specification overview
AQA A-Level Chemistry (7405) is a two-year linear qualification covering physical, inorganic and organic chemistry across three papers sat at the end of year 13. Paper 3 draws content from anywhere in the specification and includes 30 marks of multiple-choice questions. Students complete 12 required practicals plus a separate Practical Endorsement (Pass/Fail).
subject content
3.1. Physical chemistry
Papers 1, 2, 3- Atomic structure; amount of substance; bonding
- Energetics; kinetics; equilibria and Le Chatelier's principle
- Oxidation, reduction and redox equations; thermodynamics (A-Level only)
- Rate equations; equilibrium constant Kc; electrode potentials; acids and bases (A-Level only)
3.2. Inorganic chemistry
Papers 1, 3- Periodicity, Group 2 and Group 7 elements
- Properties of period 3 elements and their oxides (A-Level only)
- Transition metals (A-Level only)
- Reactions of ions in aqueous solution (A-Level only)
3.3. Organic chemistry
Papers 2, 3- Introduction to organic chemistry; alkanes; halogenoalkanes; alkenes; alcohols
- Organic analysis; optical isomerism (A-Level only)
- Aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids and derivatives (A-Level only)
- Aromatic chemistry; amines; polymers; amino acids, proteins and DNA (A-Level only)
- Organic synthesis; NMR spectroscopy; chromatography (A-Level only)
assessment structure
| Paper | What's assessed | Length | Marks | Weight | Question types |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Physical chemistry (sections 3.1.1-3.1.4, 3.1.6-3.1.8, 3.1.10-3.1.12) and inorganic chemistry (section 3.2), plus relevant practical skills | 2h | 105 | 35% | Short and long answer questions |
| Paper 2 | Physical chemistry (sections 3.1.2-3.1.6 and 3.1.9) and organic chemistry (section 3.3), plus relevant practical skills | 2h | 105 | 35% | Short and long answer questions |
| Paper 3 | Any content and any practical skills from the whole specification | 2h | 90 | 30% | 40 marks on practical techniques and data analysis, 20 marks across the specification, 30 marks of multiple choice |
Papers 1 and 2 focus on specific strands (physical + inorganic; physical + organic). Paper 3 is synoptic across the whole specification and includes 30 marks of multiple choice, worth practising as a distinct question type.
assessment objectives
| AO | What it means | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| AO1 | Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques and procedures. | 30% |
| AO2 | Apply knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques and procedures in theoretical and practical contexts, including handling quantitative and qualitative data. | 45% |
| AO3 | Analyse, interpret and evaluate scientific information, ideas and evidence to make judgements, reach conclusions and refine practical design and procedures. | 25% |
required practicals
| Practical | What it involves |
|---|---|
| RP1 Make a volumetric solution and carry out a simple acid-base titration | Preparation of a standard solution and titration with a burette. |
| RP2 Measure an enthalpy change | Measurement of an enthalpy change using calorimetry. |
| RP3 Investigation of how the rate of a reaction changes with temperature | Investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of a chemical reaction. |
| RP4 Carry out simple test-tube reactions to identify cations and anions | Qualitative analysis for common ions in solution. |
| RP5 Distillation of a product from a reaction | Purification of a liquid organic product by distillation. |
| RP6 Tests for alcohol, aldehyde, alkene and carboxylic acid | Qualitative tests for organic functional groups. |
| RP7 Measure the rate of reaction by an initial rate method and continuous monitoring | Determine the rate of a reaction using two experimental methods. |
| RP8 Measure the EMF of an electrochemical cell | Set up an electrochemical cell and measure its EMF. |
| RP9 Investigate how pH changes when a weak acid reacts with a strong base and when a strong acid reacts with a weak base | Titration curves for weak acid with strong base and strong acid with weak base. |
| RP10 Preparation of a pure organic solid and a pure organic liquid | Synthesis and purification of both a pure organic solid (with melting-point test of purity) and a pure organic liquid. |
| RP11 Carry out simple test-tube reactions to identify transition metal ions in aqueous solution | Qualitative test-tube reactions of transition metal ions in aqueous solution with NaOH, NH3 and Na2CO3. |
| RP12 Separation of species by thin-layer chromatography | Use thin-layer chromatography to separate a mixture of species. |
key tips for success
Practise Paper 3's multiple choice
Paper 3 includes 30 marks of MC questions, a question type not on Papers 1 or 2. Practise them separately so you're not caught by the format.
Master the 12 required practicals
Practical-context questions come up on all three papers plus feed the Practical Endorsement. Learn the method, apparatus and expected observations for each.
Build maths fluency
AO2 is 45% and includes moles calculations, Kc/Kp, equilibrium calculations, enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy. Practise these until they're automatic.
Learn organic reaction mechanisms with curly arrows
Nucleophilic substitution, electrophilic addition, electrophilic aromatic substitution, free radical substitution, practise drawing full mechanisms with correctly-placed curly arrows for each.
Watch out for synoptic questions on Paper 3
Paper 3 pulls from anywhere. Practise linking physical/inorganic/organic chemistry (e.g. how equilibrium principles apply to industrial organic processes, or how transition metal chemistry links to redox).
Interpret NMR and mass spectra
Spectroscopy questions are worth marks on Papers 2 and 3. Practise assigning peaks in proton NMR, 13C NMR, mass spectra and IR.
Where to next
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