that is thicker at its centre than at its edges produces an image 0.8 cm high from an object 2.0 cm high. A blue object is viewed through a green filter.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2H · Q4 · 6 marks
6 marks
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Few of the students showed knowledge of lenses, were able to describe a trend in detail, the meaning of uncertainty in measurements or why objects appear different colours. In part 04.1 few students could describe the image shown. Answers such as ‘not real’ and ‘fake image’ are not acceptable for the term ‘virtual’. In 04.2 the ray diagram was not completed well by most students. Some of the students drew a correct diagram for a concave lens, however, this did not answer the question asked so did not gain credit.
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A concave lens forms an image. Repeated image-distance readings are 1.9, 1.7, 2.2 and 1.4 cm. A blue object is viewed through a red filter.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2H · Q5 · 7 marks
7 marks
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Although a number of correct uses were given for ultraviolet a number of the students appeared to confuse UV with ultrasound. The meaning of the prefix ‘nano’ was not well known. However the students that knew the correct equation for part 05.3 (about 35% did not) did go on to use the value chosen in 05.2 to calculate a correct answer. Only about half of the students could use the data presented in Table 1 to correctly answer part 05.4. Most of the students scored no marks for part 05.5, with many either simply giving an example of each type of wave, or failing to link the direction of oscillation to either direction of energy transfer or direction of wave travel.
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Ultraviolet radiation has wavelength 300 nm. The speed of electromagnetic waves is 3.0 × 10⁸ m/s.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2H · Q6 · 9 marks
9 marks
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Although it was frequently seen, an answer only in terms of removing anomalous results was insufficient. The reason being that the question asked not only the advantage of repeating but also taking a mean. Very few of the students gave a precise answer in terms of reducing the effect of random errors. The calculation produced a full range of marks with most of the students scoring 2 or less. For part 06.3 there were a number of very good answers covering all three marking points. However, most of the students failed to answer the question asked as they simply described a way that the teacher could have measured the wavelength.
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A student times ten waves three times, obtaining 8.4 s, 7.8 s and 8.1 s.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2H · Q8 · 7 marks
7 marks
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Very few of the students had any idea how a moving-coil loudspeaker works to produce a sound. Generally answers were partially explaining how electric motors, generators or microphones worked. In part 08.3 few of the students scored both marks with 60% scoring no marks. The most frequently seen incorrect answers were to do with lack of data, no repeats or loudness being in arbitrary units.
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A loudspeaker contains a current-carrying coil in the field of a permanent magnet. A student also changes both wave frequency and amplitude in one trial.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2F · Q3 · 9 marks
9 marks
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Figure 2 shows a sinusoidal transverse profile about a dashed equilibrium line. P is a vertical double arrow from crest to trough; Q is a horizontal double arrow from a downward equilibrium crossing to the next upward crossing; R is a horizontal double arrow from one crest to the next crest; S is a vertical double arrow from the equilibrium line to a crest. A water-tray investigation measures wave speed against depth. Figure 4 has plotted (depth cm, speed m/s) points approximately (1,0.40), (2,0.45), (3,0.52), (4,0.57), (5,0.60), joined by a smooth best-fit curve.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2F · Q4 · 9 marks
9 marks
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Visible light and other electromagnetic waves carry communications. A light ray reflects inside an optical fibre.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2F · Q6 · 7 marks
7 marks
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Figure 10 is ordered left to right: A | Microwaves | B | Visible light | C | D | Gamma rays. A doctor compares an arm X-ray dose of 0.1 mSv with a CT-arm dose of 6.0 mSv. Total annual dose is 2.5 mSv.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2F · Q9 · 13 marks
13 marks
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The Sun is a stable main-sequence star. Light travels 1.5×10¹¹ m from Sun to Earth at 3.0×10⁸ m/s. Massive stars form heavy elements.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2H · Q2 · 13 marks
13 marks
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[02.3] This calculation was generally well done. There were errors made with the standard form and in the rearranging of the equation.
