Year 11 IGCSE Chemistry Revision

Use this booklet to help you with your revision in preparation for your year 11
Chemistry examination.
There are lots of tips and hints to make sure that the time you spend revising
is effective.

Revision Schedule: Use the table below to help you plan your revision. (* = large
topics)
Revisits of topic area

guide/ textbook

spider diagram
/exercise book
Made notes or
index cards or
revision guide

Read revision

mind map or
Pages of the

specification
Topic Area

textbook

Pages of

checklist
Studied

        
Atomic Structure 30-44 15-21
and Periodic Table * 166-180
Particles 6-14 1-6

Formulae and 66-68 34-38

Equations
Bonding and 46-64 22-33
Structure
Organic Chemistry * 244-278 139-163

Metals * 182-208 112-122

Rates of Reaction * 130-146 65-72

Energetics 114-128 57-64

Experimental 16-28 7-14

Techniques
Air and Water 210-222 123-131

Carbonates 234-240 136

Electrochemistry 102-112 48-57

and Redox * 92-100 78-83
Acids, Bases, Salts 148-164 84-103
and Ions * 280-288
Moles 76-90 39-47

Equilibria 224-228 73-77

Sulphur Chemistry 230-232 132-133

 Revision Top Tips
Planning to do Revision Remember the learning Pyramid when you
 Quality not quantity do your revision.
 Revise in short bursts
 In each hour of revision, work for 30 minutes
and then have 5 minutes break. This is much
more effective than working for one hour
solidly.
 Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check
 Learning is much more effective if you write
information down as well as look at it.
 Pick out key information - Identify important
Use the text book and revision book.
key words, phrases and diagrams.
 Make a summary of units of work. Read and write notes or draw a mind map
 Use other people but choose your friends Condense work or notes
wisely! Write, write, write – at least then you have
 Get someone else to test you, preferably a to engage with thinking
friend doing the same exam. Otherwise, use a Test yourself –do past papers!!
brother, sister or even a parent!
Look at the checklist
 Get the environment right – make a clear space
in which to work - work at a table or desk.
 Have all you need to revise nearby – so that you Use your exercise book
don’t have to keep getting up! Go through the work that you have done in
 Avoid noise. lessons – use your exercise book to remind
 Make a revision plan yourself what you have studied.
 Don’t leave revision until the last minute!

Use your textbook

This book is excellent and covers all the work that you have covered. It also contains questions to test knowledge and also past
paper questions – use these resources rather than spending time browsing the web.

Use the checklist

You have been given a checklist which tells you exactly what needs to be learnt
and could be examined in each topic. Use it to help guide your revision plan and
revision time. Just reading it and trying to learn some of the facts will help you to
gain marks in the examination. Lots of the questions are lifted directly from the
checklist
If you have lost it – don’t panic – it is on the school website:
http://www.bws.wilts.sch.uk/Curriculum/Science/chem_key_stage_3.html
 Using Past Papers to help with Revision

A key element in effective revision for exams is to consult past exam papers. By looking at
past exam papers you can get an idea of the sorts of topics and questions which come up
on the paper, as well as how many questions you are likely to have to answer. You will
reduce the chances of being surprised by the real paper on the day.

You can find past papers for Chemistry on the Q drive. Below is a table of the past papers
that are available there for you to use. Use the table to tick of when you have done one of
the papers. More recent papers will be used within lessons with your teacher going over
the papers, highlighting areas of difficulty etc. If you still wish to do more papers then
additional older papers and mark schemes from 2003 to 2007 can be accessed on
http://papers.xtremepapers.com/CIE/Cambridge%20IGCSE/Chemistry%20(0620)/

What are the most effective ways to revise using past exam papers?
There are a number of strategies you may want to use when revising using past exam papers:
1. Mock Exams
Using a past paper, undertake a mock exam, under exam conditions. This will help you
practice writing under time constraints. You might want to just practice one exam
question at a time or you might want to try the complete exam paper. Once you have done
the paper, make sure you mark it looking very carefully at the mark scheme.

Things to consider…………..
 What are the key words that the examiner is looking for – these are things to focus
on, for example a rate of reaction question will usually want the words, particles,
collisions, number of collisions, activation energy discussed in relation to looking at
how different factors affect the rate of reaction.
 Did you get the best answer – strive to do this rather than just being happy with a
mediocre answer which might have scored a mark but might not be best.
 What questions did you get wrong? Go back and look over the relevant area again –
use your textbook or revision guide to help you.
 Seek the support and help of your teacher – you can now go and tell them exactly
what you are finding difficult so that they can help explain.

Completion of past paper questions – all on Q drive – Tick when done 

(Tick when completed). Remember to mark them yourself looking carefully over the
answers to see where you have gone wrong. Then, look over the areas that need more
work.
Year of Paper Extended Paper  Multiple Choice  Alternative to
Practical 
2007 Nov
2008 Nov
2009 Nov
2010 May
2010 Nov
Exam Technique
 Scan all the questions.
 Read these questions carefully – more than once!
 Decide on an order – best answers first!
 Divide up your time – allow time at the end to re-read your answers, stick to your time
plan!
 Underline the key words in the question.
 Plan your answer – look at the marks available for each part of the answer.
 Stick to the point of the question.
 Write your answer.
 Look for mistakes – remember, sometimes the difference in an A and C could be quite
a small number of marks – finding a mistake or improving an answer might just be what
you need to get the next mark.
 Allow time to re-read all your answers.

Keywords in the exam

Compare: Say how they are similar or different, which is best, why
Contrast: Look for the differences
Define: Give a meaning
Describe: Write in detail what you see, what is happening
Discuss: Write about the important aspects of the topic
Evaluate: Judge the good or poor aspects of the data or experiment, how could the
experiment or data be improved?
Explain: Make clear using key scientific terms
Interpret: usually with reference to a graph or table- say what the data is
showing, what trend is shown – you might be asked to explain why
Relate: Say what the connection is between two things/factors or variables
Summarise: Bring together the main points

Avoiding Stress
 Realise that we all get anxious at times
 Write down your worries and talk to someone you trust – a parent, brother or sister, friend or teacher.
 Face up to the situation – don’t avoid it
 Make a priority list of urgent tasks and those that can wait. Stick to your list.
 Set realistic goals but take time out to relax
 Eat healthy food, get more sleep and do some exercise.
 Think positively – don’t be over critical
 Accept praise for the things you do well
 If you really feel that it is getting on top of you then seek help from someone – sharing your concerns and
asking someone else to help you resolve the problem will help.
 Remember – you have worked very hard at school and you already know lots!