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GCSE chemistry revision questions

Free GCSE chemistry practice for Year 11, nine months out from the May/June 2027 exams. Every question below comes from GradeNinja's own bank - 1,857 Chemistry questions across 26 topics.

What to prioritise in Chemistry

Chemistry splits into things you must know cold (ionic and covalent bonding, the reactivity series, formulae) and things you must be able to do (moles, balancing, calculations). Those need different revision, and mixing them up is why people plateau.

Test the recall half with quick questions, and drill the calculation half the way you would drill maths - repeatedly, with a pen.

Exam board

Our Chemistry questions follow the AQA specification. If your school uses a different board most of the content still overlaps, but check your own spec.

How to use these

Answer before you open the explanation. The moment of not-quite-knowing is the part that does the work, and skipping to the answer skips the learning.

Anything you get wrong, come back to tomorrow rather than immediately. Getting it right straight after seeing the answer proves nothing.

The nine months ahead

Chemistry practice questions

Real questions from GradeNinja's own bank, with the answer and the explanation the app gives. Tap to reveal.

Question 1 · Organic Chemistry
Propene (C₃H₆) can undergo addition polymerisation to form poly(propene). What is the repeat unit of this polymer?
  1. (-CH₂-CH(CH₃)-)ₙ
  2. (-CH₂-CH₂-)ₙ
  3. (-CH₂-CH₂-CH₂-)ₙ
  4. (-CH=CH-)ₙ
Show the answer

(-CH₂-CH(CH₃)-)ₙ

In addition polymerisation of propene: the C=C double bond opens and carbons link up. Each monomer (CH₂=CHCH₃) becomes a repeat unit (-CH₂-CH(CH₃)-). Poly(propene) is widely used in food containers, rope, and car parts because it is flexible, light, and resistant to chemicals.

Question 2 · GCSE Paper 2 (AQA)
Which of the following is an example of addition polymerisation?
  1. Making nylon from diamine and dicarboxylic acid
  2. Making polyester from diol and dicarboxylic acid
  3. Making poly(ethene) from ethene monomers
  4. Making starch from glucose by condensation
Show the answer

Making poly(ethene) from ethene monomers

Poly(ethene) is made by addition polymerisation: ethene monomers (CH₂=CH₂) open their double bonds and link together. No atoms are lost.

Question 3 · Organic Chemistry
What is cracking in organic chemistry?
  1. Breaking large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller, more useful ones
  2. Combining small molecules to make large polymers
  3. Burning hydrocarbons in oxygen
  4. Separating crude oil by boiling point
Show the answer

Breaking large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller, more useful ones

Cracking breaks large, long-chain hydrocarbon molecules (from crude oil fractions) into smaller, more useful molecules. It always produces at least one alkene. It can be done thermally (high temperature) or catalytically (with a catalyst at lower temperature).

Question 4
Why do ionic compounds have high melting points?
  1. They have low molecular mass
  2. There are strong electrostatic forces between oppositely charged ions throughout the lattice
  3. The covalent bonds are very strong
  4. They contain metals which always have high melting points
Show the answer

There are strong electrostatic forces between oppositely charged ions throughout the lattice

Ionic compounds form giant lattice structures held together by strong electrostatic attraction between positive and negative ions in all directions. A lot of energy is needed to overcome these forces.

Question 5 · GCSE Chemistry: Paper 3 (Lab Techniques & Analysis)
What is the equilibrium constant Kc?
  1. Always greater than 1
  2. [Products]ⁿ / [Reactants]ᵐ at equilibrium
  3. Always less than 1
  4. The rate constant
Show the answer

[Products]ⁿ / [Reactants]ᵐ at equilibrium

Kc = [products]ⁿ / [reactants]ᵐ; K >> 1 means products favoured.

Question 6 · Chemistry Questions
Primary alcohols can be oxidised to form:
  1. Ketones only
  2. Aldehydes and carboxylic acids
  3. Esters only
  4. Other primary alcohols
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Aldehydes and carboxylic acids

Primary alcohols (RCH₂OH) oxidise to aldehydes (RCHO), which can be further oxidised to carboxylic acids (RCOOH).

Question 7 · GCSE Paper 2 (AQA)
If the concentration of a reactant is doubled, what generally happens to the initial rate of reaction?
  1. Rate stays the same
  2. Rate halves
  3. Rate approximately doubles
  4. Rate quadruples
Show the answer

Rate approximately doubles

For many reactions, doubling the concentration of a reactant approximately doubles the rate. More particles per unit volume means more frequent collisions.

Question 8 · Organic Chemistry
What are the products when ethanol is completely combusted?
  1. Carbon and water
  2. Carbon monoxide and water
  3. Carbon dioxide and water
  4. Carbon dioxide and hydrogen
Show the answer

Carbon dioxide and water

Complete combustion of ethanol: C₂H₅OH + 3O₂ → 2CO₂ + 3H₂O. Like all hydrocarbons and alcohols, complete combustion in excess oxygen produces carbon dioxide and water. Ethanol is used as a biofuel.

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Common questions

How should I revise Chemistry for GCSE?

Short, frequent sessions of active recall beat long sessions of re-reading. Test yourself, check, and revisit anything you got wrong a day or two later rather than immediately.

Which exam board are these Chemistry questions for?

AQA. Content overlaps heavily between boards, so they are still useful on another spec, but check your own specification for anything board-specific.

When are the GCSE exams?

GCSEs are sat across May and June, so for the current Year 11 that means May/June 2027. Exact paper dates come from the exam boards and your school.

How many questions are there in the app?

1,857 in Chemistry alone, and 44,980 across 28 GCSE subjects. Signing up is free.

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