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The Sun is stable; light travels 1.5×10¹¹ m from Sun to Earth at 3.0×10⁸ m/s. Massive stars form heavy elements.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2H · Q3 · 13 marks
13 marks
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[03.5] 61% of students identified the property of the light wave.
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A student investigates refraction at an air–glass boundary using a ray box and plots angle of refraction against incidence. Figure 4 plots (incidence°, refraction°): (0,0), (10,6.5), (20,13.5), (30,19.8), (40,25.0), (50,30.2), (60,35.0), (70,39.0). No point is plotted at 80° and no best-fit line is pre-drawn.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2H · Q4 · 14 marks
14 marks
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[04.6] It was not always clear if the students were writing about the spring or the solenoid. The most common way of scoring one mark was for ‘increasing the current’ or a correct description of how this could be achieved. Answers simply in terms of ‘increasing the magnetic field’ were insufficient for credit to be awarded.
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A door has a concave security lens and an electromagnetic lock with solenoid, iron bolt and spring.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2H · Q6 · 24 marks
24 marks
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[06.3] The most frequent correct answer was to state that radio waves are transverse and sound waves are longitudinal. Another popular correct answer was the idea of radio waves being able to travel through a vacuum / space. Comparisons of wavelength / frequency did not gain any marks due to the overlapping range of wavelength and frequency of radio waves and sound waves.
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A remote-controlled car receives radio waves of frequency 320 MHz. Its distance-time curve passes approximately through (t s, d m): (0,0), (5,0.15), (10,0.55), (15,1.5), (20,2.8), (25,4.5), (30,6.4), with a continuously increasing gradient. A tangent to the curve at 20 s passes approximately through (10 s,0.2 m) and (30 s,5.8 m).
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2F · Q4 · 13 marks
13 marks
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[04.3] Nearly 90% of the students picked the correct colour.
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The electromagnetic spectrum is shown left to right as: A | microwaves | B | visible light | C | D | gamma rays. An infrared camera colour key shows 37 °C mainly orange and 33 °C more red. A Leslie cube has matt black, matt white, shiny black and shiny silver faces. Results (detector temperature): 68.0, 65.5, 66.3 and 28.0 °C respectively.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2F · Q5 · 11 marks
11 marks
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[05.2] Over half of the students were unable to use a protractor to measure the angle of incidence.
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A ray box is above and to the right of a rectangular parallel-sided glass block. Its narrow ray travels diagonally down-left through air to the horizontal top face. A dashed normal is vertical at the incidence point. Take the incidence point as (0,0), the vertical normal as x=0, and the upstream incident ray as passing through (8.0,5.0) in equal grid units (x right, y up). Inside the glass, the given ray segment continues down-left at a smaller angle to the normal. The incident angle is labelled i but has not been measured numerically; no ray is drawn beyond the lower face. Table: incidence/refraction 20°/13°, 30°/19°, 40°/X, 50°/31°.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2F · Q8 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[08.1] About 10% of the students did not attempt this question with a further 84% giving an incorrect answer.
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Figure 20: parallel rays approach a vertical convex lens and meet the principal axis at F on the far side; X is the horizontal distance from the lens centre to F. Figure 21: an upright object stands left of a convex lens beyond its left focus; one tip ray travels parallel to the axis then refracts through the right focus; the second construction ray and image arrow are absent. Figure 22: for a concave lens, one object-tip ray travels parallel to the axis then diverges upwards on exit, with a dashed backward extension through left F; a second ray passes undeviated through the optical centre; the two backward lines intersect between the object and left F, where the diagram draws an upright arrow shorter than the object.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2F · Q9 · 11 marks
11 marks
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[09.2] This equation was not well known with only 33% of the students scoring the mark.
