You get a physics equation sheet GCSE students can use in the exam room, so memorising every formula is no longer the job. Good. The catch is that the sheet won't choose the right equation for you, rearrange it or add the unit to your answer. Those are the marks students lose.
This page lays out the physics equation sheet by topic, explains the rules for 2027 and shows where Edexcel's separate physics differs. It also covers the habits that stop avoidable mistakes. Every exam-rule claim comes from AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR or Ofqual notices.
Physics Equation Sheet 2027: Do You Still Get One?
Yes. Students sitting GCSE Physics, Combined Science: Trilogy or Combined Science: Synergy in 2027 will have an equation sheet in the exam room, and they won't need to memorise the usual physics equations. The DfE and Ofqual confirmed this for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 exams. AQA says the physics equation sheet 2027 is identical to the 2026 one, so last year's version is perfectly good for practice. Pearson and OCR also put clean copies in with every paper. Here's the part most guides miss. From 2028, sheets stay, but Ofqual won't allow questions that can be answered just by copying from them. AQA says this mainly hits standard-demand science questions that currently say "write down the equation that links". That change doesn't touch 2027, where AQA confirms the 2026 question wording carries on. Still, don't treat the sheet as a crutch.
What Is on the Physics Equation Sheet GCSE Students Get?
The physics equation sheet covers every calculation topic on the course. Layout and symbols vary a little between boards, but the core equations below appear on all of them. Rows marked † are mostly physics-only, so check your own specification.
| Topic | Equation | Use it to find |
|---|---|---|
| Motion | distance = speed × time | speed, distance or time |
| Motion | a = (v − u) ÷ t | acceleration from a change in speed |
| Motion | v² − u² = 2as | final speed when time isn't given |
| Forces | F = ma | resultant force, mass or acceleration |
| Forces | W = mg | weight in newtons from mass in kg |
| Forces | F = ke | force on a spring |
| Work and power | W = Fs | work done by a force |
| Work and power | P = E ÷ t | power, energy or time |
| Energy | KE = ½mv² | energy of a moving object |
| Energy | GPE = mgh | energy of a lifted object |
| Energy | Ee = ½ke² | energy in a stretched spring |
| Energy | Q = mcΔθ | heating a substance |
| Energy | Q = mL | melting or boiling |
| Energy | efficiency = useful output ÷ total input | how much energy is wasted |
| Electricity | Q = It | charge, current or time |
| Electricity | V = IR | voltage, current or resistance |
| Electricity | P = VI and P = I²R | electrical power |
| Electricity | E = QV | energy moved by charge |
| Waves | v = fλ | wave speed, frequency or wavelength |
| Particle model | density = m ÷ V | density, mass or volume |
| Pressure | pressure = F ÷ A | pressure on a surface |
| Pressure † | p = hρg | pressure in a liquid |
| Gases † | p₁V₁ = p₂V₂ | gas pressure or volume at constant temperature |
| Forces † | moment = F × d | turning effect of a force |
| Momentum † | p = mv and F = Δp ÷ Δt | momentum and force in collisions |
| Light † | magnification = image height ÷ object height | size of an image |
| Magnetism † | F = BIl | force on a wire in a magnetic field |
| Transformers † | Vp ÷ Vs = Np ÷ Ns and VsIs = VpIp | secondary voltage or current |
Spot the pattern. Speed, acceleration, power and current all work the same way: one quantity divided by time. Group them in revision and half the table stops feeling like new material.
Physics Equation Sheet GCSE Edexcel Separate: What's Different?
Edexcel separate physics means the 1PH0 specification, the one with extra topics such as astronomy and static electricity. Pearson has confirmed that clean copies of its equation sheet go out with every GCSE Physics and Combined Science (Physics) paper in 2025, 2026 and 2027. The rule matches AQA and OCR. The differences are practical. More topics mean more equations to match against the sheet, and wording or layout can differ from the AQA sheet your friend is using. Download the Edexcel sheet from Pearson and revise with that one only. Mixing boards is how students end up hunting for an equation their paper never asks for.
How Do You Use the Physics Equation Sheet Without Losing Marks?
Treat every calculation as five small steps and you'll drop far fewer marks.
- Write down what you're given and what you're finding. Include the units.
- Convert units straight away. Minutes to seconds, grams to kilograms, centimetres to metres, kilojoules to joules.
- Match the letters to the sheet. If the question gives mass and speed and asks for energy, kinetic energy is your equation.
- Rearrange before you substitute. It's easier to spot a slip.
- Show every line of working. Finish with the answer, sensible rounding and a unit.
A quick example. A 1,200 kg car travels at 15 m/s. Kinetic energy = ½ × 1,200 × 15² = ½ × 1,200 × 225 = 135,000 J. Square the speed first, then multiply. Now a trap. A current of 0.5 A flows for 2 minutes. Convert to 120 s, then Q = It = 0.5 × 120 = 60 C. Skip the conversion and you'd write 1 C, wrong by a factor of 60.
Which Mistakes Cost the Most Marks?
Most lost marks come from the same handful of slips. Check your own past papers and you'll probably spot two or three of these.
- Squaring the wrong thing. In kinetic energy, only the speed is squared, not the whole ½mv.
- Leaving mA, kW or kJ unconverted. One missed prefix and the answer is out by a thousand.
- Rounding too early. Keep the full calculator value until the last line.
- Dropping the unit. Many mark schemes give a mark for it.
- Mixing up mass and weight. Mass is in kilograms. Weight is a force, in newtons.
- Using your own value for g. If the question gives one, use that.
- Copying the wrong number. When a question lists five values, highlight the ones you need.
How Can You Learn the Equations Fast If You Get a Sheet Anyway?
Practise with the sheet beside you, every single time. Knowing roughly where each equation sits saves minutes in the exam, and minutes are marks. Try this ten-minute routine:
- Pick three equations from one topic.
- Write what each letter means and its unit.
- Rearrange each one two different ways.
- Make up a question and solve it.
Then move to timed past papers. AQA's 2026 sheet is still valid for practice, so there's no need to wait for the 2027 version.
Physics Equation Sheet GCSE A Level: What Carries Over?
The habits carry over. The safety net doesn't. A-level physics asks you to rearrange longer equations and handle units with less hand-holding, so a student who only ever matched letters to a sheet will feel the jump. Build the "what does this equation mean?" habit now. Explain each equation in one plain sentence, and you'll still be using that skill two years from now.
Need a Hand With Physics Coursework or Revision?
If a lab write-up or physics task is eating your evenings, our assignment help team can walk you through it step by step. Taking a break from calculations? Our list of GCSE speech topics is handy if an English speaking assessment is coming up.
