Topical revision checklist for Pearson Edexcel UK GCSE (9–1) Physics — specification 1PH0. Track confidence for each topic and sub-topic; aligned to 2026 specification headings. Rate your confidence (1–5) for each specification topic.
| Topic | Sub-topic | Resources | Confidence (1–5) | Last reviewed | Next review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Energy | Energy stores: chemical, kinetic, gravitational, elastic, thermal, nuclear, electrostatic | ||||
| 1. Energy | Energy pathways: heating, mechanical working, radiation, electrical working | ||||
| 1. Energy | Conservation of energy in transfers and transformations | ||||
| 1. Energy | Work done; power as rate of energy transfer | ||||
| 1. Energy | Efficiency calculations; reducing energy losses | ||||
| 1. Energy | Renewable and non-renewable sources; environmental considerations | ||||
| 1. Energy | Electricity generation: fossil fuel, nuclear, renewable plant overview | ||||
| 2. Electricity | Current, charge, and time; Q = It | ||||
| 2. Electricity | Potential difference and energy transferred per coulomb | ||||
| 2. Electricity | Resistance; Ohm’s law; ohmic and non-ohmic conductors | ||||
| 2. Electricity | Series and parallel: rules for I, V, R | ||||
| 2. Electricity | Investigating I–V for resistor, filament lamp, diode, thermistor, LDR | ||||
| 2. Electricity | Domestic electricity: plugs, fuses, earth wire; power P = VI | ||||
| 2. Electricity | National Grid: transformers and high-voltage transmission | ||||
| 2. Electricity | Energy in circuits: E = VIt; comparing devices | ||||
| 3. Particle model of matter | Density calculations and measurements | ||||
| 3. Particle model of matter | Heating and cooling curves; latent heat and specific heat capacity | ||||
| 3. Particle model of matter | Internal energy and temperature | ||||
| 3. Particle model of matter | Gas pressure — particle collisions (qualitative) | ||||
| 3. Particle model of matter | Changes of state and particle spacing | ||||
| 4. Atomic structure | Protons, neutrons, electrons; mass and charge | ||||
| 4. Atomic structure | Isotopes; relative atomic mass | ||||
| 4. Atomic structure | Electronic configuration and the periodic table | ||||
| 4. Atomic structure | Alpha, beta, gamma: properties and uses | ||||
| 4. Atomic structure | Half-life; decay graphs; dating materials | ||||
| 4. Atomic structure | Nuclear fission in power stations; chain reactions | ||||
| 4. Atomic structure | Fusion in stars; conditions | ||||
| 4. Atomic structure | Handling radioactive sources safely | ||||
| 5. Forces | Vectors and scalars; combining displacements | ||||
| 5. Forces | Distance–time and velocity–time graphs; gradient and area | ||||
| 5. Forces | Acceleration; equations of motion (as specified for tier) | ||||
| 5. Forces | Newton’s laws; resultant force; F = ma | ||||
| 5. Forces | Weight W = mg; centre of gravity | ||||
| 5. Forces | Forces and terminal velocity; drag | ||||
| 5. Forces | Elasticity: Hooke’s law; elastic potential energy | ||||
| 5. Forces | Moments; levers; gears | ||||
| 5. Forces | Pressure: solids, liquids, gases | ||||
| 5. Forces | Stopping distance; road safety | ||||
| 6. Waves | Frequency, wavelength, amplitude, period; v = fλ | ||||
| 6. Waves | Transverse and longitudinal; examples | ||||
| 6. Waves | Measuring wave speed in ripple tank or on a string | ||||
| 6. Waves | Sound: frequency, amplitude, echo, ultrasound | ||||
| 6. Waves | Reflection and refraction; ray diagrams | ||||
| 6. Waves | Electromagnetic spectrum: order, properties, uses, hazards | ||||
| 6. Waves | Lenses: converging and diverging (as specified) | ||||
| 7. Magnetism and electromagnetism | Magnetic fields around magnets and currents | ||||
| 7. Magnetism and electromagnetism | Electromagnets: factors affecting strength | ||||
| 7. Magnetism and electromagnetism | Motor effect: Fleming’s left-hand rule | ||||
| 7. Magnetism and electromagnetism | Electric motor: split-ring commutator | ||||
| 7. Magnetism and electromagnetism | Electromagnetic induction: generators | ||||
| 7. Magnetism and electromagnetism | Transformers: turns ratio; step-up and step-down | ||||
| 8. Space physics | Planets, moons, artificial satellites; orbits | ||||
| 8. Space physics | Stable stars: main sequence; fusion | ||||
| 8. Space physics | Life cycle: red giant, white dwarf, supernova (overview) | ||||
| 8. Space physics | Red-shift; expanding universe; Big Bang model (introductory) |
Use with our Past Paper Finder for exam practice. Always cross-check topic coverage with your school’s route and the official board specification.
Quick answers about this free revision checklist, how to use it for exam prep, and how it relates to the official syllabus.
This revision checklist mirrors the official Pearson Edexcel UK GCSE (9–1) Physics 1PH0 syllabus for the 2026 examination series. Every topic and sub-topic on the page is taken from the published syllabus document, so working through the list in order gives you full coverage of what your exam can assess. For the authoritative version, always cross-check with the latest syllabus PDF on your exam board's website before your final revision push.
The number of top-level topic groups varies by subject, but you can see the exact count on this page — each major heading in the checklist corresponds to one syllabus topic group, and each row below it is a syllabus-level sub-topic. Use the confidence column (1–5) to flag which sub-topics need more work, and re-score yourself weekly to track real progress instead of guessing.
8–12 weeks of focused revision, covering 1–2 topic groups per week with weekly past-paper practice, is realistic for most GCSE / IGCSE students. Use this checklist to plan your weeks: filter by topics you have rated 1–3 and spend your first revision block there. Subjects with heavy practical or extended-writing components (e.g. sciences, English) need more past-paper time in the final block than the topic-by-topic phase.
Revise in roughly the order the syllabus lists the topics — exam boards build later topics on earlier ones, so taking them in syllabus order avoids gaps. Once you have rated every topic, switch to weakest-first: filter the checklist by confidence ≤ 2 and prioritise those topics in your next study block. This is more effective than re-revising topics you already score 4–5 on.
You can find past papers and mark schemes via Tutopiya's Past Paper Finder and on your exam board's official site. Once you have rated each sub-topic on this checklist, attempt past-paper questions on your weakest topics first — practising under timed conditions is the single best predictor of exam performance, more so than re-reading notes.
Use the Download CSV or Print PDF button at the bottom of the checklist. CSV opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets so you can sort by confidence and re-arrange revision order. The PDF is print-ready for offline use. A free Tutopiya account is required for download — this also unlocks the matching topic resources, notes and worked examples on the Learning Portal.
Yes, the checklist itself is free — you can view, score and re-score every topic on this page without an account. The CSV / PDF downloads and access to matching Tutopiya Learning Portal resources require a free account. There is no payment required at any point; teachers and parents can also use this checklist freely with their students.
Yes. The topics and sub-topics on this page are drawn from the current 2026 Pearson Edexcel UK GCSE (9–1) Physics 1PH0 specification published by Pearson Edexcel. Exam boards occasionally tweak weighting or assessment structure mid-cycle, so do a quick sanity-check against the official syllabus PDF when you start your revision and again 4 weeks before the exam.