Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Chemistry Olympiad 2013

Scroll to see replies

Yeah I found question 3 hard. How did you guys answer it

I basically wrote crap :/ I wish they'd given us more information! How did u find the other questions?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 21

missworldwide

I found question 1 hard but maybe that was just me ): how did u answer it?

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 22

Big-Daddy

Original post by firebolt

I guessed it all! I had no idea, I knew some colours individually not mixed together, and I may have known the second part if they gave us the test not just a load of white precipitates.

How was it compared to previous years? More mole calculations, or more general knowledge?

Reply 23

firebolt

Original post by Big-Daddy

How was it compared to previous years? More mole calculations, or more general knowledge?

I didn't do many past papers so I couldn't tell you. I would say it was about half and half.

Reply 24

Big-Daddy

Original post by firebolt

I didn't do many past papers so I couldn't tell you. I would say it was about half and half.

And there were questions on identification (flame colours, precipitate colours, etc.)? Weird, they've never done it before!

Was there any pure general knowledge like last year (e.g. "what's the formula for laughing gas")?

Reply 25

Lol_Fish

Original post by geor

Tons of calculations. Hardly any general knowledge!

Found it quite difficult ): !

Reply 26

annielyn

Do you think a Year 12 will be at a disadvantage going into this year's exam? That's to ask, was it mostly Chem 4 and 5!? Eeeeeeek!

Original post by geor

Tons of calculations. Hardly any general knowledge!

Were they mostly A2 calculations? Just wondering because I'm in Year 12 and I think I might be at a major disadvantage!

Reply 27

Claree

Original post by annielyn

Do you think a Year 12 will be at a disadvantage going into this year's exam? That's to ask, was it mostly Chem 4 and 5!? Eeeeeeek!

Were they mostly A2 calculations? Just wondering because I'm in Year 12 and I think I might be at a major disadvantage!

I'm in Y12 and I had a go - I could do maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of it and had fun coming up with guesses for the rest of it. :smile:

Reply 28

annielyn

Original post by Claree

I'm in Y12 and I had a go - I could do maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of it and had fun coming up with guesses for the rest of it. :smile:

With the certificate boundaries where they are you make it sound not too bad actually! :tongue:

Reply 29

annielyn

Original post by geor

I am in year 12 and all the calculations were fine with AS knowledge maybe bar one 1-2 mark question.

Really?! What a relief!

Original post by geor

It was a much more doable paper in terms of the knowledge needed from A2 than say, last years.

Is that a reference to the calculations or it all? And would you say doing the previous papers help a ton or not?

Thanks for the replies, hope you guys get what you want out of it!! :smile:

Reply 30

yoyo1994

Original post by geor

Generally it all, but also the calculations! Obviously there were things that were A2 but you wouldn't need to do them to get a good mark!!

I definitely think the past papers are helpful as even if you don't learn anything relevant, they do help you adapt to the "applying" approach of answering questions!

Good luck!

I agree, past papers develop ur technique.
By the way what did u think of question 2?

Reply 31

Silverland

Last years was much nicer imho. The calculations this time were a bit more vague and it was rather ambiguous in places.

Reply 32

yoyo1994

Can anybody post any questions they remember because I have my teachers solutions to all the questions.Z...?..I want to create an unofficial mark scheme

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 33

natninja

Original post by >Untitled<

do you guys know what the boundaries are for levels? like how many marks for a bronze, silver, gold etc?

Yes, roughly 23/80 for bronze, 30/80 for silver and 38/80 for gold. I did it last year and got 50/80 so my paper had to be sent for remarking as all papers in the top 60 or so do. The top 50 get through to the next round.

Reply 34

yoyo1994

Original post by Silverland

Last years was much nicer imho. The calculations this time were a bit more vague and it was rather ambiguous in places.

Definitely more diffcicult, also I wished it were more based on a2 stuff. Which questions did u struggle on.?

Reply 35

Internet Troll

Just did it today, I found the first two questions fairly straightforward but after that things went seriously downhill...

Reply 36

Internet Troll

Original post by yoyo1994

Can anybody post any questions they remember because I have my teachers solutions to all the questions.Z...?..I want to create an unofficial mark scheme

Are there still people to do it, or was today the last day. I do have the question paper so I will post some questions if I am allowed to

Reply 37

yoyo1994

Original post by Internet Troll

Are there still people to do it, or was today the last day. I do have the question paper so I will post some questions if I am allowed to

Just post the questions, my teacher said everyone would hav done it by now

Reply 38

Rachel111

Original post by geor

I can assure you they haven't! I know people doing it next week!
Do you want people to be at an advantage?

The final date is Tuesday 12th February.

Reply 39

Big-Daddy

Original post by natninja

I'm pretty sure that's not right. It can't all have been marked yet so there won't be any boundaries for this year, and for most years it's a lot higher than 38/80 for Gold. If you got 50/80 then just looking at stats for last year you weren't in the top 60 but rather in the top 220. And the top 20 get into the next round approximately, I think ... get the facts straight.