What is an element?
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.1.1.1
AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462) · GCSE Chemistry
Free AQA GCSE Chemistry practice questions (Higher tier, all ten topics)
These fifteen questions are spread across all ten AQA GCSE Chemistry topics, so one sitting tells you which topic is weakest rather than just how you did. Every question is Higher tier, original, written to specification 8462, and comes with an explanation that says why the other options are wrong. Exam structure and the paper split are on the AQA GCSE Chemistry exam page; the full bank of 672 questions is in the revision app.
Practice
Free practice questions
Which type of bonding occurs between a metal and a non-metal?
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.2.1
What does the law of conservation of mass state?
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.3.1
What is formed when a metal reacts with oxygen?
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.4.1.1
What is an exothermic reaction?
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.5.1.1
Which quantity is measured to find the rate of a reaction?
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.6.1.1
Why is crude oil described as a finite resource?
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.7.1
In chemistry, what does the word 'pure' mean?
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.8.1.1
What is the approximate percentage of nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere today?
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.9.1
Which statement best describes a finite resource?
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.10.1
What is a compound?
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.1.1.1
Which type of bonding occurs between two non-metal atoms?
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.2.1
A metal carbonate is heated in an open crucible and its mass appears to fall. Why?
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.3.1
In terms of oxygen, oxidation is defined as:
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.4.1.1
What happens to the temperature of the surroundings during an exothermic reaction?
Based on: AQA 8462 · 4.5.1.1
The mistake that costs the most marks in each topic
Chemistry marks are lost to the same ten confusions year after year, and almost none of them are about material nobody covered. These are the ones our teaching partner sees most, one per topic. If any of them reads as news, start there.
- Atomic structure: confusing atomic number with mass number. Atomic number is protons only; mass number is protons plus neutrons.
- Bonding: saying ionic compounds conduct when solid. They conduct only when molten or dissolved, because the ions have to be free to move.
- Quantitative chemistry: changing a chemical formula to balance an equation. Only the balancing numbers in front may change.
- Chemical changes: assuming the metal always forms at the cathode in aqueous electrolysis. Hydrogen forms unless the metal is less reactive than hydrogen.
- Energy changes: reading a rising temperature as endothermic. A rise means energy is being released, so the reaction is exothermic.
- Rate and equilibrium: saying concentration or pressure increases the energy of collisions. They increase only how often collisions happen; only temperature changes their energy.
- Organic chemistry: treating fractional distillation as a chemical reaction. It is a physical separation by boiling point, and a fraction is still a mixture.
- Chemical analysis: muddling the gas tests. Hydrogen pops with a lit splint, oxygen relights a glowing splint, carbon dioxide puts a splint out and turns limewater milky.
- Chemistry of the atmosphere: calling nitrogen or oxygen a greenhouse gas. Only carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour absorb and re-radiate infrared.
- Using resources: saying potable water is pure water. Potable water still contains dissolved salts; it is simply safe to drink.
Why calculation questions need a different kind of revision
Roughly a fifth of the marks on a Higher tier chemistry paper are calculation, and they fail in a predictable order: the wrong equation, then the wrong units, then arithmetic. Rereading notes fixes none of those. What fixes them is writing the substitution out in full before touching a calculator, keeping the unit next to every number, and checking that the answer is the right size. A concentration of 200 mol per dm cubed should stop you before the arithmetic does.
Recall questions and application questions are not the same job
The bank tags every question as either recall or application. Recall asks what something is: the formula of a compound, the colour of a precipitate, the definition of an isotope. Application hands you an unfamiliar reaction or a set of data and asks you to use chemistry you already know. Students who revise by rereading do well on recall and stall on application, and the cure is more unfamiliar contexts rather than more notes.
Not affiliated with AQA
RiverMap Learning is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by AQA or any exam board. Every question here is original and written to the public AQA subject content for specification 8462; no exam paper, mark scheme or textbook text is reproduced. The specification points cited are locators, so you can check coverage against the definitive specification published by AQA.
| Paper 1 | Paper 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Topics | 1 Atomic structure and the periodic table, 2 Bonding, 3 Quantitative chemistry, 4 Chemical changes, 5 Energy changes | 6 Rate and extent of chemical change, 7 Organic chemistry, 8 Chemical analysis, 9 Chemistry of the atmosphere, 10 Using resources |
| Length | 1 hour 45 minutes | 1 hour 45 minutes |
| Marks | 100 | 100 |
| Question types | Multiple choice, short answer, calculation, extended response | Multiple choice, short answer, calculation, extended response |
| Carried over | Not applicable | Can still draw on atomic structure, bonding and quantitative chemistry |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on this free AQA GCSE Chemistry page?
Fifteen, spread across all ten AQA GCSE Chemistry topics from atomic structure through to using resources. They are all Higher tier and all come with a full explanation of why the right answer is right and the others are wrong. The complete bank of 672 questions, plus 301 flashcards and the topic notes, is in the RiverMap Learning AQA GCSE Chemistry revision app.
Are these real AQA exam questions?
No. Every question is original, written by RiverMap Learning to the publicly available AQA GCSE Chemistry subject content for specification 8462. AQA exam papers and mark schemes are copyright material and none of that text is reproduced here. Each question cites the specification point it was written to test, which is how you can check the coverage for yourself.
Does AQA GCSE Chemistry Higher tier include moles?
Yes. Moles, concentration in mol per dm cubed, limiting reactants, titration calculations, gas volumes and atom economy are Higher tier content in AQA GCSE Chemistry 8462, and several are chemistry-only rather than combined science. That is why quantitative chemistry is the topic most Higher tier students lose marks on, and why the calculation questions on this page are written at full Higher tier difficulty.
How long is each AQA GCSE Chemistry paper?
Each paper is 1 hour 45 minutes and worth 100 marks, giving 200 marks in total. Paper 1 covers topics 1 to 5 and Paper 2 covers topics 6 to 10, though Paper 2 can still draw on the fundamentals from Paper 1. There is no coursework in AQA GCSE Chemistry 8462, so the two written papers carry the whole grade.
What is the difference between GCSE Chemistry and Combined Science?
GCSE Chemistry 8462 is the separate science route and awards a full GCSE grade in Chemistry on its own. Combined Science covers all three sciences with less content in each and awards two grades across the three. This page is written for the separate Chemistry specification, so it includes chemistry-only content that Combined Science students do not sit.
Does RiverMap Learning work with AQA?
No. RiverMap Learning is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by AQA. The app and these pages are built to the public specification, in collaboration with Reagent Academy, a UK GCSE tuition provider whose teachers review the questions. AQA publishes the specification itself and remains the definitive source.