Physics Paper 2
AQA Combined Science Higher. Counted from 4 real June exams: 2018, 2019, 2023 and 2024, 280 marks in all.
Every topic on the specification can be examined, including ones listed here as not examined.
| Topic | How often | Share of marks |
|---|---|---|
| Forces and elasticity | Came up 4 of the last 4 years | 14% of marks |
| Acceleration | Came up 4 of the last 4 years | 13% of marks |
| Newton's Second Law | Came up 4 of the last 4 years | 11% of marks |
| Properties of waves | Came up 4 of the last 4 years | 11% of marks |
| Fleming's left-hand rule | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 5% of marks |
| Electromagnetism | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 5% of marks |
| Newton's First Law | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 4% of marks |
| Conservation of momentum | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 3% of marks |
| Properties of electromagnetic waves 1 | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 3% of marks |
| Momentum is a property of moving objects | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 3% of marks |
| Forces and braking | Not examined since 20181 of the last 4 years | 3% of marks |
| Gravity | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 3% of marks |
| Types of electromagnetic waves | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 3% of marks |
| Transverse and longitudinal waves | Came up 4 of the last 4 years | 2% of marks |
| Resultant forces | Not examined since 20181 of the last 4 years | 2% of marks |
| Properties of electromagnetic waves 2 | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 2% of marks |
| Magnetic fields | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 2% of marks |
| Factors affecting braking distance 2 | Came up 3 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| Uses and applications of electromagnetic waves | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| Electric motors | Came up 1 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| Poles of a magnet | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| Scalar and vector quantities | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| Velocity | Came up 1 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| Contact and non-contact forces | Came up 1 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |
| Energy stores and systems | Not examined since 20181 of the last 4 years | under 1% of marks |
| Newton's Third Law | Came up 1 of the last 4 years | under 1% of marks |
| Reaction time | Came up 1 of the last 4 years | under 1% of marks |
| Work done and energy transfer | Not examined in the last 4 years | |
| Distance and displacement | Not examined in the last 4 years | |
| Speed | Not examined in the last 4 years | |
| The distance–time relationship | Not examined in the last 4 years |
Required practicals
2018 and 2019 mark schemes rarely name the practical, so those years are undercounted here.
| Topic | How often | Share of marks |
|---|---|---|
| make observations to identify the suitability of apparatus to measure the frequency, wavelength and speed of waves in a ripple tank and waves in a solid and | Came up 2 of the last 4 years | 2% of marks |
| investigate the relationship between force and extension for a spring | Came up 1 of the last 4 years | 1% of marks |