Chemistry

Chemistry — IGCSE

British Curriculum · Pearson · Years 10-11 · Ages 14-16

Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Chemistry (4CH1) is untiered and graded 9 to 1, assessed through two written papers with practical skills tested inside them rather than by a separate practical paper.

Content is organised into principles of chemistry, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry and organic chemistry, covering atomic structure, bonding, the mole, electrolysis, group chemistry, rates, equilibria, energetics, and the alkanes, alkenes, alcohols and carboxylic acids.

Edexcel is notably calculation-heavy for an International GCSE. Moles, titration, empirical formulae and percentage yield appear across both papers, so calculation fluency matters more here than on many comparable specifications.

Key topics covered

• Principles of Chemistry — Atomic structure, the periodic table, bonding, and the mole and formulae.
• Calculations — Reacting masses, concentration, titration, empirical formulae and yield.
• Inorganic Chemistry — Group chemistry, metal reactivity, extraction, acids, bases and salt preparation.
• Electrolysis — Electrolysis of molten and aqueous compounds and predicting products.
• Physical Chemistry — Rates of reaction, reversible reactions, equilibria and energetics.
• Organic Chemistry — Crude oil, alkanes, alkenes, alcohols, carboxylic acids and polymers.
• Practical Skills — Apparatus, technique, measurement, data handling and evaluation.