How to Achieve an A* in A-Level Chemistry

A-Level Chemistry is a demanding subject that combines detailed factual knowledge with mathematical skill and logical problem-solving. To secure an A*, you must demonstrate more than just memory, you need to understand chemical principles, apply them to unfamiliar situations, and solve quantitative problems accurately. This guide will show you how to approach the course strategically and develop the skills examiners look for in top-band students.

Understand the Specification and Assessment Objectives

Before you begin revising, ensure you know exactly what the exam board expects.

Key Assessment Objectives:

• AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, techniques, and procedures.
• AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding to a variety of contexts, including unfamiliar ones.
• AO3: Analyse, interpret, and evaluate scientific information, including practical methods and data.

Each paper typically blends these Aos, so you must master both content and skills to achieve an A*.

Organise and Master Core Content

Chemistry builds topic by topic, each chapter often relies on understanding the previous one. Top students develop a strong conceptual framework across:

Key Areas:

• Atomic structure and periodicity
• Bonding and intermolecular forces
• Amount of substance and calculations
• Energetics and thermochemistry
• Kinetics and rate of reaction
• Chemical equilibria and Le Chatelier’s principle
• Redox and electrode potentials
• Organic chemistry: mechanisms, synthesis, analysis
• Inorganic chemistry: group trends and transition metals
• Spectroscopy: NMR, IR, mass spec

Focus on understanding why things happen, not just what happens.

Active Revision Methods:

• Mind maps and summary sheets for each topic.
• Worked examples of calculations.
• Mechanism practice for organic chemistry.
• Flashcards for definitions, tests, and colour changes.
• ‘Teach-back’ method – explain topics aloud to someone else or to yourself.

Master Chemical Calculations

A* students excel in calculations. Around 20–30% of exam marks are based on mathematical ability, so fluency is essential.

Key Skills:

• Moles and molar calculations (mass, volume, concentration)
• Empirical and molecular formulae
• Atom economy and percentage yield
• Titration calculations and volumetric analysis
• Equilibrium constants (Kc, Kp)
• pH, buffers, and Ka
• ΔH calculations (using Hess’s law, bond enthalpies)

Practise by:

• Solving past paper questions under timed conditions. (All available chemistry past papers can be found on Revision Science).    
• Highlighting common errors and creating a mistake log.
• Reviewing mark schemes to understand the level of precision required.

Refine Exam Technique

Having strong knowledge is only useful if you can express it in a way that scores marks. A* answers are accurate, concise, and well-structured.

Exam Tips:

• Read every word of the question carefully. Many errors come from misreading the task.
• Use specific chemical terminology,  not vague phrases.
• Underline command words: explain, calculate, describe, deduce, suggest.
• Always include units and use significant figures appropriately.
• In explanations, link cause and effect clearly using logical sequences.

For mechanisms:

• Use curly arrows accurately.
• Ensure you show lone pairs, charges, and correct structures.

Practise Application and Problem-Solving (AO2)

Application questions test whether you can transfer knowledge to unfamiliar scenarios, a key feature of A* questions.

Strategies:

• Don’t panic if a context is unfamiliar, the chemical principles are often routine.
• Break the problem into smaller steps and identify which topic(s) it connects to.
• Use diagrams and equations to support your thinking.
• Be precise and methodical in written responses.

Regularly work through mixed-topic questions and synoptic practice papers to strengthen your flexibility.

Revise Organic Chemistry Strategically

Organic chemistry is heavily featured in A-Level exams and often includes large, challenging questions.

Tips for Success:

• Memorise reaction conditions: reagents, temperatures, catalysts.
• Learn functional groups and tests (e.g. Tollens’ for aldehydes).
• Practise naming compounds using IUPAC rules.
• Drill mechanisms: nucleophilic substitution, electrophilic addition, etc.
• Learn synthetic routes (multi-step reaction pathways).

Create a reaction map or flow chart to visualise how compounds interconvert, a vital revision tool.

Know Your Required Practicals

Practical questions test your ability to design, interpret, and evaluate experiments.

Practicals May Involve:

• Titrations and standard solutions
• Making and analysing salts
• Rates of reaction
• pH and buffer solutions
• Testing for ions and organic compounds
• Chromatography and reflux/distillation

How to Revise Practicals:

• Understand the method and purpose of each step.
• Be able to identify errors, improvements, and variables.
• Practise interpreting experimental data: graphs, tables, titration curves.
• Use past paper questions to reinforce familiarity with experimental context.

Learn Spectroscopy and Analytical Techniques

In Paper 3 (AQA and others), you’ll often be asked to interpret spectra and deduce structures.

You Need to:

• Read mass spectra (molecular ion peaks, fragmentation).
• Interpret infrared spectra (identify bonds from absorption peaks).
• Use ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra (chemical shift, splitting patterns, integration).

Make sure you:

• Practise regularly with past questions.
• Know key chemical shifts and functional group indicators.
• Work from data tables (given in the exam) rather than memory alone.

Manage Your Time and Structure Your Revision

With the volume of content in Chemistry, you must stay organised.

Time Management Tips:

• Create a revision timetable that balances content review with question practice. 
• Break topics into daily manageable goals.
• Use spaced repetition and retrieval practice (e.g. flashcards, past papers).
• Alternate between content-heavy revision and problem-solving tasks.

Track your progress and revisit weak areas regularly, don’t rely on short-term cramming.

Final Words of Advice from A* Students

• “Do as many past papers as you can, that’s how you train your brain for exam thinking.”
• “Use the specification as a checklist to ensure you haven’t missed anything.”
• “Master the maths, it’s where easy marks are lost.”
• “Organic chemistry needs repetition, revise it little and often.”
• “Be precise in your answers. Chemistry rewards accuracy.”