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Work through the notes, try the practice questions, then take the quiz. The report tells you exactly what to revise next. (2026)
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Question
Two bar magnets are placed end-to-end on a smooth bench: magnet 1 has its N pole pointing right; magnet 2 has its N pole pointing left. Describe what happens and explain why.
Solution
Identify which poles are facing each other. Magnet 1's right end is N. Magnet 2's right end is N (because its N points left, its right end must be S — wait, careful). Magnet 2 has N pointing left, so the end facing magnet 1 is N.
Two N poles are facing each other. Apply the rule: like poles repel.
Predict the motion: the two magnets push each other apart and slide in opposite directions on the smooth bench.
Answer
The magnets repel each other and slide apart, because two like (N–N) poles are facing each other.
Examiner note
Always identify the facing poles first. AQA Paper 2 markers often penalise students who give 'repel' without naming which poles are facing.
Question
A student has an unknown iron bar. When the bar is brought near the N pole of a permanent magnet it is attracted. When the bar is turned round, the other end is also attracted. Has the student proved the bar is a permanent magnet? Explain your answer in full.
Solution
Recall that magnetic materials such as iron always attract a magnet (induced magnetism).
If both ends of the bar are attracted, induced magnetism is the simplest explanation — the field of the permanent magnet temporarily magnetises the iron so that the near face acts as an opposite pole and is therefore attracted.
Only repulsion would prove the bar has fixed poles of its own. The student has not seen repulsion, so the test is inconclusive.
Answer
No. Both ends being attracted is consistent with the bar being a piece of iron (induced magnetism). To prove it is a permanent magnet the student must observe repulsion when one end of the bar is brought near a known pole.
Question
A student tests five objects with a strong bar magnet: a steel paper clip, a copper coin, an aluminium drinks can, a nickel coin (older 5 p) and a plastic ruler. State which will be attracted to the magnet and explain why.
Solution
Recall AQA's named magnetic materials: iron, steel, cobalt, nickel.
Match each object: steel paper clip — magnetic (steel); copper coin — not magnetic; aluminium can — not magnetic; nickel coin — magnetic; plastic ruler — not magnetic.
Answer
The steel paper clip and the nickel coin will be attracted. Copper, aluminium and plastic are not magnetic materials.
Question
An electromagnet used in a scrap-metal yard needs to pick up iron quickly and drop it again when the current is switched off. Suggest, with reasons, the best magnetic material for the core.
Solution
The core must magnetise quickly when current flows so the electromagnet exerts a strong force.
The core must also lose its magnetism quickly when the current is switched off so that the load drops.
Soft iron magnetises and demagnetises easily. Steel keeps its magnetism, which would stop the load from being released. So soft iron is the better choice.
Answer
Use a soft iron core. Soft iron magnetises strongly when current flows and loses its magnetism quickly when the current is switched off, allowing the load to be released.
Question
A bar magnet is placed flat on a desk with its N pole on the left. Describe (in words) the magnetic field pattern around it and the direction of the field lines.
Solution
State that field lines run from N to S outside the magnet.
Describe the shape: loops that leave the N pole, curve around the top and bottom of the magnet, and re-enter the S pole on the right.
Add detail on strength: lines are closer together near the poles (strong field) and spread out at the sides (weaker field).
Answer
The field lines form closed loops, leaving the N pole on the left and curving around above and below the magnet to re-enter the S pole on the right. Arrows on the lines point from N to S. The lines are densest near the poles (strongest field) and spread out at the sides.
Question
Describe how a student could use a small plotting compass to plot a field line of a bar magnet on a piece of paper.
Solution
Place the bar magnet on a piece of paper and draw round it.
Put the plotting compass near one pole and mark a pencil dot at the position of the compass's N tip.
Move the compass so its S end sits on the dot just drawn; mark a new dot at the new N position.
Repeat until the dots reach the other pole; join the dots with a smooth curve and add an arrow showing the direction from N to S.
Answer
Place the compass near the N pole, mark a dot at the tip of its needle, move the compass forwards so its S sits at the dot, mark a new dot, and continue until the dots reach the magnet's S pole. Join with a smooth curve and add an arrow.
Examiner note
AQA expects the dot-to-dot method explicitly. Saying 'place the compass and trace' loses the method mark.
Question
Explain why a compass needle, when allowed to swing freely, settles pointing roughly to the geographic North of the Earth. Refer to the Earth's magnetic field in your answer.
Solution
Recall that a compass needle is itself a small magnet and aligns with the magnetic field at its position.
Recognise that the Earth has a magnetic field that resembles the field of a giant bar magnet inside the planet, generated by motion in the molten iron/nickel outer core.
The geographic North of the Earth is, in fact, a magnetic SOUTH pole. Because unlike poles attract, the N pole of the compass needle is pulled towards the geographic North.
