Three and four mark questions
These are similar to one- and two-mark questions but you will be expected to write in more depth for three- and four-mark questions.
Sample question 1 - Foundation and Higher
Question
Some students investigate a model of the craters produced by meteorite impacts. They drop balls into a tray filled with sand. They use six balls with different masses. They drop each ball from the same height.
Describe how the energy of a ball changes as it drops towards the sand. [2 marks]
Edexcel question courtesy of Pearson Education Ltd.
Gravitational potential energy decreases and the kinetic energy increases [1]. However the total energy remains constant [1].
Sample question 2 - Foundation
Question
A lamp receives 40 J of electrical energy every second. If 34 J is transferred as heat to the surroundings, how much is transferred as light? Explain your answer. [3 marks]
This question has been written by a Bitesize consultant as a suggestion to the type of question that may appear in an exam paper.
Total energy must be conserved [1].
40 J - 34 J [1]
= 6 J of light energy [1]
Sample question 3 - Foundation and Higher
Question
The driver of a moving car applies the brakes and the car comes to a standstill.
Describe the changes involved in the way energy is stored as the car slows and then stops. [3 marks]
This question has been written by a Bitesize consultant as a suggestion to the type of question that may appear in an exam paper.
The car has kinetic energy [1]. Work is done by the brakes (force is applied over the stopping distance) [1]. Energy is transferred to heat (and sound) in the brakes and surroundings [1].