AQA CHEMISTRY PAPER 1 Question and
Answer 2026 | Latest Questions with Step-
by-Step Explanations | Grade A+
• 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
• 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 experiment -
✓✓Rutherford took a piece of gold foil, he then fired tiny positive alpha
particles at the 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
Answer 2026 | Latest Questions with Step-
by-Step Explanations | Grade A+
• 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
• 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 experiment -
✓✓Rutherford took a piece of gold foil, he then fired tiny positive alpha
particles at the 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
