At a glance
- Cambridge code
- 9701
- Edexcel IAL units
- WCH11 to WCH16
- AQA code
- 7405 (AS: 7404)
- Biggest paper
- Cambridge Paper 4: 100 marks, 38.5%
- Grades
- A* to E
Three courses, one subject
The chemistry content overlaps heavily between boards, but the papers do not. Cambridge 9701 tests the AS content in a multiple-choice paper, a structured paper and a practical lab exam, then adds a long A Level paper and a planning paper. Edexcel IAL tests in six unit papers that can be sat across different series. AQA tests everything at the end in three papers that each mix topics.
That matters for revision. A Cambridge student needs to be ready to handle real apparatus and readings in Paper 3; an Edexcel student needs fluency in written practical questions for units 3 and 6; an AQA student needs to switch between physical, inorganic and organic chemistry inside a single paper. Ask the school for the course code first, then practise with that board's papers only.
Cambridge International 9701 assessment
From the 9701 syllabus for exams in 2025, 2026 and 2027.
| Paper | Length | Marks | Share of A Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 Multiple Choice (40 questions, AS content) | 1 hour 15 minutes | 40 | 15.5% (31% of AS) |
| Paper 2 AS Level Structured Questions | 1 hour 15 minutes | 60 | 23% (46% of AS) |
| Paper 3 Advanced Practical Skills | 2 hours | 40 | 11.5% (23% of AS) |
| Paper 4 A Level Structured Questions | 2 hours | 100 | 38.5% |
| Paper 5 Planning, Analysis and Evaluation | 1 hour 15 minutes | 30 | 11.5% |
AS Level is Papers 1, 2 and 3. Students may take AS in Year 12 and carry it forward, or sit all five papers in one series. Entries are possible in June and November.
Pearson Edexcel International A Level Chemistry units
| Unit | Length | Marks | Share of IAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| WCH11 Unit 1: Structure, Bonding and Introduction to Organic Chemistry | 1 hour 30 minutes | 80 | 20% |
| WCH12 Unit 2: Energetics, Group Chemistry, Halogenoalkanes and Alcohols | 1 hour 30 minutes | 80 | 20% |
| WCH13 Unit 3: Practical Skills in Chemistry I | 1 hour 20 minutes | 50 | 10% |
| WCH14 Unit 4: Rates, Equilibria and Further Organic Chemistry | 1 hour 45 minutes | 90 | 20% |
| WCH15 Unit 5: Transition Metals and Organic Nitrogen Chemistry | 1 hour 45 minutes | 90 | 20% |
| WCH16 Unit 6: Practical Skills in Chemistry II | 1 hour 20 minutes | 50 | 10% |
Units 1 to 3 form the International AS (each 40%, 40% and 20% of it). The specification lists January, June and October availability.
AQA A-level Chemistry 7405
| Paper | Length | Marks | Share of A-level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: relevant physical chemistry and all inorganic chemistry | 2 hours | 105 | 35% |
| Paper 2: relevant physical chemistry and all organic chemistry | 2 hours | 105 | 35% |
| Paper 3: any content and practical skills (40 marks practical and data, 20 marks across the course, 30 multiple choice) | 2 hours | 90 | 30% |
All papers in one May/June series. Practical competence is reported as a separate teacher-assessed endorsement.
What students find hard in A-Level Chemistry
Moles and calculations come first. Titration answers, percentage yield, equilibrium constants, pH of buffers and enthalpy cycles are all arithmetic built on mole ratios, and an error early in a multi-step question costs every later mark unless working is shown clearly. Students who were comfortable at IGCSE often find the number of steps the real challenge.
Organic mechanisms are second. Curly arrows must start at a lone pair or bond and end at an atom, partial charges and intermediates must be drawn, and reagents and conditions must be exact. These are rules, and examiners apply them strictly. Equilibria and energetics come third, because students learn Le Chatelier as a slogan and then cannot explain effects in terms of rates or Kc.
Practical questions are the quiet fourth. Cambridge Papers 3 and 5, Edexcel units 3 and 6 and AQA Paper 3 all test uncertainty, significant figures, graph work and method evaluation. These marks are predictable and recoverable with practice.
How LiveTutor chemistry lessons work
Each lesson is 60 minutes, one to one, on video with a shared whiteboard, which suits chemistry well: tutor and student draw mechanisms, set out calculations line by line and annotate past-paper questions together. The tutor teaches to your child's board and uses its past papers and mark schemes, so the phrasing your child practises is the phrasing they will meet.
A first lesson usually includes a short diagnostic of calculation skills and one mechanism question. After that, lessons follow the school's order of topics in term time and shift to timed paper sections before the AS or A Level exams. The tutor keeps a running list of the errors that cost your child marks, and you can see lessons and progress in your parent account.
Check the syllabus year
Cambridge publishes 9701 syllabuses for blocks of years, and a new one applies from 2028. A student sitting the full A Level in June 2027 uses the 2025 to 2027 syllabus; a student starting Year 12 in September 2026 who sits the full A Level in 2028 uses the new one.
Common questions
Is A-Level Chemistry needed for medicine?
Chemistry is the subject most often required for medicine, usually alongside Biology, but each university sets its own list. Check the entry requirements of the universities your child is considering.
My child got an A* in IGCSE Chemistry but is struggling now. Is that normal?
Yes. The first term of A Level adds multi-step calculations, mechanisms and much more precise language. Early targeted practice usually closes the gap faster than waiting for mock results.
Can Edexcel IAL Chemistry units be retaken?
Yes. Any unit can be resat, and if a unit is resat more than once, the better of the two most recent attempts is used for the grade.
What do A-Level Chemistry lessons cost?
$15 a lesson, the same rate for every subject, on a weekly plan of 1 to 5 lessons billed monthly. Your first lesson is a free trial, and you can cancel or reschedule any lesson 48 hours ahead at no cost.
Do lessons cover the practical papers?
Yes. Tutors teach the recurring practical question types for your child's board: uncertainties, tables, graphs, and evaluating methods. Cambridge Paper 3 is a lab exam, so tutors also talk through apparatus and procedures your child will use.
Sources
Dates and figures on this page come from these official and published sources. Always confirm deadlines on the official page before acting on them.