Specification Map & Revision Checklist
This lesson provides a complete map of the AQA GCSE Chemistry specification (8462), showing every topic, its paper allocation, whether it is Higher-tier only, how frequently it appears in past exams, and whether it is commonly set as a 6-mark question. Use this as your master revision guide — check off each topic as you revise it, and focus your final revision on high-frequency topics and cross-topic links.
Full AQA GCSE Chemistry Specification Map
Topic 5.1: Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table (Paper 1)
| Sub-topic | Spec Ref | HT Only? | Frequency | Common as 6-mark? |
|---|
| Atoms, elements, compounds and mixtures | 5.1.1.1–5.1.1.3 | No | High | No |
| Scientific models of the atom (Dalton → Thomson → Rutherford → Bohr → Chadwick) | 5.1.1.4 | No | Medium | Yes |
| Relative atomic mass and relative formula mass | 5.1.1.5 | No | High | No |
| Electronic structure (shells, filling rules) | 5.1.1.6 | No | High | No |
| The periodic table — development (Newlands, Mendeleev) | 5.1.2.1 | No | High | Yes |
| Group 1 — alkali metals (properties, reactions, trends) | 5.1.2.2 | No | High | Yes |
| Group 7 — halogens (properties, reactions, displacement, trends) | 5.1.2.3 | No | High | Yes |
| Group 0 — noble gases (properties, trends) | 5.1.2.4 | No | Medium | No |
| Transition metals (compared to Group 1) | 5.1.2.5 | No | Low | No |
Topic 5.2: Bonding, Structure and Properties of Matter (Paper 1)
| Sub-topic | Spec Ref | HT Only? | Frequency | Common as 6-mark? |
|---|
| Ionic bonding (electron transfer, dot-and-cross diagrams) | 5.2.1.1 | No | High | Yes |
| Ionic compounds — properties (high mp, conductivity when molten/dissolved) | 5.2.1.2 | No | High | Yes |
| Covalent bonding (electron sharing, dot-and-cross diagrams) | 5.2.2.1 | No | High | Yes |
| Simple molecular substances (weak intermolecular forces, low mp) | 5.2.2.2 | No | High | Yes |
| Polymers | 5.2.2.3 | No | Medium | No |
| Giant covalent structures (diamond, graphite, silicon dioxide) | 5.2.2.4 | No | High | Yes |
| Graphene and fullerenes | 5.2.2.5 | No | Medium | No |
| Metallic bonding (sea of delocalised electrons) | 5.2.3.1 | No | High | Yes |
| Properties of metals and alloys | 5.2.3.2 | No | Medium | No |
| Nanoparticles — properties and uses | 5.2.4.1 | No | Medium | Yes |
Topic 5.3: Quantitative Chemistry (Paper 1)
| Sub-topic | Spec Ref | HT Only? | Frequency | Common as 6-mark? |
|---|
| Conservation of mass | 5.3.1.1 | No | High | No |
| Relative formula mass (Mr) | 5.3.1.2 | No | High | No |
| Moles (mass, Mr, moles triangle) | 5.3.1.3 | No | High | No |
| Amounts of substances in equations | 5.3.1.4 | No | Medium | No |
| Using moles to balance equations | 5.3.1.5 | Yes | Medium | No |
| Limiting reactants | 5.3.1.6 | Yes | Medium | No |
| Concentration of solutions (mol/dm³ and g/dm³) | 5.3.2.1 | Partly HT | High | No |
| Percentage yield | 5.3.3.1 | Yes | Medium | No |
| Atom economy | 5.3.3.2 | Yes | Medium | Yes |
Topic 5.4: Chemical Changes (Paper 1)
| Sub-topic | Spec Ref | HT Only? | Frequency | Common as 6-mark? |
|---|
| Reactivity series and metal extraction | 5.4.1.1 | No | High | Yes |
| Oxidation and reduction (OIL RIG) | 5.4.1.2 | No | High | No |
| Reactions of acids with metals, bases, carbonates | 5.4.2.1 | No | High | No |
| Neutralisation and salt preparation | 5.4.2.2 | No | High | Yes |
| Making soluble salts (RP1) | 5.4.2.3 | No | High | No |
| Strong and weak acids (ionisation, pH) | 5.4.2.4 | Yes | Medium | No |
| Electrolysis of molten compounds | 5.4.3.1 | No | High | Yes |
| Electrolysis of aqueous solutions (RP2) | 5.4.3.2 | No | High | Yes |
| Extraction of aluminium (electrolysis of bauxite/cryolite) | 5.4.3.3 | No | Medium | Yes |
| Titration (RP8) | 5.4.3.4 | Yes | Medium | No |
Topic 5.5: Energy Changes (Paper 1)
