The 8-Week IGCSE Chemistry Revision Plan (Free, Complete on This Page)
A complete free 8-week IGCSE Chemistry 0620 revision plan: all 12 topics week by week, past-paper sets, Paper 6 practice and timed mocks. No sign-up.
The IGCSE Chemistry Specialist Team · founded by Rig
Written to the Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry (0620) syllabus and mark-scheme conventions. Last updated 2026-06-11.
Most revision timetables die by day four because they demand 3-hour blocks and assume chemistry is your only subject. This plan is built for the real situation: 12 taught topics to consolidate, three papers to train, 5-9 other subjects competing for time, and one rule that does the heavy lifting: every week ends with past-paper questions, marked against the real mark scheme. The whole plan is on this page. No sign-up, no locked PDF.
The whole plan is on this page: nothing gated, nothing to sign up for. Print this page to keep it on your desk, or WhatsApp us and we will send you the PDF version.
How the plan works
- Time: 45-90 minutes a day, 6 days a week. Day 7 is off, every week, on purpose.
- The daily shape: 20-30 minutes of active review (flashcards, blank-page recall, redrawing diagrams, never passive re-reading), then 25-60 minutes of past-paper questions on the week’s topics.
- Marking is non-negotiable: every question gets marked against the official mark scheme the same day, and every dropped mark goes into an error log with a one-line reason. The method is detailed in our past papers guide.
- Topics: the 12 below are the full 0620 syllabus. Weeks 1-6 group them by how they connect, not by syllabus order.
- Papers: Extended students use Papers 2, 4 and 6; Core students use Papers 1, 3 and 6 (or 5 where your school enters you for the practical: the plan works for both, with week 7 spent on your actual component).
Weeks 1-6: content in connected pairs
Week 1: Particles and atoms
| Day | Focus | Past-paper work |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | States of Matter: kinetic particle theory, changes of state | 15 min of topic questions |
| 2 | States of Matter: diffusion, effect of Mr on diffusion rate | Topic questions |
| 3 | Atoms, Elements and Compounds: atomic structure, isotopes | Topic questions |
| 4 | Atoms, Elements and Compounds: ionic and covalent bonding | Topic questions |
| 5 | Extended only: giant covalent structures, metallic bonding (Core: consolidate bonding diagrams) | Topic questions |
| 6 | Mixed review of both topics | 30 min: one Paper 2 (or 1), questions on these topics only |
| 7 | Off | None |
Checkpoint: you can draw dot-and-cross diagrams for NaCl, MgO, H2O, CO2 and CH4 from memory, and explain melting-point differences in terms of structure and forces.
Week 2: The mole and the periodic table
| Day | Focus | Past-paper work |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stoichiometry: formulae, Ar, Mr, the mole | 5 mole calculations |
| 2 | Stoichiometry: reacting-mass calculations | 5 calculations |
| 3 | Stoichiometry: concentration; Extended adds % yield, purity, empirical formulae | 5 calculations |
| 4 | The Periodic Table: trends, Group I, Group VII | Topic questions |
| 5 | The Periodic Table: transition elements, noble gases | Topic questions |
| 6 | Mixed review | Paper 4 (or 3) stoichiometry questions, timed, 30 min |
| 7 | Off | None |
Checkpoint: 8 out of 10 on a mixed mole-calculation set, with units and 3 significant figures throughout. If you are below that, mole calculations technique is your weekend reading. Moles feed into week 3 and week 7, so this checkpoint matters most of all six.
Week 3: Electricity and energy
| Day | Focus | Past-paper work |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrochemistry: electrolysis of molten compounds, electrode rules | Topic questions |
| 2 | Electrochemistry: aqueous electrolysis (Extended), electroplating | Topic questions |
| 3 | Electrochemistry: half-equations; Extended adds fuel cells | Write 6 half-equations from memory |
| 4 | Chemical Energetics: exothermic/endothermic, reaction pathway diagrams | Topic questions |
| 5 | Extended only: bond energy calculations (Core: energy diagram practice) | 4 calculations |
| 6 | Mixed review | Paper 4 (or 3) electrolysis + energetics set, timed |
| 7 | Off | None |
Checkpoint: given any electrolyte and electrode type from the syllabus, you can state both products and justify them.
Week 4: Reactions, acids and salts
| Day | Focus | Past-paper work |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chemical Reactions: rate of reaction, the 4 factors | Topic questions |
| 2 | Chemical Reactions: Extended: collision theory, equilibrium, redox; Core: rate graph practice | Topic questions |
| 3 | Acids, Bases and Salts: acids, bases, pH, oxides | Topic questions |
| 4 | Acids, Bases and Salts: preparation of salts (all three methods) | Topic questions |
| 5 | Acids, Bases and Salts: titration | One full titration calculation |
| 6 | Mixed review | Paper 2 (or 1) full timed paper (first complete MCQ of the plan) |
| 7 | Off | None |
Checkpoint: you can choose the correct salt-preparation method (excess insoluble base, titration, or precipitation) for any named salt, and your first full MCQ score is logged as a baseline.
Week 5: Metals and the environment
| Day | Focus | Past-paper work |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Metals: reactivity series, reactions of metals | Topic questions |
| 2 | Metals: extraction of iron and aluminium | Topic questions |
| 3 | Metals: rusting, alloys | Topic questions |
| 4 | Chemistry of the Environment: water, fertilisers | Topic questions |
| 5 | Chemistry of the Environment: air quality, climate change | Topic questions |
| 6 | Mixed review | Paper 4 (or 3) metals + environment set, timed |
| 7 | Off | None |
Checkpoint: you can reproduce the blast furnace reactions and explain why aluminium needs electrolysis but iron does not, in reactivity-series terms.
