Forces

Forces is the largest unit in GCSE Physics, covering scalars and vectors, contact and non-contact forces, resultant forces, work done, elasticity, moments, pressure, motion, distance-time and velocity-time graphs, Newton's laws, stopping distances and momentum at Higher tier.

Treat it as several connected strands rather than one sequence. Forces and their effects come first, then motion and graphs, then Newton's laws which link the two. Graph questions are among the most reliably examined content on the course: gradient gives speed on a distance-time graph and acceleration on a velocity-time graph, while the area under a velocity-time graph gives distance. Students lose most marks by confusing mass and weight, by forgetting that a resultant force of zero means constant velocity rather than being stationary, and by omitting units in calculations.