AQA A LEVEL PHYSICS PAPER 1 EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+
2025/2026
What is meant by work function (2) - ANS Minimum energy required by an electron to escape
from (1) a metal surface (1)
What is meant by ionisation energy? (2) - ANS Minimum energy required to remove an
electron from an atom (1) from the ground state (1)
Why do emitted electrons have a kinetic energy that varies up to a maximum value? (4) -
ANS Energy of a photon is fixed/constant (1)
Energy is required for electrons to overcome work function ø (1)
Electrons deeper into/below the surface of the metal require more energy to overcome work
function and therefore have less KE(1)
Maximum KE = Energy of photon - work function ø (1)
Explain how (bright ring) diagram is evidence of the wave-particle duality of electrons? -
ANS Diffraction pattern maxima/minima (bright and dark areas) (1)
Diffraction is a property of waves- proves wave-behaviour of electrons (1)
What is meant by the ground state? - ANS The lowest energy state of an atom
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, Explain the difference between excitation and ionisation (2) - ANS An electron receives a
discrete amount of energy for BOTH (1)
Excitation promotes an electron to a higher energy level
Ionisation is when an electron receives enough energy to leave the atom
Explain why only photons of certain frequencies cause excitation (4) - ANS discrete energy
levels (1)
Electrons need to absorb a DISCRETE amount of energy to move to a higher energy level (1)
Photons need to have a certain frequency to provide this energy, because E=hf (1)
interaction is a 1:1 reaction all of the photon's energy is absorbed (1)
Explain how excitation takes place in a fluorescent tube - ANS Electrons flow through the
tube to the applied PD causing a current to flow (1)
Electrons collide with mercury atoms in the tube (1)
This raises electrons in the mercury atom to a higher energy level (1)
What is the purpose of coating in a fluorescent tube? - ANS UV/ High energy photons emitted
from mercury atoms when the electrons in the atom de-excite (1)
High energy photons absorbed by the coating (1)
Coating emits photons in the visible spectrum (1)
What happens when annihilation occurs? (2) - ANS particle and an anti-particle collide and
cease to exist (1)
Their mass is released as energy in the form of a pair of gamma photons (1)
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+
2025/2026
What is meant by work function (2) - ANS Minimum energy required by an electron to escape
from (1) a metal surface (1)
What is meant by ionisation energy? (2) - ANS Minimum energy required to remove an
electron from an atom (1) from the ground state (1)
Why do emitted electrons have a kinetic energy that varies up to a maximum value? (4) -
ANS Energy of a photon is fixed/constant (1)
Energy is required for electrons to overcome work function ø (1)
Electrons deeper into/below the surface of the metal require more energy to overcome work
function and therefore have less KE(1)
Maximum KE = Energy of photon - work function ø (1)
Explain how (bright ring) diagram is evidence of the wave-particle duality of electrons? -
ANS Diffraction pattern maxima/minima (bright and dark areas) (1)
Diffraction is a property of waves- proves wave-behaviour of electrons (1)
What is meant by the ground state? - ANS The lowest energy state of an atom
1 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, Explain the difference between excitation and ionisation (2) - ANS An electron receives a
discrete amount of energy for BOTH (1)
Excitation promotes an electron to a higher energy level
Ionisation is when an electron receives enough energy to leave the atom
Explain why only photons of certain frequencies cause excitation (4) - ANS discrete energy
levels (1)
Electrons need to absorb a DISCRETE amount of energy to move to a higher energy level (1)
Photons need to have a certain frequency to provide this energy, because E=hf (1)
interaction is a 1:1 reaction all of the photon's energy is absorbed (1)
Explain how excitation takes place in a fluorescent tube - ANS Electrons flow through the
tube to the applied PD causing a current to flow (1)
Electrons collide with mercury atoms in the tube (1)
This raises electrons in the mercury atom to a higher energy level (1)
What is the purpose of coating in a fluorescent tube? - ANS UV/ High energy photons emitted
from mercury atoms when the electrons in the atom de-excite (1)
High energy photons absorbed by the coating (1)
Coating emits photons in the visible spectrum (1)
What happens when annihilation occurs? (2) - ANS particle and an anti-particle collide and
cease to exist (1)
Their mass is released as energy in the form of a pair of gamma photons (1)
2 @COPYRIGHT 2025/2026 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