Answer
The compass needle is a small magnet that aligns with the surrounding magnetic field. The Earth has a magnetic field (modelled as a bar magnet inside the core) with its magnetic south pole near the geographic North. The compass needle's N pole is therefore attracted towards the geographic North.
Question
When a strong bar magnet is placed on the equator with its N pole pointing east, a student notices that at one point above the magnet a compass needle spins freely without settling. Explain.
Solution
At that point the magnetic field of the bar magnet exactly cancels the Earth's magnetic field — a 'neutral point'.
The net field at the compass is zero, so there is no preferred direction for the compass needle to align.
Answer
A neutral point is a position where two magnetic fields cancel out exactly. The bar magnet's field has the same size but opposite direction to the Earth's field at that point. With zero net field there is nothing to align the compass needle, so it does not settle.
Question
Describe and sketch (in words) the magnetic field around a long straight vertical wire when a current flows upwards through it.
Solution
Recognise that the field lines form circles around the wire in a horizontal plane.
Apply the right-hand grip rule: thumb points up (current); fingers curl anticlockwise when viewed from above.
State that the field is strongest close to the wire and weakens with distance.
Answer
Concentric circles around the wire in a plane perpendicular to it. With the current upwards the field lines point anticlockwise when viewed from above (right-hand grip rule). The field is strongest close to the wire and weakens with distance.
Question
An electromagnet is made by wrapping insulated copper wire around a wooden rod and connecting the wire to a 6 V battery. Suggest THREE ways the student could make the electromagnet stronger.
Solution
Increase the current — use a higher voltage supply or reduce the resistance of the circuit.
Increase the number of turns per unit length of the coil.
Replace the wooden rod with a soft-iron core — the iron magnetises by induction and greatly strengthens the field.
Answer
(1) Increase the current through the coil (higher voltage or lower resistance). (2) Add more turns of wire to the coil. (3) Replace the wooden rod with a soft-iron core, which becomes magnetised by induction.
Examiner note
AQA Paper 2 mark schemes (2023) reward 1 mark for each distinct, sensible suggestion. Saying 'add more wire' without specifying 'more turns of wire on the coil' is too vague.
Question
An electromagnet at a scrap-yard picks up cars and drops them into a crusher. Explain why the core must be made of soft iron and not steel.
Solution
When the current is on, both soft iron and steel would magnetise strongly and pick up the car.
When the current is switched off, soft iron quickly loses its magnetism, so the car is released into the crusher.
Steel keeps most of its magnetism even after the current is off. The car would still be attracted and would not drop into the crusher.
Answer
Soft iron magnetises and demagnetises easily. When the current is switched off the iron loses its magnetism, releasing the load. Steel would stay magnetised, preventing the load from being released.
Question
Explain how an electromagnetic relay allows a small switch on a car's ignition key to control the very large current needed to turn the starter motor.
Solution
Turning the key closes a small low-current switch in the input coil circuit.
Current in the small coil energises the electromagnet, which attracts a soft-iron lever.
The lever closes a separate, high-current circuit containing the starter motor. The small switch never has to carry the large motor current — the relay does that.
Answer
The ignition key closes a small low-current circuit that energises the relay's electromagnet. The electromagnet attracts a soft-iron lever, which closes a separate high-current circuit to the starter motor. The driver's switch handles only the small coil current — the relay safely controls the large motor current.
An object that produces its own magnetic field and has two poles — a north-seeking pole and a south-seeking pole.
A region of a magnet where the magnetic force is strongest. Magnets have a north-seeking (N) pole and a south-seeking (S) pole.
A magnet that keeps its magnetic field whether or not another magnet is present. Can both attract and repel another magnet.
Bar magnet, fridge magnet, neodymium speaker magnet.
A piece of magnetic material that becomes a magnet only when placed in another magnet's field. The force between an induced magnet and the inducing magnet is always one of attraction.
An iron paper clip becoming magnetic when held near a bar magnet.
A material that can be attracted by a magnet, and that can become an induced magnet. AQA names iron, steel, cobalt and nickel.
A force that acts between two objects without them touching. Magnetism, gravity and electrostatic force are all non-contact forces.
The region around a magnet in which another magnet, or a magnetic material, experiences a force.
A line that shows the direction of the magnetic field at every point along it. Outside a magnet, lines run from the N pole to the S pole.
A small magnetised needle on a low-friction pivot used to determine the direction of a magnetic field. The N end of the needle aligns with the field line.
A measure of magnetic field strength. Measured in tesla (T). Referenced in spec 4.7.2.2 onwards (Higher Tier).
Related: F = BIL
A point in space where two or more magnetic fields cancel exactly, so the net field is zero and a compass needle will not settle in a particular direction.
The magnetic field of the planet, generated by motion of molten iron and nickel in the outer core. It behaves approximately as the field of a bar magnet inside the Earth.
