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Latest 2026/2027 AQA Chemistry Paper 1 Study Guide | GCSE Exam Practice & Revision

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Prepare for the Latest 2026/2027 AQA Chemistry Paper 1 with this comprehensive exam preparation and revision resource for AQA GCSE Chemistry students. This updated guide focuses on key Paper 1 topics including atomic structure and the periodic table, bonding and structure, quantitative chemistry, chemical changes, and energy changes, helping learners review important principles and strengthen exam technique. Ideal for GCSE Chemistry students, revision candidates, and independent learners, this 2026/2027 academic year edition reinforces core knowledge, develops problem-solving skills, and supports confident preparation for the AQA Chemistry Paper 1 examination.

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AQA Chemistry Paper 1
What are atoms? Atoms are the particles that make up everything




What is an element? An element is a substance in which all the atoms are the same




Where are elements shown? Elements are shown in the Periodic table




How many elements are there? There are around 118 elements




What is a compound? A compound is a substance that contain two or more elements chemically combined




Describe the properties of compounds The properties of compounds are usually different to the elements that they are
made from



What is a mixture? A mixture is a substance with different elements or compounds not chemically
combined



Give an example of a mixture An example of a mixture is sand and water as they are not chemically combined
and can be separated by physical means



What is a molecule? A molecule is a substance that has any elements chemically joined




What does a chemical formula tell you about a molecule? A chemical formula tells the elements in a molecule and the number of atoms of
each element



How is a chemical formula presented? Each element symbol starts with a capital letter, if there is a second letter it is in
lower case



Give an example of a chemical formula




What are state symbols? State symbols show the physical state of the substance solid (s), liquid (l), gas (g),
or dissolved in water (aq)



Name three properties of Metals -Strong
-Good conductors of heat and electricity
-High melting and boiling points

, AQA Chemistry Paper 1
Name three properties of Non-Metals -Weak
-Bad conductors of heat and electricity
-Low melting and boiling points


State the four different ways of separating mixtures Four different ways of separating mixtures are filtration, crystallisation, distillation or
chromatography



Describe the process of filtration Pour your mixture onto the filter paper, the liquid simply passes through the filter
paper into the flask. The insoluble solid cannot pass through and so it stays on the
paper


Describe the process of crystallisation Use the method of filtration to filter off any excess soluble solid. Evaporate the
mixture then transfer the hot mixture onto a dish. Crystals are formed when the
mixture has cooled


Describe the process of simple distillation First we evaporate the mixture by heating it, the dissolved solid then vaporises.
These vapours condense in the condenser, the dissolved solid then flows into the
beaker and liquid stays in the flask


Describe the process of chromatography Take a strip of filter paper and draw a line on the bottom of the paper. Put a small
drop of ink on the line, take a jar full of water up to the line and put the filter paper
in. As the water moves up we see different colours on the paper these are the dyes
in the ink


What were the early ideas of the structure of atoms? Early ideas of the structure of atoms stated that they are tiny spheres that cannot be
divided



What is the plum pudding model? The plum pudding model is what scientists suggested is the structure of atoms is
after the discovery of the electron



Describe the plum pudding model The plum pudding model suggested that an atom is a ball of positive charge with
negative electrons in embedded in it



Describe how Rutherford carried out the gold foil Rutherford took a piece of gold foil, he then fired tiny positive alpha particles at the
experiment gold foil



What did Rutherford observe in the experiment? Rutherford observed that most of the particles when straight through the gold foil
and sometimes the alpha particles bounce back of the gold foil



What did Rutherford discover from these observations? Rutherford discovered that atoms are mainly empty space as most of the alpha
particles went straight through the gold atoms and that the nucleus of the atom is
very small as only a small number of alpha particles bounce back


Describe the structure of the nuclear model The nuclear model states that most of an atom is empty space, in the centre is the
nucleus which contains protons and neutrons around the edge we find electrons



What is the Relative mass and the relative charge of
protons, neutrons and electrons?

, AQA Chemistry Paper 1
Why do atoms have the same number of protons as Because atoms have have no overall charge
electrons?



What is an Ion? An ion is a charged particle, it is possible to get positive or negative ions




What is an Isotope? Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons are called isotopes




What is the mass number of an element? The mass number is the number on the top of an element it is the number of proton
and neutrons combined



What is the atomic number of an element? The atomic number is the number on the bottom it is number of protons in an atom,
which is the same as the number of electrons



How many electrons can you fit in the first, second and Shell 1 : 2 electrons
third shells? Shell 2 : 8 electrons
Shell 3 : 8 electrons


What is an Electronic structure? A set of number to show the arrangement of electrons in their shells, eg. [2,6]




C2 The periodic table




What did John Newlands periodic table look like? He arranged the elements in order of increasing atomic mass, he saw that every
eighth element reacted in a similar way



What did Dmitri Mendeleev's periodic table look like? He arranged the elements in order of increasing atomic mass, he switched the order
of some elements to the fitted in the patterns of other elements. He left gaps for
undiscovered elements


What does the modern periodic table look like? Elements are arranged in order of atomic number, the elements are organised in
groups and periods which have the similar properties



Why are elements in the periodic table grouped the way Elements with similar chemical properties are grouped together in groups
they are?



Why do elements in a group have similar chemical Elements in a group have similar chemical properties because they all have the
properties? same number of electrons in their outer energy level therefore react similarly



What are the names of group 1, 2, 7 and 0? Group 1: alkali metals
Group 2: alkaline earth metals
Group 7: halogens
Group 0: noble gases

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