Chemistry Core Practicals — What You Need to Know

At least 15% of the marks on your Edexcel GCSE Chemistry exam papers are based on practical skills. This does not mean you carry out an experiment in the exam — it means you answer written questions about practical work. These questions draw on the core practicals specified in the Edexcel syllabus, plus general practical skills.

You must know each core practical thoroughly: the equipment, the method, the variables, likely results, and how to evaluate the procedure. This lesson gives you that overview.

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The Edexcel Chemistry Core Practicals

The Edexcel GCSE Chemistry specification (1CH0) includes the following core practicals. These are the practicals that are explicitly named in the specification and are most likely to appear in exam questions.

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Core Practical 1: Investigate the Effect of Concentration on Rate of Reaction

Context: This investigates how changing the concentration of hydrochloric acid affects the rate of its reaction with marble chips (calcium carbonate).