AQA GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy Physics Paper 1 (Higher), 2023: Question 1
8 marks · High Demand difficulty · Extended Answer
Explain the changes in power output from solar and wind energy resources between 2014 and 2019, and during a typical year.
Practise this questionQuestion
Question text
01 Wind power and solar power are both renewable energy resources used to
generate electricity for the National Grid.
01.1 Which of the following is also a renewable energy resource?
[1 mark]
Tick ( ) one box.
Geothermal
Natural gas
Nuclear fuel
01.2 The energy transferred by the National Grid in one second was 36 gigajoules (GJ).
Which of the following is the same as 36 gigajoules?
[1 mark]
Tick ( ) one box.
36 × 103 J
36 × 106 J
36 × 109 J
36 × 1012 J
01.3 Figure 1 shows how the mean power output from solar and wind energy resources in
the UK varied between 2014 and 2019.
Figure 1
Figure 2 shows how the power output from solar and wind energy resources varies in
a typical year.
Figure 2
Explain the changes in power output from solar and wind energy resources between
2014 and 2019.
*04* You should include an explanation of the change in power output during a
typical year.
[6 marks]
Mark scheme
Show the mark scheme
Question 1
AO /
Question Answers Extra information Mark
Spec. Ref.
01.1 geothermal 1 AO1
6.1.3
AO /
Spec. Ref.
01.2 36 × 109 J 1 AO2
– OMBINED SCIENCE: TRILOGY – – 6.1.3
AO /
Question Answers Mark
Spec. Ref.
Level 3: Relevant points (reasons / causes) are identified, given in
01.3 5–6 AO3
detail and logically linked to form a clear account.
Level 2: Relevant points (reasons / causes) are identified, and 3–4 AO1
there are attempts at logical linking. The resulting account is not
fully clear.
Level 1: Points are identified and stated simply, but their relevance 1–2 AO2
is not clear and there is no attempt at logical linking.
No relevant content 0
Indicative content
6.1.3
Figure 1
• the power output from wind increased
• because more wind turbines were built
• the power output from solar increased
• because more solar panels were built
• power output from wind and solar may have increased due to
climate change
For 2015 and 2016
• wind power was lower in 2016 than in 2015
• because 2016 was less windy than 2015
Figure 2
• for most of the year the electricity generated from wind is greater
than from solar.
• the electricity generated from wind is greater in winter than in
summer 7
• because winter is windier than summer
• the electricity generated from solar is greater in summer than in
winter
• because hours of sunlight are longer in summer
• because the intensity of sunlight is greater in summer
to access Level 3, the answer should describe trends in both
graphs, and in solar power and wind power, and give some
explanation for changes.
Total Question 1 8
How to answer it
Renewable energy: wind, solar, and the National Grid
Question 1: Renewable energy sources and power output
Short title: Wind and solar power trends
💡 Key knowledge
- Renewable means a resource that will not run out on a human timescale.
- Examples: wind, solar, geothermal, tidal.
- Non-renewable examples: natural gas, nuclear fuel.
- Energy units: 1 GJ = 10⁹ J .
🧠 Exam technique
- For multiple choice, know your definitions: geothermal is renewable because Earth’s internal heat is continually available.
- For unit questions, convert carefully using powers of ten.
- For 6 marks, compare both graphs and explain why the changes happen.
- Top answers link a trend + a reason in the same sentence.
❌ Common errors
- Choosing natural gas or nuclear fuel for renewable.
- Writing 36 × 10⁶ J for 36 GJ instead of 36 × 10⁹ J .
- Only describing one graph in the 6-marker.
- Giving vague reasons like “because of the weather” without saying winder or more sunlight.
Part (a) / Question 01.1
Which of the following is also a renewable energy resource?
✅ Correct answer
Geothermal
💡 Key knowledge
Geothermal energy comes from heat inside the Earth. This heat is continually produced, so it is classed as renewable.
❌ Common errors
Natural gas is a fossil fuel, so it is non-renewable. Nuclear fuel is also non-renewable because the fuel supply is limited.
Part (b) / Question 01.2
The energy transferred in one second was 36 gigajoules. Convert 36 GJ into joules.
📐 Calculation
- Remember: 1 GJ = 10⁹ J
- So 36 GJ = 36 × 10⁹ J
- This matches the correct option exactly.
✅ Correct answer
36 × 10⁹ J
Mark awarded: 1 mark for the correct power of ten.
❌ Common traps
- Using 10⁶ because you see “mega” instead of “giga”.
- Forgetting that giga means 10⁹ .
- Changing the number 36 instead of only converting the unit.
Part (c) / Question 01.3
Explain the changes in power output from solar and wind energy resources between 2014 and 2019. Include a typical year.
💡 Key knowledge from Figure 1
- Wind power output increased overall from 2014 to 2019.
- Solar power output increased overall from 2014 to 2019.
- There was a small drop in wind in 2016 compared with 2015.
- So, growth was not perfectly smooth, but both sources generally rose.
💡 Key knowledge from Figure 2
- Wind is usually higher in winter than summer.
- Solar is usually higher in summer than winter.
- Solar output rises as days get longer and sunlight is more intense.
- Wind output changes because winter is generally windier than summer.
🧠 How to get Level 3
- Describe both graphs.
- Talk about wind and solar separately.
- Include at least one reason for the trends.
- Link your explanation logically: trend → cause → effect.
✅ A full-mark style answer
From 2014 to 2019, the mean power output from wind increased overall, rising from about 3600 MW to about 7300 MW. The power output from solar also increased overall, from about 400 MW to about 1400 MW. This may be because more wind turbines and more solar panels were built, so the National Grid could generate more electricity from these renewable sources.
In a typical year, wind power is generally higher in winter than in summer because it is usually windier. Solar power is generally higher in summer than in winter because there are more hours of daylight and the sunlight is more intense. This is why wind and solar show different seasonal patterns.
📐 What to mention from the graphs
- Wind rises strongly across the years.
- Solar rises more gradually across the years.
- In the typical year, wind peaks in late autumn/winter.
- Solar peaks around summer.
❌ Common errors seen by examiners
- Only describing the year-to-year graph and ignoring the typical year graph.
- Saying “solar is higher because it is hot” — temperature is not the key factor.
- Saying “wind changes because of turbines” without explaining that windiness affects output in the typical year.
- Not using comparisons like higher than, lower than, increased overall.
🧠 Examiner insight
- Level 1 answers usually just state isolated facts, such as “wind increased”.
- Level 2 answers include some correct points but may not link them well.
- Level 3 answers are clear, detailed, and join up the evidence and the explanation.
✅ Mark scheme points you could include
- Wind output increased.
- Solar output increased.
- More wind turbines were built.
- More solar panels were built.
- Wind was lower in 2016 than 2015 because 2016 was less windy.
- For most of the year, wind output is greater than solar output.
- Wind is greater in winter than summer because winter is windier.
- Solar is greater in summer than winter because there are longer daylight hours and higher sunlight intensity.
Final checklist
💡 Remember
- Geothermal = renewable.
- 36 GJ = 36 × 10⁹ J.
- Wind generally higher in winter.
- Solar generally higher in summer.
🧠 To score well on the 6-marker
- Use figures from the graphs.
- Cover both wind and solar.
- Explain with simple causes.
- Write in linked sentences, not bullet fragments.
Topics
Physics · P1: Energy
Question and mark scheme from the AQA GCSE Combined Science: Trilogy examination, Physics Paper 1 (Higher), 2023. QuestionVault is an independent revision resource; questions remain the copyright of the awarding body.