GCSE Physics (AQA) chapter 1: Energy MCQs with answers

By Team Megalecture · Updated 4 Nov 2026

31 exam-style questions on Energy, each with the answer and a short explanation. Ten of them are below to try. The chapter test draws ten fresh questions each time and is marked the moment you finish, with your score by topic.

31 questions · 3 topics · 10 per test

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What chapter 1 covers

Ten Energy questions with answers

Try each one, then open the answer. These ten stay the same; the test draws new ones every time.

1. A cyclist speeds up from 4 m/s to 8 m/s. What happens to the kinetic energy of the cyclist and bicycle?

  1. A
    it doubles
  2. B
    it increases by a factor of 4
  3. C
    it increases by a factor of 8
  4. D
    it increases by a factor of 16
Show answer

Answer: B. Kinetic energy depends on v². Doubling the speed multiplies v² by 2² = 4, so the kinetic energy is four times bigger.

2. The amount of electricity generated from coal in the UK has fallen sharply in recent years. What is the most likely reason?

  1. A
    coal has become a renewable resource
  2. B
    coal power stations cannot be switched on quickly
  3. C
    concern about carbon dioxide emissions and climate change led to coal power stations being closed
  4. D
    coal power stations produce radioactive waste
Show answer

Answer: C. Coal releases the most carbon dioxide per unit of energy of the fossil fuels, so governments have closed coal stations to reduce emissions.

3. A student's value for the specific heat capacity of aluminium is higher than the accepted value. What is the most likely reason?

  1. A
    the mass used in the calculation was larger than the true mass
  2. B
    the heater transferred more energy than the joulemeter recorded
  3. C
    the temperature rise recorded was larger than the true rise
  4. D
    energy was lost to the surroundings, so the temperature rise was smaller than it should have been
Show answer

Answer: D. c = E ÷ (mΔθ). Energy lost to the surroundings makes Δθ too small for the energy measured, so c comes out too big. The other three errors would all make c too small.

4. Which change would increase the efficiency of an electric motor?

  1. A
    running the motor for a longer time
  2. B
    using thinner wires of higher resistance in its coils
  3. C
    increasing the input power supplied to it
  4. D
    lubricating its bearings to reduce friction
Show answer

Answer: D. Reducing friction reduces the energy wasted as heat, so a greater fraction of the input becomes useful work. Higher-resistance wires would waste more energy.

5. A moving car brakes and comes to a stop. Which describes the main energy transfer?

  1. A
    kinetic store of the car to the chemical store of the fuel
  2. B
    kinetic store of the car to the thermal store of the brakes and surroundings
  3. C
    thermal store of the brakes to the kinetic store of the car
  4. D
    kinetic store of the car to the elastic potential store of the brakes
Show answer

Answer: B. Friction between the brake pads and discs does work, so energy moves from the car's kinetic store to the thermal store of the brakes, which then heat the surroundings.

6. A phone charger becomes warm while it is charging a phone. What happens to the energy that warms the charger?

  1. A
    it is destroyed
  2. B
    it is stored in the chemical store of the phone battery
  3. C
    it is dissipated to the thermal store of the surroundings
  4. D
    it is returned to the mains supply
Show answer

Answer: C. This is wasted energy. It is dissipated, spreading out into the thermal store of the surroundings, where it is less useful. It is not destroyed.

7. A motor is supplied with 500 J of energy and does 350 J of useful work. What is its efficiency?

  1. A
    0.30
  2. B
    0.70
  3. C
    1.43
  4. D
    150
Show answer

Answer: B. Efficiency = useful output ÷ total input = 350 ÷ 500 = 0.70 (70%). 0.30 is the fraction wasted; 1.43 is the fraction upside down.

8. A 2.5 kg box is lifted 4.0 m onto a shelf. How much gravitational potential energy does it gain? (g = 9.8 N/kg)

  1. A
    10 J
  2. B
    24.5 J
  3. C
    39.2 J
  4. D
    98 J
Show answer

Answer: D. Ep = mgh = 2.5 × 9.8 × 4.0 = 98 J. Each wrong answer leaves out one of the three factors.

9. Which energy resource is used for most road transport today?

  1. A
    nuclear fuel
  2. B
    hydro-electricity
  3. C
    geothermal energy
  4. D
    petrol and diesel made from oil
Show answer

Answer: D. Most cars, buses and lorries burn petrol or diesel, which are fuels made from crude oil, a fossil fuel.

10. How much energy is needed to heat 0.50 kg of water from 20 °C to 80 °C? The specific heat capacity of water is 4200 J/kg °C.

  1. A
    42 kJ
  2. B
    168 kJ
  3. C
    126 kJ
  4. D
    252 kJ
Show answer

Answer: C. ΔE = mcΔθ = 0.50 × 4200 × (80 − 20) = 0.50 × 4200 × 60 = 126 000 J = 126 kJ. Using 80 °C instead of the temperature change gives 168 kJ.

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Ways to practise this chapter

Energy: questions students ask

How many Energy MCQs are there?

31, each with the answer and a short explanation, across 3 topics: Energy stores, energy changes and specific heat capacity (AQA 4.1.1.1–4.1.1.3), Power, conservation and dissipation of energy, and efficiency (AQA 4.1.1.4, 4.1.2), National and global energy resources (AQA 4.1.3). Every chapter test draws ten of them, so you can take it many times.

Is the GCSE Physics (AQA) chapter 1 test free?

Yes. The test, the answers and the explanations are free and need no sign-up. Sign in only if you want your scores kept across devices.

How is the chapter test marked?

The moment you press Finish: your score, the right answer and an explanation for every question, and the ones you got wrong saved in My mistakes to retry.

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