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Assessment
How Cambridge O Level Chemistry is assessed
There are no tiers. Everyone takes Papers 1 and 2, plus Paper 3 or Paper 4, and can get grades A*–E.
Syllabus 5070, for exams in 2026–2028. The 2029 syllabus has no significant changes that affect teaching.
All students
Paper 1: Multiple Choice
40 four-option multiple-choice questions
- Time
- 1 h
- Marks
- 40
- Weight
- 30%
Paper 2: Theory
Compulsory short-answer and structured questions
- Time
- 1 h 45 min
- Marks
- 80
- Weight
- 50%
Plus one practical paper
Paper 3: Practical Test
Experiments in a laboratory
- Time
- 1 h 30 min
- Marks
- 40
- Weight
- 20%
Paper 4: Alternative to Practical
Written paper on the same experimental skills
- Time
- 1 h
- Marks
- 40
- Weight
- 20%
Your school chooses Paper 3 (a practical test in a laboratory) or Paper 4 (a written alternative to practical). Both test the same skills and are worth 20%. There is no coursework. Notes for qualitative analysis are provided in both practical papers.
From the official Cambridge International syllabus, checked October 2026. Read the syllabus
Syllabus content
What’s on the Cambridge O Level Chemistry syllabus
- States of matter
- Atoms, elements and compounds
- Stoichiometry
- Electrochemistry
- Chemical energetics
- Chemical reactions
- Acids, bases and salts
- The Periodic Table
- Metals
- Chemistry of the environment
- Organic chemistry
- Experimental techniques and chemical analysis
Where marks are lost
Common Cambridge O Level Chemistry mistakes
Writing gases as single atoms.
Hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and the halogens are diatomic: H₂, O₂, N₂, Cl₂. Write them that way, then balance the equation.
Treating “strong” and “concentrated” as the same.
A strong acid is completely dissociated in water; a weak acid only partially. Concentration is how much acid is in each dm³, so a dilute strong acid is possible.
Describing a colour change by its end only.
Give the start and end colours, such as “orange to green”. An observation without the starting colour can lose the mark.
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Cambridge O Level Chemistry questions, answered.
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