| Sub-topic | Spec Ref | HT Only? | Frequency | Common as 6-mark? |
|---|
| Exothermic and endothermic reactions | 5.5.1.1 | No | High | No |
| Reaction profiles (energy level diagrams) | 5.5.1.2 | No | High | No |
| Temperature changes in reactions (RP3) | 5.5.1.3 | No | Medium | No |
| Bond energy calculations | 5.5.1.4 | Yes | High | No |
Topic 5.6: The Rate and Extent of Chemical Change (Paper 2)
| Sub-topic | Spec Ref | HT Only? | Frequency | Common as 6-mark? |
|---|
| Rate of reaction — factors (concentration, temperature, surface area, catalysts) | 5.6.1.1 | No | High | Yes |
| Collision theory (successful collisions, activation energy) | 5.6.1.2 | No | High | Yes |
| Measuring rate of reaction (RP4) | 5.6.1.3 | No | High | No |
| Calculating rate from graphs | 5.6.1.4 | No | High | No |
| Tangent gradients to find rate at a point | 5.6.1.5 | Yes | Medium | No |
| Reversible reactions | 5.6.2.1 | No | Medium | No |
| Equilibrium (closed systems) | 5.6.2.2 | Yes | High | Yes |
| Le Chatelier's principle | 5.6.2.3 | Yes | High | Yes |
Topic 5.7: Organic Chemistry (Paper 2)
| Sub-topic | Spec Ref | HT Only? | Frequency | Common as 6-mark? |
|---|
| Crude oil, hydrocarbons, alkanes | 5.7.1.1 | No | High | No |
| Fractional distillation of crude oil | 5.7.1.2 | No | High | Yes |
| Properties of hydrocarbons (boiling point trends, viscosity, flammability) | 5.7.1.3 | No | High | No |
| Combustion (complete and incomplete) | 5.7.1.4 | No | High | No |
| Cracking and alkenes | 5.7.1.5 | No | High | Yes |
| Reactions of alkenes (addition reactions, test with bromine water) | 5.7.2.1 | No | High | No |
| Alcohols (structure, properties, uses) | 5.7.2.2 | Yes | Medium | No |
| Carboxylic acids (structure, properties, reactions) | 5.7.2.3 | Yes | Medium | No |
| Addition polymerisation | 5.7.3.1 | No | High | No |
| Condensation polymerisation | 5.7.3.2 | Yes | Medium | Yes |
Topic 5.8: Chemical Analysis (Paper 2)
| Sub-topic | Spec Ref | HT Only? | Frequency | Common as 6-mark? |
|---|
| Purity and formulations | 5.8.1.1 | No | Medium | No |
| Chromatography (RP5) | 5.8.1.2 | No | High | No |
| Flame tests and flame emission spectroscopy | 5.8.2.1 | No | High | No |
| Metal hydroxide tests (NaOH precipitation) | 5.8.2.2 | No | High | No |
| Tests for carbonates, halides, sulfates (RP7) | 5.8.2.3 | No | High | Yes |
| Instrumental methods (flame emission spectroscopy) | 5.8.2.4 | No | Low | No |
Topic 5.9: Chemistry of the Atmosphere (Paper 2)
| Sub-topic | Spec Ref | HT Only? | Frequency | Common as 6-mark? |
|---|
| Proportions of gases in the atmosphere | 5.9.1.1 | No | Medium | No |
| Earth's early atmosphere | 5.9.1.2 | No | High | Yes |
| How the atmosphere changed (photosynthesis, CO₂ absorption) | 5.9.1.3 | No | High | Yes |
| Greenhouse gases and climate change | 5.9.2.1 | No | High | Yes |
| Carbon footprint and reducing it | 5.9.2.2 | No | Medium | Yes |
| Atmospheric pollutants from fuels (CO, SO₂, NOₓ, particulates) | 5.9.3.1 | No | High | No |
Topic 5.10: Using Resources (Paper 2)
| Sub-topic | Spec Ref | HT Only? | Frequency | Common as 6-mark? |
|---|
| Finite and renewable resources | 5.10.1.1 | No | Medium | No |
| Potable water (treatment and testing) | 5.10.1.2 | No | High | Yes |
| Waste water treatment | 5.10.1.3 | No | Medium | No |
| Water purification by distillation (RP6) | 5.10.1.4 | No | Medium | No |
| Life cycle assessments (LCAs) | 5.10.2.1 | No | High | Yes |
| Reduce, reuse, recycle | 5.10.2.2 | No | Medium | No |
| Corrosion and its prevention | 5.10.3.1 | No | Medium | No |
| Alloys, ceramics, polymers and composites | 5.10.3.2 | No | Medium | No |
| The Haber process (conditions, reversibility) | 5.10.3.3 | No | High | Yes |
| NPK fertilisers | 5.10.3.4 | No | Medium | No |
Paper 1 vs Paper 2 Topic Split
graph LR
