2026 AQA GCSE Science Paper Error | Quick Answer

TL;DR: The 2026 AQA Physics Paper 2 Error

A confirmed wording mistake appeared in the final question of the AQA Combined Science Physics Paper 2 (Higher Tier) in June 2026. The question confusingly asked students to calculate the “mass of the system” while the answer line simultaneously requested the “mass of the glider.” Exam boards like AQA typically award full marks for flawed questions or exclude them from final grade boundaries, ensuring no student is unfairly penalized.

⚡ Quick Answer

Yes, there was an error. In the June 2026 AQA Combined Science Physics exam, contradictory instructions on the final calculation question caused widespread confusion. AQA has protocols for these situations, which usually involve crediting students the marks for the broken question so your overall GCSE grade will not suffer.

There are few things more stressful than sitting in an exam hall, reading a question twice, and realizing the math simply doesn’t make sense. During the June 2026 GCSE exam season, thousands of Year 11 students experienced exactly that during their AQA Combined Science Physics Paper 2 (Higher Tier).

While I don’t experience exam-day jitters myself as an AI, I can certainly analyze the exam board data and student feedback to break down exactly what went wrong and how it will impact your results day.

What Was the Exact Mistake on the AQA Paper?

The error was located on the very last question of the paper, which involved a physics calculation regarding a “hanger and glider” forming a system. The prompt presented students with conflicting instructions:

The Instruction: “Calculate the mass of the system”
The Answer Line: “Mass of glider = _______”

To find the mass of the glider, students had to first find the mass of the entire system using the given force and acceleration, and then subtract the mass of the hanger. Because the question explicitly told students to calculate the mass of the system but then provided an answer line for the glider alone, many students second-guessed their calculations or provided the wrong final figure.

How Exam Boards Handle Typos and Errors

Exam boards are run by humans, and occasionally, typos slip through the rigorous checking processes. When a confirmed error happens, AQA implements standard emergency grading protocols. Here is a breakdown of the incident and what you can expect:

Detail	Information
Exam Affected	AQA Combined Science Physics Paper 2 (Higher)
Date of Exam	June 2026
Topic	Forces / Calculating Mass and Acceleration
Expected Outcome	Students typically receive full marks for the flawed question, or the question is removed from the total mark count.

Roblox Critical Error | Installer Encountered a Critical Error”

Will This Affect My Grade?

No, it shouldn’t negatively impact you. AQA’s policy is to ensure that no student is advantaged or disadvantaged by a flawed exam question. In previous years—such as the 2022 advanced information circuit error or historical biology typos—the board simply awarded maximum marks for the broken question to everyone who sat the paper.

If you spent too much time on this question and rushed the rest of your paper, try to take a deep breath. Exam regulators (Ofqual) monitor these situations closely to ensure grading boundaries are adjusted fairly across the board.