Edexcel A2 Chemistry 6ch04/05 JUNE 2015

Original post by Ripper Phoenix

the paper is 90 marks and 90 mins available for each mark :smile:

so yeah plan well, time can definitely be saved on easy MCQ's. My teacher always recommends scanning through the paper once you get it to set the brain in motion and give it a push so you will already be thinking ahead while doing the "easy questions". Seems hard to believe but it does work for me :biggrin:

Yeah, I scan the theory questions! Always done that, even with my primary school exams. Sometimes, I start off with Section C instead B. :biggrin:

And yeah although that's how marks are allocated, some questions are going to be easier/harder so you'll definitely need to not get distracted trying to work out 1 or 2 mark questions when you still have 4/5 mark questions left!

Reply 342

Original post by rowanbarnesss

Does anybody have any predictions about what topics might come up? I'm really beginning to worry about these two exams, this is my second attempt at them after last year's awful papers, I don't really know what else I can do after completing all the past papers at least once, any other tips???

Go over the past papers and redo all the questions you had trouble with the most.

Identify problematic topics and make notes/flash cards you can refer to if you get stuck. Writing down points you need to learn can help a lot, at least for me.

You can try also random past papers from other exam boards, just leave the questions that are not in your specification. I don't do this much, because I want to be familiar the most with my exam board's question style but doing a few papers can help you prepare for a more unusual question style in case they decide to give a weird question. Edexcel seems to be doing that this year with all the Chem papers, pretty weird questions at times! (Don't worry, I don't mean more difficult than usual but if you get startled and panic because it seems unfamiliar it won't go well.)

With Unit four, go through the pH curves and all the the calculations. They will always show up, you need to know how to do them very well. Know how to do questions of all types for a topic. (Eg: Find ka using volumes/concentrations, or find a concentration using ka/volumes etc)

Unit 5 is synoptic so I advise going through your AS notes, but focus more on Organic Chemistry as this ties in a lot with Organic Synthesis/Aromatic Chemistry.

Reply 343

rowanbarnesss

Original post by thymolphthalein

Go over the past papers and redo all the questions you had trouble with the most.

Identify problematic topics and make notes/flash cards you can refer to if you get stuck. Writing down points you need to learn can help a lot, at least for me.

You can try also random past papers from other exam boards, just leave the questions that are not in your specification. I don't do this much, because I want to be familiar the most with my exam board's question style but doing a few papers can help you prepare for a more unusual question style in case they decide to give a weird question. Edexcel seems to be doing that this year with all the Chem papers, pretty weird questions at times! (Don't worry, I don't mean more difficult than usual but if you get startled and panic because it seems unfamiliar it won't go well.)

With Unit four, go through the pH curves and all the the calculations. They will always show up, you need to know how to do them very well. Know how to do questions of all types for a topic. (Eg: Find ka using volumes/concentrations, or find a concentration using ka/volumes etc)

Unit 5 is synoptic so I advise going through your AS notes, but focus more on Organic Chemistry as this ties in a lot with Organic Synthesis/Aromatic Chemistry.

Thanks!

Yeah even last year Edexcel started getting a bit weird with their questions, I don't think solely revising from their past papers will prepare me for what they'll ask so I'll definitely broaden my revision a bit. Thanks for all your help!

Reply 344

goonieskellie

Do we need to know the preparations of cholesteryl benzoate and methyl 3-nitrobenzoate specifically? They come up in my revision guide, but in the spec they are mentioned after an "e.g." which i thought meant we just kinda had to be aware of them?

Reply 345

Original post by goonieskellie

Do we need to know the preparations of cholesteryl benzoate and methyl 3-nitrobenzoate specifically? They come up in my revision guide, but in the spec they are mentioned after an "e.g." which i thought meant we just kinda had to be aware of them?

We have to learn nitration and alkylation and acylation and all those reactions.

Cholestryl Benzoate is apparently formed from cholestrol and benzoic acid so it's basically just esterification.

