Exam Connection — Static Electricity on AQA Papers
Part of Static Electricity · GCSE GCSE Physics revision
This exam focus covers Exam Connection — Static Electricity on AQA Papers within Static Electricity for GCSE Physics. Revise Static Electricity in Electricity for GCSE Physics with 15 exam-style questions and 12 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 13 of 15 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
Topic position
Section 13 of 15
Practice
15 questions
Recall
12 flashcards
🎯 Exam Connection — Static Electricity on AQA Papers
Frequency: This topic appears in approximately 60–70% of AQA Physics papers (Unit 2 Electricity). It is consistently tested across all tiers.
Typical question stems:
- "Explain, in terms of electrons, how a plastic rod becomes charged when rubbed with a cloth." [3 marks]
- "Describe the electric field around a positively charged sphere." [2 marks]
- "Explain how a lightning conductor protects a building from damage." [4 marks]
- "A fuel tanker is earthed before fuel is pumped. Explain why this is necessary." [3 marks]
- "Give one use and one danger of static electricity." [2 marks]
- (Higher) "Draw the electric field between two parallel plates of opposite charge." [2 marks]
What examiners are looking for (Level 3 answers):
- The word "electrons" — not just "charge" or "particles"
- Direction of electron transfer (e.g., "from the cloth to the rod")
- Why protons do NOT move
- For field line questions: direction arrows AND statement about spacing = field strength
- For earthing/lightning questions: the complete chain — charge builds up → potential difference → discharge → damage, AND how earthing/conductor breaks that chain