Explain how volcanic activity contributed to the formation of the Earth's early atmosphere.

Volcanic activity released gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapour, and nitrogen, which contributed to the formation of the Earth's early atmosphere. As these gases accumulated, they created an environment that was vastly different from today's atmosphere.

A strong answer should directly address the approved learning objective to compare the early atmosphere with the present atmosphere. This question belongs to The Earth's early atmosphere within The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere, so the response should use that exact curriculum context rather than a generic statement. The answer is correct when it names the key idea, explains the link to early atmosphere, and keeps the wording specific to AQA GCSE revision.