Week 6: Organic chemistry and analysis
| Day | Focus | Past-paper work |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Organic Chemistry: homologous series, naming, fuels, alkanes | Topic questions |
| 2 | Organic Chemistry: alkenes, the bromine-water test, polymers | Topic questions |
| 3 | Organic Chemistry: alcohols, carboxylic acids; Extended adds esters, isomerism | Topic questions |
| 4 | Experimental Techniques and Chemical Analysis: separation methods, chromatography and Rf | Topic questions |
| 5 | Experimental Techniques and Chemical Analysis: all ion and gas tests, from memory | Blank-page test recall |
| 6 | Mixed review | Paper 4 (or 3) organic + analysis set, timed |
| 7 | Off | None |
Checkpoint: every gas test and ion test written from a blank page: test, result, and exact colours. This recall set is pure marks on Papers 4 and 6; the full list lives in qualitative analysis.
Week 7: Paper 6 (or Paper 5) week
Paper 6 is 20% of your grade and the most coachable paper of the three. One focused week typically moves it more than any other paper moves in a month.
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Apparatus, measurement, reading scales; one past Paper 6, untimed, open notes |
| 2 | Mark yesterday’s paper line by line; log every dropped mark |
| 3 | Graph and table questions: plotting, best-fit lines, anomalous points |
| 4 | Planning questions: the standard 4-mark plan structure (variables, method, measurement, control) |
| 5 | Full Paper 6, timed at 60 minutes |
| 6 | Mark, log, and re-attempt every dropped question from this week |
| 7 | Off |
Checkpoint: second timed Paper 6 at least 5 marks above the first. The question-type patterns are broken down in the Paper 6 guide.
Week 8: Full timed mocks and the error log
The payoff week. Use the two most recent exam series, kept unseen until now.
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Full Paper 2 (or 1), timed 45 min; mark and log same day |
| 2 | Full Paper 4 (or 3), timed 75 min; mark and log same day |
| 3 | Error-log day: re-read the whole 8-week log, sort losses into knowledge / phrasing / habit, re-do the 10 worst questions |
| 4 | Full Paper 6, timed 60 min; mark and log |
| 5 | Second full Paper 4 (or 3), timed; mark and log |
| 6 | Final pass: ion and gas tests, mole formulae, electrode rules, organic tests: the high-recall sheets only |
| 7 | Off. Sleep. |
Checkpoint: weighted total across the week-8 mocks within striking distance of your target grade band, and an error log whose last pages show different (and fewer) mistakes than its first pages. That trend line is the plan working.
Adapting the plan
Core candidates: skip Supplement-only items (flagged “Extended only” above and marked on each topic page), and read Core vs Extended if the route decision is still open. Week 1 of this plan is the last comfortable moment to switch.
More than 8 weeks available: stretch weeks 1-6 to nine or ten by giving Stoichiometry, Electrochemistry and Organic Chemistry a full week each: the three topics that carry the most Extended marks.
Less than 8 weeks: keep the structure, compress the content days. Six weeks = pair the week-5 and week-6 content into single days and keep weeks 7 and 8 untouched. The mock week and Paper 6 week are the last things to cut, not the first.
Targeting an A:* add one extra timed MCQ paper in weeks 4-7 (Paper 2 is 30% of the grade and the fastest paper to improve), and hold yourself to the harsher checkpoints in how to get an A*.
The Malaysia note
For the May/June series, week 1 of this plan lands in mid-March; for October/November, early September. Both collide with school mock seasons in Malaysian international schools, which is a feature, not a bug: school mocks slot straight into week 8 as extra timed papers. Parents ask whether a tutor is still worth adding this late. Eight weeks is exactly the window where a specialist earns their fee: not teaching content from scratch, but reading your error log and fixing the three habits costing the most marks. A free 1-hour trial lesson in week 1 or 2 tells you whether that help is needed at all; bring your first marked paper and the diagnosis is immediate.
Frequently asked questions
Is 8 weeks enough to revise all of IGCSE Chemistry?
Yes, if the content has been taught at school and you follow a structured plan at 45-90 minutes a day. Eight weeks is not enough to learn the syllabus from zero. It is enough to consolidate 12 taught topics and train exam technique on past papers.
How many hours a day should I revise chemistry before IGCSE?
45-90 minutes of focused work, 6 days a week, beats 4-hour weekend marathons. One day off per week is built into this plan deliberately. Retention drops sharply without rest, and chemistry is one of 5-9 subjects you are juggling.
Should Core students follow the same revision plan?
Yes, with two changes: skip the Supplement-only material inside each topic (marked in the syllabus and on our topic pages) and use Papers 1 and 3 wherever the plan says Papers 2 and 4. The weekly structure and Paper 6 weeks are identical.
Do I really need a full week on Paper 6?
It is 20% of your grade and the most technique-driven paper of the three. Almost every mark follows a learnable pattern. A focused week typically moves Paper 6 scores more than any other week in the plan moves any other paper.
What if I fall behind the plan?
Cut depth, not structure. Halve the note-review time and keep every past-paper session, because papers expose what actually needs work. Never skip the week-8 mocks. They are the plan's whole payoff.