GCSE Physics resources
AQA GCSE Electricity
Use conservation of charge at junctions and the idea of shared potential difference. In series current is constant; in parallel the branches have the same potential difference and the total current is the sum of branch currents.
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Use conservation of charge at junctions and the idea of shared potential difference. In series current is constant; in parallel the branches have the same potential difference and the total current is the sum of branch currents.
Core learning content
Start with this short teaching sequence for Series and Parallel Circuits. Read the model, use the visual, then test your recall before moving into examples and exam practice.
Use conservation of charge at junctions and the idea of shared potential difference. In series current is constant; in parallel the branches have the same potential difference and the total current is the sum of branch currents.
At a junction, charge cannot build up, so the current entering equals the current leaving. In one series loop every coulomb passes every component. In parallel, each branch has the same potential difference as the supply while the current divides between branches.
Choose a relationship because of the physical change in the question, not because it is familiar. Charge and current: Q = It (C, A, s). Potential difference: V = E ÷ Q (V, J, C). Resistance: V = IR (V, A, Ω). Keep the unit next to each value while you substitute.
Mark the supply, junctions and component positions first, then apply one circuit rule at a time. Before writing, underline the command word and identify the information that matters. Keep a calculation as equation, substitution and answer with unit; keep an explanation as a linked chain using because, so or therefore. Finish by checking that the final sentence answers the exact context in the question and that the number, direction or conclusion agrees with the evidence given.
Retrieval practice
Answer without looking back first. The feedback explains the model, so a wrong answer still helps you learn.
Mini quiz 1
Mini quiz 2
Mini quiz 3
Try it
Which quantity stays the same when you move around each circuit?
What to notice: the readout and written explanation remain available if you do not use the controls.
Worked examples
Cover the answer, attempt the method and then compare your physics language as well as the number.
Supply p.d. = 6.0 V.
Other branch current = 1.2 − 0.50 = 0.70 A.
Use parallel. Each lamp has the supply potential difference and one branch can remain complete if the other lamp is removed.
Misconception clinic
Each of these is tempting because it sounds almost right. Replace it with the precise physics before you meet it in a question.
Independent practice
Use the working space first. Reveal the guidance only after you have committed to an answer, then improve the exact part that would gain the next mark.
Current.
12 − 5 = 7 V.
0.30 + 0.45 = 0.75 A.
It measures the energy transferred per coulomb between the two points at either end of that branch.
The loop is broken, so current stops everywhere.
Each branch is connected across the supply, so each has the same energy transfer per coulomb as the supply.
Questions pupils ask
Electricity questions reward careful definitions and circuit rules. Keep current, charge, potential difference, resistance, power and energy as separate quantities.
Read the snapshot, attempt the worked examples without looking, complete the mini quizzes and then use the practice questions to check your wording and method.
Next step
Physics sticks when you move between explanation, retrieval and application.