Energy Worksheet - KS3 - Intermediate

Energy worksheet for KS3 (Key Stage 3 / Year 7-9 (Ages 11-14)). Intermediate level science practice, aligned to the UK National Curriculum. Print-ready with answer key included.

Science•Key Stage 3 / Year 7-9 (Ages 11-14)•Energyintermediate

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Energy in Action: Stores, Transfers and Resources

Key Stage 3 Science • Years 7–9 • Intermediate

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Instructions: Complete each activity using the information provided and your knowledge of energy. Show working for calculations and use scientific vocabulary in explanations. Remember that energy is transferred between stores; it is not created or destroyed.

Identify the Energy Stores

For each situation, name the main energy store stated or indicated. Some situations involve more than one store, so include both where appropriate. Use precise terms such as chemical, kinetic, gravitational potential, elastic potential and thermal.

1. A cyclist is moving along a level road. Name the cyclist’s main energy store while moving.

2. A book is held on a high shelf. Name the energy store increased by lifting it.

3. A stretched elastic band is held ready to launch. Name its main energy store.

4. A battery-powered torch is switched on. Name the energy store in the battery before it transfers energy.

5. Hot soup is left to cool. Name the energy store that decreases as the soup cools.

Trace the Energy Transfers

Describe the energy pathway for each example. State the starting store, the transfer pathway, and the useful or final store. Use transfer terms such as mechanically, electrically, by heating, or by radiation.

1. A mains-powered kettle heats water. Complete the pathway: energy from the ______ store is transferred electrically to the ______ store of the water.

2. A falling ball speeds up. Explain which store decreases and which store increases.

3. A lamp is powered by a battery. Name the starting store and two stores to which energy is transferred.

4. A person rubs their hands together. Describe the transfer pathway and identify the store that increases.

Conservation of Energy in Calculations

Use the conservation of energy: total energy transferred out of a store equals the total energy transferred into other stores. For efficiency, divide useful energy output by total energy input and multiply by 100%. Give units where appropriate.

1. A motor receives 500 J of electrical energy and transfers 350 J usefully to a moving load. How much energy is dissipated to the surroundings?

2. A lamp receives 80 J of electrical energy and transfers 12 J as useful light. Calculate its efficiency as a percentage.

3. A falling object loses 240 J from its gravitational potential store. It gains 190 J in its kinetic store. How much energy is transferred to other stores, such as thermal and sound?

4. A device transfers 600 J of energy in total, of which 450 J is useful. Calculate its efficiency as a percentage.

Compare Energy Resources

Read the data table and answer the questions beneath it. A renewable resource is replenished naturally on a human timescale; a non-renewable resource is finite. Use evidence from the table when making comparisons.

Resource	Renewable?	Typical output	One consideration
Wind	Yes	Variable	Depends on wind
Coal	No	High and controllable	Produces carbon dioxide
Solar	Yes	Variable	Depends on daylight
Natural gas	No	High and controllable	Produces carbon dioxide

1. Which two resources in the table are non-renewable?

2. Which two resources have output that is variable according to the table?

3. Give one advantage of coal or natural gas for supplying electricity when demand is high.

4. Give one limitation of wind or solar power shown in the table.

Choose and Justify an Energy Resource

Select one resource from the options in each question. Consider whether it is renewable, how reliably it can generate electricity, and any environmental consideration stated. Write the exact resource name in the answer box.

1. Which resource is renewable and can generate electricity when sunlight is available?

2. Which resource is non-renewable and can provide controllable electricity generation?

3. Which resource is renewable but its electricity output depends on wind conditions?

4. Which statement best describes a non-renewable resource?

Explain Energy and the Environment

Write a focused scientific explanation. Include energy stores and transfers where relevant, and support your comparison with facts about renewable and non-renewable resources. Keep the response to the single question.

A community needs a reliable electricity supply while reducing its use of fossil fuels. Explain how using a mixture of renewable resources and energy storage could help meet this need. Include one benefit and one limitation of renewable resources, and explain how energy is transferred into useful electrical energy. [4 marks]

Answer Key

Activity 1: Kinetic ; Gravitational potential ; Elastic potential ; Chemical ; Thermal

Activity 2: Chemical ; thermal ; Gravitational potential decreases and kinetic increases ; Chemical ; thermal and light ; Mechanically ; thermal

Activity 3: 150 J ; 15% ; 50 J ; 75%

Activity 4: Coal and natural gas ; Wind and solar ; Their output is high and controllable ; Wind depends on wind or solar depends on daylight

Activity 5: Solar ; Natural gas ; Wind ; Finite supply

Activity 6: Example points: a mixture reduces reliance on any one variable renewable source; renewable resources are replenished and can reduce fossil-fuel use, but wind and solar output varies; stored energy can be transferred electrically to the community when generation is low; generators transfer energy from a resource into electrical energy.