Suggested practical apparatus list (Combined Science – Trilogy and
Synergy
Through their study of the new GCSE Sciences students must be given the opportunity to
experience a wide range of hands-on practical work. Hands-on experience will help them acquire
the practical skills defined by the DfE in their Apparatus and Techniques criteria. We have
developed 28 required practicals to meet these DfE criteria, which we have embedded in our
specifications:
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10 required practical activities for GCSE Biology
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8 required practical activities for GCSE Chemistry
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10 required practical activities for GCSE Physics
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21 required practical activities for Combined Science: Trilogy and Combined Science:
Synergy, selected from those for the separate sciences. They are the same in both Trilogy
and Synergy.
We have designed all the activities to use standard equipment and materials that can be found in
most school laboratories.
The lists are not exhaustive, and we encourage teachers to modify the activities to suit their
students’ needs and learning objectives, and the resources available in their school/college.
We have produced guidance documents to help teachers and technicians provide students with a
rich and rewarding practical experience:
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our Required practical summary outlines how the required practical activities meet the
specified practical, working scientifically and practical skills
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our booklet Required practical activities gives suggested methods, teachers’ notes,
technical guidance and student sheets
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in the Required practical apparatus list we list all of the main pieces of equipment and the
materials needed for our required practical activities.
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in
England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX.
Risk assessment
These required practical activities have been suggested by teachers who have successfully carried
them out in the lab. However it is the responsibility of the centre to ensure that full risk
assessments have been carried out in each case.
Trialling
Teachers should trial the required practical activities to make sure that they are manageable and
match the resources available in the school/college.
Apparatus List
Lab equipment
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100 cm3 beakers
100 cm3 conical flasks
100 cm3 measuring cylinders
10 cm3 measuring cylinders
10 cm3 plastic syringes
12 V, 24 W lamps (eg ray box lamps)
1kg copper, iron and aluminium metal
blocks (each with two holes – one for
heating rod and one for thermometer)
1 m2 quadrats
250 cm3 beakers
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250 cm3 conical flasks
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30 W, 12 V heaters
30 cm rulers
30 m tape measures
• evaporating basins
• expanded polystyrene cups and lids
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4 mm leads
50 cm3 measuring cylinders
connecting leads
cork borer
crocodile/4mm plug leads
crocodile clips
crystallising dishes
delivery tubes with bungs
digital balances (capable of measuring
1 kg+)
• diode and protective resistor (eg 10 Ω)
• displacement cans
• dropping bottles
• filter funnels and filter paper
• forceps
• g clamps
• gauze mats
• glass capillary tubes
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5 cm3 measuring cylinders/syringes
Ammeters (or multimeters)
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bench pulleys
blue litmus paper
boiling tubes
• glass stirring rods
• heatproof mats
• infrared detector
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Bunsen burners
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carbon rod electrodes with support
bungs
chromatography paper
• Leslie cube
• light gates, interface and computer software
• light sources (LED or standard. Not energy
saving)
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• glass spreaders
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in
England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX.
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circuit component holders
clamp stands
clamps and bosses
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component holders
• linear air track and gliders
• materials kits (ie various regular shaped
objects made of iron, copper, aluminium)
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in
England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX.
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Lab equipment (continued)
• metre rulers
• microscope slide coverslips
• microscope slides
• microscopes
• milliammeters (or multimeters)
• multimeters
• power supplies (variable)
• nichrome wires mounted in handles
• pestles and mortars
• petri dish lids (to fit 100 cm3 beaker)
• pulleys on clamps
• resistance wire (eg constantan of different
diameters)
• resistors, for example 100 Ω, 1 W
• rheostats (eg 10 Ω, 5 A)
• ripple tank plus accessories
• scalpels
• sets of 100 g masses and hangers
• sets of 10 g masses and hangers
• small weight stacks (eg 1 N in steps of
0.2 N)
• large weight stacks (eg 10 N in steps of
1 N)
• spatulas
• spotting tiles
• springs of suitable stiffness (eg capable of
extending more than 1 cm under a load of
1 N) with loops at each end
• stopwatches
• teat pipettes
• test tube racks
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test tubes
thermometers (stirring)
tripods
tweezers
vibration generators
voltmeters (or multimeters)
• water baths (electrical or Bunsen burners
and beakers)
• white tiles
• wooden ‘bridges’ (for Waves practical)
Specialist supplies
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amylase solution
Benedict’s solution
biuret solution
copper (II) chloride solution (0.5 M)
copper (II) oxide powder
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silver nitrate solution (0.05 M)
sodium carbonate solution (0.05 M)
sodium chloride solution (0.5 M)
sodium hydrogen carbonate solution (0.2%)
sodium hydroxide solution (2.0 M)
• copper (II) sulfate solution (0.5 M)
• sodium sulfate solution (0.5 M)
• distilled water
• hydrochloric acid (2.0 M)
• iodine solution
• sodium thiosulfate solution (0.2 M)
• starch solution
• Sudan III stain solution
• nitric acid (0.4 M)
• sulfuric acid (1.0 M)
AQA Education (AQA) is a registered charity (number 1073334) and a company limited by guarantee registered in
England and Wales (number 3644723). Our registered address is AQA, Devas Street, Manchester M15 6EX.
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