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A signal generator and vibration generator drive a stretched string over a movable wooden bridge with hanging masses providing tension. A stationary pattern of wavelength 80 cm is produced at 55 Hz.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2H · Q1 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[01.4] Almost 90% of the students were able to complete the calculation and obtain the correct answer. The most popular wrong answer was '9 x 6 = 54'
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Figure 20: parallel rays approach a vertical convex lens and meet the principal axis at F on the far side; X is the horizontal distance from the lens centre to F. Figure 21: an upright object stands left of a convex lens beyond its left focus; one tip ray travels parallel to the axis then refracts through the right focus; the second construction ray and image arrow are absent. Figure 22: for a concave lens, one object-tip ray travels parallel to the axis then diverges upwards on exit, with a dashed backward extension through left F; a second ray passes undeviated through the optical centre; the two backward lines intersect between the object and left F, where the diagram draws an upright arrow shorter than the object.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2H · Q2 · 11 marks
11 marks
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[02.3] Some students failed to convert 80 cm to 0.8 m but they were usually able to substitute values into the correct equation and calculate the answer. There were a number of students who used 50 Hz in their calculation despite 55 Hz appearing in the stem of this part question and in Figure 4. There were only a few answers that involved the use of an incorrect value for wavelength.
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A signal generator drives a stretched string over a movable wooden bridge with hanging masses providing tension. A stationary pattern of wavelength 80 cm is produced at 55 Hz.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2H · Q7 · 12 marks
12 marks
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[07.3] A large number of the students failed to appreciate that the hot cube was the main hazard rather than the kettle. The majority gave an answer in terms of ‘wear safety goggles and/or gloves. Less than a quarter of the students gave a correct answer, these appeared to be evenly distributed across the alternatives given in the mark scheme.
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Figure 12 shows the electromagnetic spectrum left to right as radio | microwave | infrared | visible light | ultraviolet | X-ray | gamma, with an arrow pointing from radio towards gamma. Leslie-cube readings are: matt black 68.0 °C, matt white 65.5 °C, shiny black 66.3 °C, shiny silver 28.0 °C. Point A is under clear sky; point B is under thick cloud.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2H · Q9 · 11 marks
11 marks
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[09.2] Just over 60% of the students gave the correct answer.
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Hearing ranges: cat 55 Hz–77 kHz, chicken 125 Hz–2 kHz, dog 20 Hz–30 kHz, gerbil 56 Hz–60 kHz, horse 55 Hz–33 kHz. Ultrasound pulse display shows crack echo 8 μs after transmitted pulse (four 2 μs intervals). Sound speed in aluminium 6300 m/s. A moving-coil microphone has diaphragm attached to coil in a magnetic field.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2F · Q2 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[02.1] The position of the principal focus was not well known. Only 15% of the students gave the correct answer ‘B’.
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A concave-lens ray diagram has a horizontal principal axis. From left to right, points A, B, C and D lie on the axis; the vertical concave lens is centred at D. An upright object arrow stands at A. A smaller upright image arrow stands at C. One ray from the object tip travels parallel to the axis to the lens, then diverges; its dashed backward extension crosses the axis at B and the image tip at C. A second ray passes from the object tip through the lens centre at D. On the grid, the object height is 24 mm (12 small-square intervals) and the image height is about 9.5 mm (5 intervals).
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2F · Q3 · 6 marks
6 marks
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[03.1] 94% of the students gave the correct answer.
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A motor drives a bar that makes water waves in a ripple tank.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2F · Q5 · 9 marks
9 marks
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[05.3] Many students seemed confused about the fact that white is not in itself a colour but is made up of the colours of the spectrum. It was common to see answers such as ‘the T-shirt absorbs all the colours but reflects white’. The terms reflection, absorption, transmission and emission were often used incorrectly and many students confused their answers with comments such as ‘the white light reflected the T-shirt’. Vague answers such as ‘It looks white because it is white’ were commonly seen.