P1["Paper 1 (Topics 1-5)"] --> T1["5.1 Atomic Structure & Periodic Table"]
P1 --> T2["5.2 Bonding, Structure & Properties"]
P1 --> T3["5.3 Quantitative Chemistry"]
P1 --> T4["5.4 Chemical Changes"]
P1 --> T5["5.5 Energy Changes"]
P2["Paper 2 (Topics 6-10)"] --> T6["5.6 Rates & Equilibrium"]
P2 --> T7["5.7 Organic Chemistry"]
P2 --> T8["5.8 Chemical Analysis"]
P2 --> T9["5.9 Atmosphere"]
P2 --> T10["5.10 Using Resources"]
style P1 fill:#2c3e50,color:#fff
style P2 fill:#8e44ad,color:#fff
style T1 fill:#3498db,color:#fff
style T2 fill:#3498db,color:#fff
style T3 fill:#3498db,color:#fff
style T4 fill:#3498db,color:#fff
style T5 fill:#3498db,color:#fff
style T6 fill:#9b59b6,color:#fff
style T7 fill:#9b59b6,color:#fff
style T8 fill:#9b59b6,color:#fff
style T9 fill:#9b59b6,color:#fff
style T10 fill:#9b59b6,color:#fff
Higher-Tier-Only Topics — Complete List
If you are entered for Higher tier, you MUST revise these additional topics. If you are entered for Foundation tier, you will NOT be examined on them.
| Topic Area | HT-Only Content |
|---|
| Quantitative Chemistry | Using moles to balance equations; limiting reactants; percentage yield; atom economy |
| Chemical Changes | Strong vs weak acids (degree of ionisation, pH); titration calculations (RP8) |
| Energy Changes | Bond energy calculations to determine overall energy change of a reaction |
| Rates | Drawing tangents to concentration-time or volume-time curves to calculate rate at a specific point |
| Equilibrium | Le Chatelier's principle — predicting the effect of changing temperature, pressure and concentration on position of equilibrium |
| Organic Chemistry | Reactions of alcohols (combustion, oxidation, fermentation); carboxylic acids (reactions with metals, carbonates, alcohols to form esters); condensation polymerisation; amino acids and naturally occurring polymers (DNA, starch, proteins) |
| Concentration | Calculating concentration in mol/dm³ (g/dm³ is both tiers) |
High-Frequency Exam Topics (Based on Past Papers 2018–2025)
These topics appear on almost every paper. Prioritise them in your revision.
Paper 1 High-Frequency Topics
- Atomic structure — calculating protons, neutrons, electrons; isotopes; electronic configuration
- Bonding — dot-and-cross diagrams for ionic and covalent substances; explaining properties from structure
- Balancing equations — including state symbols
- Mr calculations and moles — calculating moles from mass and Mr
- Reactivity series — predicting reactions, displacement, extraction methods
- Electrolysis — predicting products, explaining using half equations (HT)
- Neutralisation reactions — acid + metal, acid + base, acid + carbonate
- Exothermic and endothermic — reaction profiles with activation energy labelled
- Making soluble salts (RP1) — method, why excess is used, filtration, crystallisation
- Bond energy calculations (HT) — using bond energies to calculate overall energy change
Paper 2 High-Frequency Topics
- Rate of reaction — collision theory, factors affecting rate, interpreting rate graphs
- Fractional distillation — separating crude oil fractions, property trends
- Cracking — thermal vs catalytic, products (alkanes + alkenes), why it is done
- Chromatography — Rf value calculations, interpreting chromatograms
- Flame tests and ion tests — identifying metal and non-metal ions
- Atmosphere — early atmosphere composition, how it changed, greenhouse gases
- Potable water — treatment steps, difference between potable and pure
- Life cycle assessments — advantages and limitations
- Equilibrium (HT) — Le Chatelier's principle applied to industrial processes (especially Haber process)
- The Haber process — conditions, reversibility, compromise conditions
Topics Commonly Set as 6-Mark Questions
These topics are frequently used for extended response questions. Prepare model answers for each.