^but I'm pretty sure the A levels would never make us learn that entire structure specifically. I think the point is to know the reactions that benzene compounds undergo but you should probably check with a teacher/someone else who knows more than I do.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 346

AnishaJayne

Original post by thymolphthalein

We have to learn nitration and alkylation and acylation and all those reactions.

Cholestryl Benzoate is apparently formed from cholestrol and benzoic acid so it's basically just esterification.

^but I'm pretty sure the A levels would never make us learn that entire structure specifically. I think the point is to know the reactions that benzene compounds undergo but you should probably check with a teacher/someone else who knows more than I do.

Please tell me this is unit 5 you're on about??!

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Reply 347

Original post by AnishaJayne

Please tell me this is unit 5 you're on about??!

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Yes, Arene chemistry is unit 5. :biggrin:

Esterification is not though. :tongue:

Reply 348

AnishaJayne

Original post by thymolphthalein

Yes, Arene chemistry is unit 5. :biggrin:

Esterification is not though. :tongue:

Ahhhh thank god! I'm not doing unit 5, had a lil panic then!

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Reply 349

Original post by AnishaJayne

Ahhhh thank god! I'm not doing unit 5, had a lil panic then!

Posted from TSR Mobile

Haha, I think this is why they made a specific thread for Unit 5 but this thread's title still says 04/05 and people end up here sometimes.

Reply 350

Amir52

13

hey do any of you know what exactly are we supposed to know from unit 2 for the synoptic questions?!?!? :s-smilie:

Reply 351

Original post by Amir52

hey do any of you know what exactly are we supposed to know from unit 2 for the synoptic questions?!?!? :s-smilie:

It's synoptic so potentially anything. :tongue:

But I'd say check through the spec and see which topics relate the most.

Obvious topics include: Organic Chemistry from AS/Mass Spectra/IR.
But they could link almost anything, honestly.

Reply 352

goonieskellie

Original post by thymolphthalein

We have to learn nitration and alkylation and acylation and all those reactions.

Cholestryl Benzoate is apparently formed from cholestrol and benzoic acid so it's basically just esterification.

^but I'm pretty sure the A levels would never make us learn that entire structure specifically. I think the point is to know the reactions that benzene compounds undergo but you should probably check with a teacher/someone else who knows more than I do.

Yeah, i think it was more to do with the steps of preparing it, like crystallisation and stuff :/ dont know whether to bother learning it or not hmmmmm

Reply 353

Amir52

13

Original post by thymolphthalein

It's synoptic so potentially anything. :tongue:

But I'd say check through the spec and see which topics relate the most.

Obvious topics include: Organic Chemistry from AS/Mass Spectra/IR.
But they could link almost anything, honestly.

darn it! I completely forgot unit 2 portions! :frown:

I don't remember anything!

Reply 354

Usama alsiyabi

6

Original post by Amir52

hey do any of you know what exactly are we supposed to know from unit 2 for the synoptic questions?!?!? :s-smilie:

Organic chemistry, intermolecular forces, bond angles and maybe a bit of green chemistry.

Reply 355

Original post by Amir52

darn it! I completely forgot unit 2 portions! :frown:

I don't remember anything!

After studying for A2, you won't find any of it particularly hard. :smile:

Just go through everything once in a while and make sure you know the organic reactions because they are important in synthesis questions.

Reply 356

Original post by goonieskellie

Yeah, i think it was more to do with the steps of preparing it, like crystallisation and stuff :/ dont know whether to bother learning it or not hmmmmm

Although it sounds very 6B-ish I'd say pretty important, especially things like recrystallization/chromatography. Could come up in organic synthesis or something. :smile:

Reply 357

Ripper Phoenix

17

Original post by thymolphthalein

Although it sounds very 6B-ish I'd say pretty important, especially things like recrystallization/chromatography. Could come up in organic synthesis or something. :smile:

its actually unit 5 and not 6Bish lol :biggrin:

i'd say that unit 6B is very unit 5ish

Reply 358