Matched to WJEC's GCSEs taught from 2026, The Sciences (Double Award) and Integrated Science (Single Award), and to GCSE Physics. At A level, WJEC Unit 4 (Orbits and the wider universe) fits the A level cards.
Curriculum links last reviewed November 2026.
Where the ISS is right now, and how fast it is going.
explain why astronauts float on the ISS although gravity there is almost 90% of the pull on the ground: they are falling round the Earth with the station.
Gravity at the ISS's height is about 8.6 N/kg. What does a 70 kg astronaut weigh there (W = mg)? So why do they float?
Every upcoming rocket launch, and when it lifts off.
explain how the forces on a rocket change during take-off, using resultant force and F = ma.
Pick the next launch. Draw the forces on the rocket at lift-off and a minute later. Why does its acceleration grow as it burns fuel?
Low, medium, geostationary and polar orbits, and what each one is used for.
explain how microwaves carry signals to and from satellites, and why a geostationary satellite stays above one spot on the equator.
Find a TV satellite in geostationary orbit. Why can a dish on a house stay pointed at it all day? Which waves carry the signal?
The telescopes working in space, from Hubble to JWST, and what each one is for.
compare telescopes in space with telescopes on the ground, and say why some light can only be studied from space.
Why put a telescope in space? Pupils list two reasons, then check them against Hubble and JWST on the page.
A live 3D globe of our nearest star.
explain that the Sun is stable because gravity pulling in is balanced by the pressure of its hot gas and radiation pushing out.
Spin the Sun globe. What would happen if gravity won? What if the pressure won? Link each to a stage in a star's life.
A live map of the solar system, with every working deep-space spacecraft where it is today.
describe distances in and beyond the Solar System in kilometres, astronomical units and light-years.
Give Voyager 1's distance in km, in AU (1 AU is about 150 million km) and in light-hours.
These are our suggestions for where each tool fits. Always preview a page before using it with a class: some tools show ads, these school pages do not.
Orby's Space Academy uses US spelling.
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Orbital Radar. (2026, November 4). Wales: WJEC GCSE. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://orbitalradar.com/schools/uk/wales-gcse
“Wales: WJEC GCSE.” Orbital Radar, 4 Nov. 2026, orbitalradar.com/schools/uk/wales-gcse. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.
Orbital Radar (2026) Wales: WJEC GCSE. Available at: https://orbitalradar.com/schools/uk/wales-gcse (Accessed: 4 November 2026).
Orbital Radar. “Wales: WJEC GCSE.” Last modified November 4, 2026. https://orbitalradar.com/schools/uk/wales-gcse.
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author = {{Orbital Radar}},
title = {Wales: WJEC GCSE},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
howpublished = {\url{https://orbitalradar.com/schools/uk/wales-gcse}},
url = {https://orbitalradar.com/schools/uk/wales-gcse},
urldate = {2026-11-04},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-04}
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