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Figure options include a glass vase. A student wears a white T-shirt and red cap. An IR heater faces equal-distance matt black and shiny metal sheets; waxed drawing pins fall as sheets absorb radiation.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2F · Q8 · 5 marks
5 marks
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[08.3] Of the students that scored this mark (44%) most responded with ‘skin cancer’, fewer referred to ‘premature aging of the skin’. The majority of the students gave responses that were too general and often not related to the skin. The most common was to state that the radiation causes cancer, rather than specifying skin cancer.
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The electromagnetic spectrum is shown from left to right as: radio waves | A | B | C | ultraviolet | X-rays | D. Dose: upper-digestive X-ray 5.0 mSv; chest 0.1 mSv. Cancer risk about 1 in 20 000 per mSv.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2H · Q5 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[05.3] Nearly 70% of the students scored at least one mark for either calculating the mean or for calculating the range. Around 33% then calculated the uncertainty correctly.
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Plane-mirror investigation results (incidence: four reflections): 20°:19,22,20,19; 30°:31,28,32,30; 40°:42,40,43,41; 50°:56,49,53,46.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2H · Q7 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[07.1] Many students had the correct idea, but imprecise detail such as ‘wrong number of turns’ or ‘number of turns was miscounted’ were insufficient to score the mark.
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A transformer's primary potential difference is fixed at 2.0 V. A graph plots measured secondary potential difference against the number of secondary turns; the plotted values generally increase with turns, with one anomalously low point. Spot-welder transformer data: Np=640, Ns=4, secondary p.d.=1.75 V, output power 336 W, 100% efficient.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2H · Q9 · 11 marks
11 marks
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[09.3] Most students scored either one or two marks. The idea of new evidence or data was often expressed although not always very clearly. When giving an example many students did describe a model and what replaced it but a significant number only mentioned one of the models.
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Light has wave and particle models. Ripple-tank diagrams compare deep and shallow water. In Figure 16 a diagonal boundary runs from lower left to upper right, with deep water upper-left and shallow water lower-right; vertical wavefronts in deep water become closer-spaced, clockwise-tilted straight wavefronts in shallow water. In Figure 17 the boundary is vertical, with deep water left and shallow water right; straight vertical wavefronts are parallel to the boundary on both sides and are closer spaced in shallow water.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2F · Q5 · 8 marks
8 marks
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Ripple-tank water waves are shown in cross-section about a dashed equilibrium line. J is a horizontal double arrow between adjacent crests; K is a vertical double arrow from equilibrium to a crest; L is a vertical double arrow from crest to trough. The waves have wavelength 1.2 cm and frequency 18.5 Hz.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2F · Q6 · 5 marks
5 marks
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The electromagnetic spectrum is ordered radio, microwaves, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2F · Q12 · 9 marks
9 marks
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A student investigates magnification of a convex lens using a 1.0 cm-high object. Data (object distance cm, magnification) are (25,4.0),(30,2.0),(40,1.0),(50,0.7),(60,0.5). The incomplete graph already plots (30,2.0),(40,1.0),(60,0.5); its best-fit curve gives about 1.4 at 35 cm and 0.6 at 55 cm. Lens-to-image distances for object distances 25,30,40,50,60 cm are 100,60,40,33,30 cm. A close object lies between the left focal point and the convex lens.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2F · Q14 · 6 marks
6 marks
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Refraction data at an air-to-glass boundary are: incidence/refraction angles 20°/13°, 30°/19°, 40°/25°, 50°/30°.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2H · Q5 · 7 marks
7 marks
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Refraction data at an air-to-glass boundary are: incidence/refraction angles 20°/13°, 30°/19°, 40°/25°, 50°/30°.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2H · Q11 · 9 marks
9 marks
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Waves may be longitudinal or transverse. A moving-coil loudspeaker has a coil in the field between north and south poles, attached to a cone.
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June 20182 questions
- Paper 2F · Q12Foundation · 8 marks · Calculator · multi · hardView question in paper (p.34)Mark scheme (p.21)
- Paper 2H · Q3Higher · 13 marks · Calculator · multi · hardView question in paper (p.8)Mark scheme (p.11)
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