Question 1

How long does it take to memorise the IGCSE Chemistry vocabulary?

Accepted Answer

Memorising chemistry vocabulary is one of those things that feels overwhelming at first, but it becomes much more manageable once you spread it across your course rather than leaving it all to the end. There's no fixed timeline that applies to every student, since it depends on how much you already know, how regularly you return to the material, and which topics you find trickiest.

We'd suggest working through our flashcards topic by topic, using spaced retrieval (coming back to the same cards across several days and weeks) rather than trying to cover everything in one go. Our flashcards span all 12 topics in the Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry (0620) syllabus, so you can build your vocabulary steadily and see exactly which areas still need attention.

Question 2

How many flashcards should I do a day?

Accepted Answer

Consistency tends to matter more than sheer volume when it comes to flashcard revision. We'd suggest doing a small set of new cards each day alongside older cards your spaced retrieval queue surfaces for review, rather than trying to power through large batches infrequently.

Our flashcards are built around exactly this spaced retrieval approach, so the more regularly you use them, the better they get at pushing the trickiest Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry content back to the top. For the Extended route, which covers everything from stoichiometry and electrochemistry through to organic chemistry, keeping that daily habit going over a longer period really helps the content stick.

Question 3

Should I make my own Chemistry flashcards or use Cognito's?

Accepted Answer

Both approaches have genuine merit, and the answer depends on how you like to study. Making your own cards does help you engage with the material, but it takes considerable time that could otherwise go towards practising retrieval. Our flashcards are built around the 0620 Extended spec, covering both the Core and Supplement content you need, so they give you an accurate, ready-to-use foundation.

With knowledge and understanding making up 50% of the qualification, accurate memorisation matters a great deal across all twelve topics. We'd suggest using our flashcards as your base, then layering the blurt technique on top: hide the card, write down everything you can recall, and check back against it. That kind of active retrieval is what really helps the content stick.

Question 4

Which Cambridge International (CIE / Cambridge Assessment International Education) Chemistry topics are flashcards best for?

Accepted Answer

Flashcards shine brightest on the recall-heavy sections of CIE IGCSE Chemistry (0620), and with AO1 Knowledge with understanding making up 50% of the overall marks, that is a large chunk of the exam worth targeting. Topics like Atoms, elements and compounds, Acids, bases and salts (especially the solubility rules), Periodic Table group trends and the reactivity series in Metals all reward the kind of confident recall that spaced retrieval with flashcards builds so effectively. Experimental techniques and chemical analysis is another strong candidate, as the ion tests, gas tests and flame tests require memorising specific reagents and observations that flashcards are perfectly suited to. Organic chemistry is equally well served, with functional group definitions, homologous series characteristics and reaction conditions all lending themselves to card-based review. Our flashcards are organised by topic, so you can focus on whichever area you are consolidating next.

Question 5

Why do I keep forgetting IGCSE Chemistry vocabulary?

Accepted Answer

Forgetting vocabulary is really common in IGCSE Chemistry, and it usually happens because passive re-reading doesn't force your brain to retrieve the information, so nothing really sticks.

The evidence-based fix is spaced retrieval: testing yourself on a term, getting it slightly wrong, then returning to it after a short gap. That struggle-and-correction cycle is what moves new vocabulary into long-term memory far more effectively than reading the same definition over and over.

Our flashcards are built around exactly this approach, so working through them in short sessions across several days gives your brain the repeated retrieval practice it needs. It's also worth knowing that AO1 (Knowledge with understanding) makes up 50% of your IGCSE Chemistry marks, so precise terminology matters a great deal across both Paper 2 and Paper 4.