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Year 9 Chemistry revision questions

Year 9 is the awkward bridge year: still Key Stage 3 in school life, but already starting GCSE habits. This page gives free Year 9 Chemistry practice from GradeNinja's own bank - 61 auto-marked questions across 2 Year 9 topic sets.

What Year 9 revision should do

The aim is not to cram GCSE papers early. It is to make the first GCSE topics feel normal: short retrieval practice, clear corrections, and enough repetition that classwork sticks before Year 10 gets busy.

Use these as ten-minute checks after a lesson or before homework. If you miss one, read the explanation, then come back tomorrow and answer it cold.

How GradeNinja pitches it

Year 9 questions are pulled from late Key Stage 3 and foundation GCSE bridge material. They should feel harder than Year 8, but they are not meant to be full Year 11 exam questions.

Year 9 (Starting GCSE) - Practice Mix54 questions
Year 9 (Starting GCSE)26 questions

Best way to use this page

Answer first, then reveal. The useful bit is the retrieval attempt, not reading the answer. If a topic keeps going wrong, paste the homework or Google Classroom text into GradeNinja's Classroom import tool and turn it into a focused pack.

Year 9 Chemistry practice questions

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

Question 1 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE) - Practice Mix
What is the relative formula mass (Mr) of water, H₂O? (Ar: H = 1, O = 16)
  1. 16
  2. 17
  3. 18
  4. 20
Show the answer

18

Mr of H₂O = (2 × 1) + 16 = 18. You add up the relative atomic masses of all atoms in the formula: two hydrogen atoms (2 × 1 = 2) plus one oxygen atom (16).

Question 2 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE) - Practice Mix
What is the relative charge and mass of a proton?
  1. Charge +1, mass 1
  2. Charge -1, mass 1
  3. Charge 0, mass 1
  4. Charge +1, mass 0
Show the answer

Charge +1, mass 1

Protons are found in the nucleus and have a relative charge of +1 and a relative mass of 1. Neutrons have charge 0 and mass 1. Electrons have charge -1 and negligible mass (1/1836 of a proton). The number of protons = atomic number = number of electrons in a neutral atom.

Question 3 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE) - Practice Mix
Which of the following does NOT increase the rate of a chemical reaction?
  1. Increasing temperature
  2. Adding a catalyst
  3. Decreasing concentration of reactants
  4. Increasing surface area
Show the answer

Decreasing concentration of reactants

Decreasing the concentration of reactants reduces the number of particles available for collisions, which slows down the rate of reaction. A higher concentration typically leads to more frequent collisions, increasing the reaction rate. Remember that concentration affects how often particles collide.

Question 4 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE) - Practice Mix
On the pH scale, which value represents a neutral solution?
  1. 0
  2. 7
  3. 14
  4. 1
Show the answer

7

pH 7 is neutral (eg pure water). Below 7 is acidic; above 7 is alkaline. The scale runs from 0 (very strong acid) to 14 (very strong alkali).

Question 5 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE)
In a laboratory experiment, 12.0 g of magnesium ribbon is heated strongly in 10.0 g of oxygen gas. After the reaction is complete, what mass of magnesium oxide is produced? (Ar: Mg = 24, O = 16)
  1. A) 20.0 g
  2. B) 22.0 g
  3. C) 10.0 g
  4. D) 18.0 g
Show the answer

A) 20.0 g

The balanced equation is 2Mg + O₂ → 2MgO. Moles of Mg = 12.0 ÷ 24 = 0.50 mol. Moles of O₂ = 10.0 ÷ 32 = 0.3125 mol. The stoichiometric ratio requires 2 mol Mg per 1 mol O₂, so 0.50 mol Mg needs 0.25 mol O₂. Since 0.3125 mol O₂ is available, oxygen is in excess and magnesium is the limiting reagent. 0.50 mol Mg produces 0.50 mol MgO (Mr = 40), giving 20.0 g. Mass is conserved, so 12.0 g + 8.0 g O₂ reacted = 20.0 g MgO.

Question 6 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE)
Covalent bonding involves:
  1. Sharing of electrons between non-metals
  2. Transfer of electrons from metal to non-metal
  3. Attraction between oppositely charged ions
  4. A sea of delocalised electrons
Show the answer

Sharing of electrons between non-metals

Covalent bonds form when two non-metal atoms share electrons. Each atom contributes one (or more) electrons to a shared pair. Both atoms are attracted to the shared electrons, holding them together. Examples: H₂O, CO₂, CH₄. Metallic bonding involves a sea of delocalised electrons.

