Electric fields (physics only) - AQA GCSE Physics Exam Questions

Practise 28 exam-style questions on Electric fields (physics only) for AQA GCSE Physics. Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

28 questions
1–6 marks each
Instant marking
No sign-up needed

20 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

2 marks

Explain what is meant by an electric field.

Model answer

An electric field is the region around a charged object in which another charged object experiences a force.

Explanation

Every charged object creates an electric field around itself. The field is what lets charged objects push or pull on each other without touching - a second charge placed anywhere in the field feels a force.

Mark scheme

1 mark
a region / space around a charged object
1 mark
in which another charged object experiences a (non-contact) force
do not accept 'any object experiences a force'

Question 2

2 marks

A charged sphere is placed inside a container from which all the air has been removed, leaving a vacuum.

State whether there is still an electric field around the sphere. Give a reason for your answer.

Model answer

Yes. The electric field is created by the charge on the sphere itself, and a field does not need air or any other material to exist, so it is still there in a vacuum.

Explanation

Fields extend through empty space - just as the Sun's gravitational field reaches the Earth across a vacuum. Air is only needed for sparking, because sparks involve ionised air molecules.

Mark scheme

1 mark
yes, there is still an electric field
1 mark
the field is produced by the charge on the sphere / an electric field does not need a material (such as air) to exist

Question 3

3 marks

The bottom of a thundercloud is negatively charged. Lightning is more likely to strike a tall tree than the flat ground around it.

Suggest why, using the idea of an electric field.

Model answer

The top of the tall tree is closer to the charged bottom of the cloud than the flat ground is. The electric field between the cloud and the treetop is therefore stronger, so the air there is more easily ionised and the lightning (a giant spark) is more likely to jump to the tree.

Explanation

The electric field gets stronger as the distance from a charged object decreases. Sparks happen where the field is strong enough to ionise the air, which is first reached at the highest points.

Mark scheme

1 mark
the top of the tree is closer to the (bottom of the) cloud
1 mark
so the electric field between the cloud and the top of the tree is stronger
1 mark
so the air there is ionised / a spark can start more easily there

Question 4

4 marks

A small, light, uncharged ball coated in metal paint hangs from a nylon thread. A negatively charged rod is brought near the ball. The ball is attracted to the rod, touches it, and then immediately moves away from the rod.

Explain these observations.

Model answer

The negatively charged rod repels the free electrons in the metal coating to the far side of the ball, leaving the side nearest the rod positively charged. The positive side is closer to the rod than the negative side, and the electrostatic force is stronger at shorter distances, so the attraction is bigger than the repulsion and the ball moves towards the rod. When it touches the rod, electrons transfer from the rod onto the ball, so the ball becomes negatively charged. Now the ball and rod have the same type of charge, so they repel and the ball moves away.

Explanation

This classic demonstration uses three ideas: a charged object's field moves electrons in a nearby conductor, the force is stronger at shorter distances, and like charges repel once charge has been shared by contact.

Mark scheme

1 mark
the negative rod repels electrons in the ball to the far side, leaving the near side positively charged
1 mark
the positive side is closer to the rod, so the attraction is stronger than the repulsion of the far side (force is stronger at shorter distance)
allow so the ball is attracted overall
1 mark
when the ball touches the rod, electrons are transferred from the rod to the ball
1 mark
the ball becomes negatively charged, and like charges repel, so it moves away

Ready to try the rest? Every answer you write is marked against the mark scheme, so you can see exactly where the marks are.

AI Tutor Hints first, answers after you try

Hi! Stuck? Ask me for a hint and I’ll help you work it out. Once you’ve checked your answer I can explain exactly where the marks are.