Fiducia TogetherCircuit symbols and diagrams
Drawing circuits so anybody can build them.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Standard symbols represent cells, batteries, switches, lamps, resistors, variable resistors, LDRs, thermistors, diodes, ammeters and voltmeters.
Where it applies
GCSE physics and combined science.
How it works
A diagram is only useful if the symbols are standard, which is why they are examined directly.
An LDR's resistance falls as light increases; a thermistor's falls as temperature increases. Both are used in sensing circuits.
How to use it in your work
Learn the symbols and draw them with a ruler. Freehand components lose marks.
Ammeter in series, voltmeter in parallel — check every diagram you draw.
For sensing circuits, explain the resistance change and then what happens to the potential difference across the other component.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification and mark scheme.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The Physics Song The GCSE physics specification, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.