- Where Topic: Electricity and circuits sits under the official 2026 Edexcel Physics syllabus
- The 42 subtopics beneath it, each on its own page
- A direct route to the free Physics past papers — every session, question paper and mark scheme
- Free to browse, free to link — no signup, no paywall
- Cross-linked to Topical Solved, the paid version that groups this topic's questions and works each one through
Pearson Edexcel · GCSE · Physics
10 Electricity and circuits Topical Past Papers
Pearson Edexcel GCSE Physics — where "Electricity and circuits" sits in the official 2026 Edexcel specification, and the free past papers that examine it.
Pearson Edexcel GCSE Physics topical past papers — Topic: Electricity and circuits — free, no signup. The official syllabus entry for this topic — the questions that examine it are in the free Physics past papers, linked from this page. This topic breaks into 42 subtopics under the official syllabus numbering. A free syllabus map for this topic, with the Physics past papers it is examined in one click away. No signup, no paywall.
What this Physics topic page covers
This is the Edexcel GCSE Physics syllabus entry for Topic: Electricity and circuits — where the topic sits under the official 2026 syllabus numbering, and what falls under it. It is a map of the topic, free to browse and free to link.
The questions themselves are in the Physics past papers, and those are free here too — the full archive, session by session, each paper with its official mark scheme. This page does not reproduce them; it points you at the subject's archive so you can work the sessions that cover this topic.
Where to find the Physics questions on this topic
Every question Edexcel has ever set on this topic is inside the Physics past papers themselves — and the complete Edexcel GCSE Physics archive is free on this site. Each session gives you the question paper and its official mark scheme, so you can attempt a question and mark yourself without paying for anything.
Working from the raw sessions means opening several papers to cover one topic. If you would rather have this topic's questions already pulled together, with the method shown step by step instead of only an acceptable answer, that is what Topical Solved is — the paid version of this same topic.
- Open the free Physics past-paper archive — every session, question paper and mark scheme.
- Work the sessions that cover this topic, then mark yourself against the official mark scheme.
- Want this topic's questions collected and worked through? Topical Solved does exactly that.
- Nothing on this page is behind a signup or a paywall.
Kept current with the 2026 syllabus
Edexcel releases new Physics sessions every year, and every one of them lands in the free Physics past-paper archive on this site — question paper and official mark scheme together, usually within days of release. Nothing about that is gated.
This topic map is rebuilt against the official 2026 Edexcel Physics syllabus, so the numbering and the topic titles here match the specification a student is actually sitting rather than a retired version of it. Stale topic mapping is one of the biggest hidden quality problems with free past-paper sites, and it is the thing this page is here to get right.
Physics topical past papers — what students search for
Students search for "Physics topical past papers", "Physics topic-wise questions", "Physics chapter-wise past papers", "Physics questions by topic", "free Edexcel Physics past papers by topic", and dozens more variations every day. What almost all of them are really asking is a syllabus question first: which topic is this, and which papers examine it. That is what this page answers, and it links straight to the free papers.
Common searches — "Physics 2026 paper", "Physics recent past papers", "Physics latest questions by topic" — are all served by the free Edexcel Physics past-paper archive, which carries every session with its official mark scheme at no cost.
Some students search specifically for "Physics questions only no solutions" or "Physics past papers without answers" — the free session archive is exactly that. If you want "Physics worked solutions" or "Physics step-by-step", Topical Solved collects this topic's questions and shows a teacher-verified working for each one.
Subtopics within Electricity and circuits
Describe the structure of the atom, limited to the position
Draw and use electric circuit diagrams representing them with
Describe the differences between series and parallel circuits
Recall that a voltmeter is connected in parallel with a
Explain that potential difference (voltage) is the energy
Recall and use the equation:
Recall that an ammeter is connected in series with a
Explain that an electric current as the rate of flow of charge
Recall and use the equation:
Describe that when a closed circuit includes a source of
Recall that current is conserved at a junction in a circuit
Explain how changing the resistance in a circuit changes the
Recall and use the equation:
Explain why, if two resistors are in series, the net resistance is
Calculate the currents, potential differences and resistances in
Explain the design and construction of series circuits for
Core Practical: Construct electrical circuits to:
Explain how current varies with potential difference for the
Describe how the resistance of a light-dependent resistor
Describe how the resistance of a thermistor varies with change
Explain how the design and use of circuits can be used to
Recall that, when there is an electric current in a resistor
Explain that electrical energy is dissipated as thermal energy
Explain the energy transfer (in 10.22 above) as the result of
Explain ways of reducing unwanted energy transfer
Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the heating
Use the equation:
Describe power as the energy transferred per second and
Recall and use the equation:
Explain how the power transfer in any circuit device is related
Recall and use the equations:
Describe how, in different domestic devices, energy is
Explain the difference between direct and alternating voltage
Describe direct current (d.c.) as movement of charge in one
Describe that in alternating current (a.c.) the movement of
Recall that in the UK the domestic supply is a.c., at a
Explain the difference in function between the live and the
Explain the function of an earth wire and of fuses or circuit
Explain why switches and fuses should be connected in the live
Recall the potential differences between the live, neutral and
Explain the dangers of providing any connection between the
Describe, with examples, the relationship between the power
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the questions for this topic on this page?
No — this page is the syllabus map for the topic: its official numbering, its subtopics, and a route to the papers that examine it. The questions live in the Edexcel Physics past papers, which are free on this site with the official mark scheme beside every session. If you want this topic's questions collected in one place and worked through step by step, that is the paid Topical Solved product.
What's the difference between this and Topical Solved?
This page is free and it maps the topic: where it sits in the official syllabus, what falls under it, and where to find the papers that examine it. Topical Solved is the paid product that does the collecting for you — this topic's past-paper questions pulled together with a teacher-verified, step-by-step worked solution for each one, so you can see exactly how the marks are earned.
Is the mark scheme included?
Yes, in the free Physics past-paper archive this page links to: every session there carries its official mark scheme alongside the question paper, free to open, so you can attempt a question and mark your own answer.
How up to date is the Physics archive?
New Edexcel Physics sessions are added to the free past-paper archive as they are released, and this topic map is rebuilt against the official 2026 syllabus so its numbering matches the specification being sat — not a retired version of it.