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WJEC · GCSE · Physics

Free WJEC GCSE Physics
Practice Paper

8 mixed-difficulty practice questions in the style of real WJEC GCSE papers — answers, mark-scheme-style explanations, and the official exam structure all on one page.

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What the real WJEC GCSE Physics paper looks like

Paper 1
Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 1-4 of the specification.
Paper 2
Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 5-8 of the specification.
Paper 3
Where applicable — e.g. Combined Science, Languages. Includes synoptic and applied questions.
Total exam time: ~3 hours across two or three papers.
Grading: Grades: 9 (highest) to 1 (lowest), with U (ungraded). A grade of 4 is a standard pass; 5 is a strong pass.

Mini practice paper: 8 questions

Mixed-difficulty questions from across the Physics syllabus. Tap "Show answer" after each to check yourself.

Q1 · Difficulty 1/3

What is the correct definition of the principal focus of a converging lens?

  1. The point where all rays of light meet after passing through the lens
  2. The point on the principal axis where rays parallel to the axis converge after refraction
  3. The centre of the lens where all rays pass through undeviated
  4. The point where the object must be placed to form a real image
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — The point on the principal axis where rays parallel to the axis converge after refraction
Award 1 mark for identifying that the principal focus is specifically where rays parallel to the principal axis converge after refraction. A is incorrect because only parallel rays converge at the principal focus, not all rays. C describes the optical centre, not the principal focus. D is incorrect because objects can be placed at various positions to form real images.
Q2 · Difficulty 1/3

What stops beta particles?

  1. A few mm of aluminium
  2. Only thick lead
  3. Nothing can stop them
  4. Paper
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — A few mm of aluminium
Beta particles (high-speed electrons from the nucleus) are stopped by a few mm of aluminium. They are moderately ionising and penetrating.
Q3 · Difficulty 1/3

Which statement correctly describes the law of reflection?

  1. The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, both measured from the normal.
  2. The angle of incidence is twice the angle of reflection, both measured from the normal.
  3. The angle of incidence plus the angle of reflection equals 90°.
  4. The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, both measured from the surface.
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — The angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, both measured from the normal.
Award 1 mark for identifying that angles are measured from the normal and are equal. D is incorrect — angles are measured from the normal, not the surface. B is incorrect — the angles are equal, not in a 2:1 ratio. C is incorrect — there is no fixed sum; the angles are simply equal to each other.
Q4 · Difficulty 1/3

Which EM wave has the highest frequency?

  1. Visible light
  2. Gamma rays
  3. Radio waves
  4. Microwaves
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Gamma rays
Gamma rays have the highest frequency and shortest wavelength. Higher frequency = more energy. This makes them the most penetrating and potentially the most dangerous.
Q5 · Difficulty 1/3

What is radioactive decay?

  1. A chemical reaction between unstable atoms
  2. Burning radioactive fuel to release energy
  3. The random emission of radiation from unstable nuclei
  4. The joining of small nuclei in a star
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: C — The random emission of radiation from unstable nuclei
Award 1 mark. Decay is spontaneous and random: which nucleus decays next cannot be predicted. It is a nuclear process, not a chemical one, and joining nuclei is fusion.
Q6 · Difficulty 1/3

What does the area under a velocity–time graph represent?

  1. The acceleration
  2. The time taken
  3. The speed at the end
  4. The distance travelled
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: D — The distance travelled
Award 1 mark. Each strip of area is a velocity multiplied by a time, which is a distance, so the whole area adds up to the distance covered. Acceleration is the slope of the graph, the final speed is read off the vertical axis, and the time is read off the horizontal axis.
Q7 · Difficulty 1/3

The number of waves passing a point per second is the:

  1. frequency
  2. amplitude
  3. wavelength
  4. period
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — frequency
Frequency is waves per second (Hz).
Q8 · Difficulty 1/3

Electric current is measured in:

  1. amperes
  2. volts
  3. ohms
  4. watts
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — amperes
Current is measured in amperes.
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WJEC GCSE Physics FAQ

What does the WJEC GCSE Physics exam look like?
The WJEC GCSE Physics exam is structured across 3 components. Paper 1: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 1-4 of the specification. Paper 2: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 5-8 of the specification. Paper 3: Where applicable — e.g. Combined Science, Languages. Includes synoptic and applied questions. Total exam time: ~3 hours across two or three papers.
Can I download a free WJEC GCSE Physics past paper?
Real WJEC past papers are published directly by WJEC on their official website. Kramizo doesn't redistribute copyrighted past papers, but we do generate free AI-written practice papers in the exact same style — same command words, same difficulty tier, same mark conventions. Use this practice paper as warm-up, then time yourself on official past papers before exam day.
How is WJEC GCSE Physics graded?
Grades: 9 (highest) to 1 (lowest), with U (ungraded). A grade of 4 is a standard pass; 5 is a strong pass. Kramizo's practice questions are tagged with difficulty 1-3 mapping roughly to the lower, middle, and top grade boundaries you'll encounter in the real exam.