A coil of wire, often wrapped around a soft-iron core, that becomes a magnet when current flows. Switching the current off switches the magnet off.
A long coil of wire (many turns close together) used to produce a strong, uniform magnetic field along its central axis.
A way of finding the direction of the magnetic field around a current-carrying wire. Point the right thumb in the direction of conventional current; the fingers curl in the direction of the field lines.
An electromagnetic switch in which a small current in one coil controls a much larger current in a separate circuit, by attracting a soft-iron lever that closes the second circuit.
A measure of how strong a magnetic field is at a point. Measured in tesla (T). Field strength near a current-carrying wire depends on the current and the distance from the wire.
Mistake
Saying induced magnets can repel.
Why it happens
Students treat induced and permanent magnets as if they were the same.
How to avoid it
Remember the AQA wording: 'the force between an induced magnet and a permanent magnet is always one of attraction'. Repulsion needs two permanent magnets.
Source: AQA Examiner Report Paper 2 2023.
Mistake
Calling magnet poles 'positive' and 'negative'.
Why it happens
Students confuse the like-attracts/repels rule for magnetism with the electric-charge rule.
How to avoid it
Magnets have north and south poles, NOT positive and negative charges. Use the right vocabulary.
Mistake
Claiming all metals are magnetic.
Why it happens
Students see magnets sticking to fridges (steel) and generalise.
How to avoid it
Only iron, steel, cobalt and nickel are magnetic. Copper, aluminium, brass, gold and silver are NOT.
Mistake
Concluding that attraction proves an object is a magnet.
Why it happens
It feels intuitive — 'if it sticks, it's magnetic'.
How to avoid it
Attraction can be caused by induced magnetism in a magnetic material. Only repulsion is proof of a permanent magnet.
Source: AQA Examiner Report Paper 2 2022.
Mistake
Choosing steel as the core of an electromagnet that must release its load.
Why it happens
Students associate strong magnetism with steel.
How to avoid it
Soft iron is the right choice for electromagnet cores because it loses magnetism quickly when current is turned off. Steel is for permanent magnets.
Mistake
Drawing field lines without arrowheads.
Why it happens
Students focus on getting the shape right and forget the direction.
How to avoid it
Always add at least one arrowhead per line, pointing from N to S. Examiner reports note 'no arrows = no direction mark'.
Source: AQA Examiner Report Paper 2 2024.
Mistake
Drawing field lines that cross each other.
Why it happens
Students rush sketches without thinking about what crossing would mean.
How to avoid it
If two lines crossed, a compass at that point would have to align in two directions at once — impossible. Re-draw so the lines curve smoothly past one another.
Mistake
Saying the geographic North of the Earth is a magnetic north.
Why it happens
Compasses point north, and our brains assume 'north points to north'.
How to avoid it
Like poles repel; unlike attract. The compass needle's north is attracted to the geographic North, which must therefore be a magnetic south.
Source: AQA Examiner Report Paper 2 2022.
Mistake
Claiming iron filings show the direction of the field.
Why it happens
Iron filings give a striking picture of the field shape and look like little arrows.
How to avoid it
Iron filings show shape only. Use a compass to determine direction (N → S outside the magnet).
Mistake
Field lines that stop in mid-air without reaching a pole.
Why it happens
Students get bored of drawing and just leave a line hanging.
How to avoid it
Every line must start on one pole and end on another (or run round inside a closed loop, e.g. a solenoid).
Mistake
Drawing field lines along the wire (in the same direction as the current).
Why it happens
Students assume the field 'flows with' the current.
How to avoid it
Field lines around a current-carrying wire are CIRCLES that wrap around the wire — perpendicular to the wire, not along it. Use the right-hand grip rule.
Mistake
Using steel as an electromagnet core.
Why it happens
Students associate strong magnetism with steel.
How to avoid it
Soft iron — magnetises AND demagnetises easily, so the load is released when current is off. Steel stays magnetised.
Source: AQA Examiner Report Paper 2 2024.
Mistake
Listing several uses of electromagnets without explaining any in detail.
Why it happens
Students try to give 'as much information as possible'.
How to avoid it
Pick ONE application and describe each step carefully. Detail wins more marks than a long list.
Mistake
Using electron-flow direction (− to +) with the right-hand grip rule.
Why it happens
Some textbooks discuss electron flow alongside conventional current.
How to avoid it
AQA always uses conventional current (+ to −) at GCSE. Point your right thumb in the conventional current direction.
Mistake
Forgetting which end of a solenoid is N and which is S.
Why it happens
Students don't have a reliable check.
How to avoid it
Look at one end of the solenoid. If the current is anticlockwise (curls like the letter 'N'), that end is north. If clockwise (curls like 'S'), that end is south.