AQA GCSE Physics Paper 1 vs Paper 2: what's actually on each?

When my daughter's revision timetable came home with "Physics P1" and "Physics P2" written on different weeks, I assumed the papers were just the course chopped in half — first half of the textbook, then the second. That turns out to be roughly true, but the details matter more than I expected, and one of them — Paper 2 being allowed to lean on key Paper 1 energy and electricity ideas — genuinely changes how you should plan revision. Here's the plain version, parent to parent.

The one-sentence answer

Paper 1 is the first four topics of the AQA physics course; Paper 2 is the last four — but Paper 2 can still draw on some key energy and electricity ideas from Paper 1, so those big ideas are not completely "done with".

What's on each paper

AQA's physics course is eight topics, split cleanly down the middle:

Paper 1 covers topics 1–4:

• Energy — energy stores and transfers, efficiency, and the national grid
• Electricity — circuits, resistance, and mains electricity
• Particle model of matter — density, changes of state, and gas pressure
• Atomic structure — the atom, radioactive decay, and half-life

Paper 2 covers topics 5–8:

• Forces — Newton's laws, motion graphs, stopping distances, and momentum
• Waves — properties of waves, the electromagnetic spectrum, and (for Triple) lenses and sound
• Magnetism and electromagnetism — magnets, the motor effect, and (Higher tier) transformers
• Space physics — the solar system, the life cycle of stars, and red-shift. Triple Science only — Combined Science students don't study this topic at all

A rough character sketch that helped my daughter: Paper 1 is mostly about energy and what stuff is made of; Paper 2 is mostly about movement and how things interact at a distance.

The catch: Paper 2 can reach backwards a little

This is the detail most revision timetables miss. AQA says Paper 2 questions can draw on some key ideas from Paper 1 — especially energy changes and transfers, mechanical and electrical work, and energy conservation. It's not a trick. Physics builds on itself. A Forces question about a falling object may still need gravitational potential energy from topic 1. A question about an electric motor sits on top of the earlier Electricity topic.

The reverse doesn't apply: Paper 1 is sat first and only examines its own four topics.

The practical upshot: after Paper 1 is done, it's tempting to bin those four topics entirely. Don't quite. The Paper 2 run-in should be mostly topics 5–8, with a light refresh of the big Paper 1 ideas — energy transfers, circuits, and the equations connecting them.

Timings, marks, and the Combined Science difference

The paper structure depends on which science route your child is on — if you're not sure of the difference, I've written a separate plain-English guide to Combined vs Triple Science.

Triple Science (GCSE Physics): two papers, each 1 hour 45 minutes, each worth 100 marks and 50% of the final physics grade.

Combined Science: the same topic split across two physics papers, but each is 1 hour 15 minutes and worth 70 marks, and there's less depth — some sub-topics, like lenses and all of Space physics, are Triple-only.

Both routes sit the papers weeks apart in the summer — Paper 1 typically in mid-to-late May, Paper 2 in mid June. Those weeks in between are precious: they're pure Paper 2 revision time, which is exactly why knowing the split matters.

The equation sheet — the good news for 2026

If you sat GCSEs yourself, you probably remember memorising a page of formulas. That's changed. Since the post-pandemic exam adjustments, AQA has provided a physics equations sheet inside the exam paper itself — for both papers, on both the Triple and Combined routes. AQA has confirmed equation sheets for 2026 and 2027, and following Ofqual's decision published on 5 May 2026, equation sheets will continue for the remaining lifetime of the current specification.

Two things worth telling your child, though:

The sheet gives the equation, not the answer. Students still need to recognise which equation a question wants, get the units right, and rearrange confidently. Examiners have shifted the skill from remembering to applying.

Knowing the layout saves real time. A child who has practised with the actual sheet — it's grouped by topic, with Higher-tier-only equations flagged — finds the right line in seconds. One who first sees it in the exam hall wastes minutes hunting. Download the current sheet from AQA's website and use it in every practice session.

How to use the split when planning revision

• Revise by paper, not by textbook order. In the weeks before Paper 1, ignore Forces and Waves entirely — they can't come up. That halves the mountain.
• Match past papers to the paper. A "Paper 1" past paper only tests topics 1–4. Doing the right past paper for the right exam is the single easiest efficiency win.
• After Paper 1, switch — but keep one thread back. Mostly topics 5–8, plus a short weekly refresh of energy and circuits for the reach-back questions.
• Practise with the equation sheet from day one. Every calculation question in revision should be done with the real sheet beside them, exactly as it will be in the exam.
• Check the tier. Foundation and Higher papers cover the same topics, but some content and equations are Higher-only. Make sure your child is revising the right tier's material.

A note on other exam boards

I've written this around AQA because it's the most common board in England, but Edexcel and OCR split physics into two papers with the same broad shape — earlier topics on the first paper, mechanics and waves weighted to the second — and both also provide equation support in current exam series. The exact topic allocations differ, so if your child isn't on AQA, the school's science department can confirm the split, or it's set out in the specification on the board's website.

Related guides

• Combined vs Triple Science: which GCSE route is your child on?
• GCSE command words: what exam questions are really asking

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I'm building Lightbulb Learning for my own daughter — revision that turns the day's actual class topic into a clear evening session, matched to her exam board and year. If that sounds useful for your child, your child's first three sessions are free if you'd like to try it.