Question 7 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE) - Practice Mix
A pure substance has a sharp, specific melting point. What happens to the melting point of a substance when impurities are added?
  1. It decreases and the melting range broadens
  2. It increases
  3. It stays exactly the same
  4. It increases and the melting range narrows
Show the answer

It decreases and the melting range broadens

Impurities lower the melting point and broaden the melting range. A pure substance melts sharply at one temperature; an impure mixture melts over a range of temperatures. This is used to check purity in the lab.

Question 8 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE)
Which method separates an insoluble solid from a liquid?
  1. Filtration
  2. Evaporation
  3. Chromatography
  4. Freezing
Show the answer

Filtration

Filtration traps the insoluble solid in the filter paper and lets the liquid pass through.

Question 9 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE)
Earth's early atmosphere was mainly composed of:
  1. Carbon dioxide and water vapour
  2. Nitrogen and oxygen
  3. Oxygen and hydrogen
  4. Methane and nitrogen
Show the answer

Carbon dioxide and water vapour

Early Earth's atmosphere was similar to Venus and Mars today: mainly CO₂ and water vapour, with small amounts of methane and ammonia. Over billions of years, photosynthesis by early organisms (cyanobacteria) released oxygen. CO₂ dissolved in oceans and formed carbonate rocks.

Question 10 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE) - Practice Mix
Crude oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons. What process is used to separate it into useful fractions?
  1. Fractional distillation
  2. Filtration
  3. Crystallisation
  4. Electrolysis
Show the answer

Fractional distillation

Fractional distillation separates crude oil by exploiting the different boiling points of its components. The oil is heated, vapours rise up a fractionating column, and fractions condense at different heights according to their boiling points.

Question 11 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE)
An unknown ion has 16 protons, 16 neutrons and 18 electrons. Which row identifies it correctly?
  1. 32S2-, mass number 32, charge 2-
  2. 32S2+, mass number 32, charge 2+
  3. 34S2-, mass number 34, charge 2-
  4. 32Ar, mass number 32, neutral atom
Show the answer

32S2-, mass number 32, charge 2-

The number of protons, 16, identifies sulfur. Mass number is protons + neutrons = 16 + 16 = 32. It has two more electrons than protons, so the charge is 2-.

Question 12 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE) - Practice Mix
What is a pure substance in chemistry?
  1. A substance with no colour
  2. A substance made of only one element or compound, with a fixed melting/boiling point
  3. A substance dissolved in water
  4. A substance that does not react
Show the answer

A substance made of only one element or compound, with a fixed melting/boiling point

A pure substance in chemistry is defined as a material made up of only one element or compound, which has a fixed melting or boiling point. Understanding purity is essential for distinguishing between different substances in chemistry. Remember that pure substances have consistent physical properties.

Question 13 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE) - Practice Mix
Which type of rock is formed when magma cools and solidifies?
  1. Igneous rock
  2. Sedimentary rock
  3. Metamorphic rock
  4. Limestone
Show the answer

Igneous rock

Igneous rocks form when magma (underground) or lava (at the surface) cools and solidifies. Examples include granite (slow cooling underground, large crystals) and basalt (fast cooling at surface, small crystals). The slower the cooling, the larger the crystals formed.

Question 14 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE)
Which particle has a negative charge?
  1. Proton
  2. Neutron
  3. Electron
  4. Nucleus
Show the answer

Electron

Electrons are negatively charged. Protons are positive and neutrons are neutral.

Question 15 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE) - Practice Mix
In the making of a salt by titration, which piece of apparatus delivers an accurate, variable volume of acid?
  1. Conical flask
  2. Burette
  3. Beaker
  4. Measuring cylinder
Show the answer

Burette

A burette delivers precise, variable volumes of liquid (usually acid in a titration). It is read from the bottom of the meniscus to 0.05 cm³ accuracy.

Question 16 · Year 9 (Starting GCSE) - Practice Mix
An atom of carbon has atomic number 6 and mass number 12. How many neutrons does it have?
  1. 6
  2. 12
  3. 18
  4. 0
Show the answer

6

Number of neutrons = mass number − atomic number = 12 − 6 = 6. The atomic number equals the number of protons. In a neutral atom, the number of electrons equals the number of protons. Neutrons and protons are both in the nucleus.

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Common questions

Are these Year 9 Chemistry questions GCSE level?

They are bridge questions: harder than early Key Stage 3, but not pitched as full Year 11 GCSE exam papers. The point is to prepare the habits and core knowledge early.

Can I use Google Classroom homework with GradeNinja?

Yes. Use Classroom import in the app: paste the Google Classroom post, homework email or assignment brief and it turns the topics into practice questions and flashcards.

How often should a Year 9 revise Chemistry?

Short and often. Ten minutes after a lesson or a few times a week is more useful than one long session before a test.

Is GradeNinja free for Year 9?

Yes, signing up is free. GradeNinja has Year 9 bridge content plus the wider question bank across 28 subjects.

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