IGCSE Chemistry for Year 11 Students – Exam Year Strategy

This is your exam year. The content you learned in Year 10 now needs to be consolidated, the remaining topics need to be mastered, and your exam technique needs to be sharp enough to convert what you know into marks on the paper. Here is how to approach the year strategically.

Where you are now

By the start of Year 11, you should have covered roughly two-thirds of the 0620 syllabus. The remaining topics typically include organic chemistry, chemical energetics, and the more advanced parts of electrochemistry and stoichiometry. Your school will finish teaching new content sometime between January and March (depending on your exam series), leaving a revision period before the May/June exams.

If you have gaps from Year 10, now is the time to identify and fix them. A gap in stoichiometry or bonding will cost you marks across multiple questions on the paper, not just in one section.

The three phases of Year 11

Phase 1: September to December. Continue learning new content while consolidating Year 10 topics. Do topic-specific past paper questions after each topic is completed. Start building your revision notes or flashcards. Identify weak areas now rather than later.

Phase 2: January to March. Finish new content. Begin doing full past papers, initially untimed. Focus on accuracy first. After you can answer questions correctly, start timing yourself. Paper 2 is 45 minutes for 40 multiple-choice questions. Paper 4 is 1 hour 15 minutes for approximately 80 marks of structured questions.

Phase 3: April to exam. Full timed past papers under exam conditions. Mark them against the mark scheme. For every question you get wrong, understand why and practise similar questions until you get them right. This is where grades are made.

Exam technique that gains marks

Knowing the chemistry is necessary but not sufficient. You need to write answers that the examiner can credit.

Read the command word. “State” means give a short answer. “Explain” means give a reason. “Describe” means say what happens. “Calculate” means show mathematical working. Using the wrong type of answer loses marks even when your knowledge is correct. See the command words guide.

Show all working in calculations. Even if the final answer is wrong, you can pick up method marks for correct working. Write the formula, substitute values, show the arithmetic. Never write just the answer.

Use chemical terminology. Say “exothermic” not “gives out heat.” Say “covalent bond” not “shared electrons.” The mark scheme awards marks for specific scientific terms.

Answer in the space provided. The amount of lined space is a guide to how much you should write. Two lines means a short answer. Six lines means a detailed response.

What to do if you are behind

If you feel significantly behind, do not panic, but do act. Identify the specific topics causing the most difficulty. Prioritise stoichiometry because it connects to the most marks on the paper. Focus on the topics that appear most frequently in past papers.

Consider getting a specialist tutor. A 1-to-1 tutor who focuses exclusively on IGCSE Chemistry can identify your gaps quickly and work through them systematically. Even a few sessions focused on your weakest areas can shift your grade. Find out about how online IGCSE Chemistry classes work or book a trial lesson.

Aiming for A*

If you are targeting the top grade, read the detailed guide on how to get an A* in IGCSE Chemistry. The short version: A* requires near-perfect accuracy on Paper 2, strong performance across all topics on Paper 4, and the ability to handle the most challenging questions that differentiate the top candidates. You need to be comfortable with every Extended tier calculation and every type of extended-response question.

Using this site

The topics pages cover every area of the syllabus. The calculations section provides step-by-step methods with worked examples. The exam preparation resources include guidance on past paper technique. Use these alongside your school’s teaching to build a complete revision programme.

Understand the exam format so you know exactly what to expect on each paper.