GCSE Chemistry

Yes. Like the A Level notes, the GCSE Chemistry notes will be free to read with no account or sign-in. Each page will pair short explanations with interactive questions, so you can check your understanding as you go rather than only reading.

AQA GCSE Chemistry (8462), Pearson Edexcel GCSE Chemistry (1CH0) and OCR Gateway Chemistry A (J248). Each board gets its own notes, organised the way its specification is organised, so the topic names and order match your course.

They are being written now, one board at a time. Each board card on this page opens as soon as its first topics go live. Until then, students moving on to A Level can already use the free A Level Chemistry notes.

GCSE Chemistry (often called separate or triple science) is a full GCSE on its own and goes further than the chemistry in Combined Science. Combined Science covers biology, chemistry and physics and is worth two GCSEs. The notes here are written for separate Chemistry, so Combined Science students will find their content covered and a little more.

Yes. Both tiers share most of the content, and the notes will mark the parts that only higher-tier students need, such as the harder calculations and some extended explanations.

Every board covers atomic structure and the periodic table, bonding and structure, quantitative chemistry, chemical changes, energy changes, rates and equilibrium, organic chemistry, chemical analysis, the atmosphere and using resources. The names and order differ by board, which is why each board has its own notes.

Most sixth forms and colleges ask for at least a grade 6 in GCSE Chemistry, or 6-6 in Combined Science, and some ask for a 7. Check the entry requirements of the place you are applying to. A secure GCSE, especially in moles, bonding and equations, makes the start of A Level much easier.

Dr. Mohammed Al-Fatah, who writes all the chemistry on Online Learning System. He has a first-class BSc in Chemistry and an MSc in Advanced Chemical Research from UCL, an MA in Education from UCL and a PGCE in Secondary Chemistry, and over a decade of secondary and sixth-form teaching experience.