Topical revision checklist for AQA UK GCE A Level Chemistry — specification 7405. Track confidence for each topic and sub-topic; aligned to 2026 specification headings. Rate your confidence (1–5) for each specification topic.
| Topic | Sub-topic | Resources | Confidence (1–5) | Last reviewed | Next review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Physical chemistry — fundamentals | Atomic orbitals; electron configuration; ionisation energy trends | ||||
| 1. Physical chemistry — fundamentals | Amount of substance: moles, empirical and molecular formulae | ||||
| 1. Physical chemistry — fundamentals | Balancing equations; reacting masses and titrations | ||||
| 1. Physical chemistry — fundamentals | Bonding: ionic, covalent, dative, metallic | ||||
| 1. Physical chemistry — fundamentals | Shapes of molecules; bond angles; electronegativity and polarity | ||||
| 1. Physical chemistry — fundamentals | Intermolecular forces: London, dipole–dipole, hydrogen bonding | ||||
| 2. Energetics and kinetics | Enthalpy definitions: formation, combustion, neutralisation | ||||
| 2. Energetics and kinetics | Hess’s law cycles; bond enthalpy calculations | ||||
| 2. Energetics and kinetics | Rate of reaction; collision theory; Arrhenius (introductory) | ||||
| 2. Energetics and kinetics | Orders of reaction; rate equations; half-life | ||||
| 2. Energetics and kinetics | Catalysts: homogeneous and heterogeneous | ||||
| 2. Energetics and kinetics | Dynamic equilibrium; Kc and Kp expressions | ||||
| 2. Energetics and kinetics | Le Chatelier’s principle; partial pressures | ||||
| 2. Energetics and kinetics | Acids and bases: pH, Ka, buffers (as specified) | ||||
| 3. Redox and inorganic chemistry | Oxidation numbers; balancing redox equations | ||||
| 3. Redox and inorganic chemistry | Electrochemical cells; standard electrode potentials E° | ||||
| 3. Redox and inorganic chemistry | Predicting feasibility of reactions | ||||
| 3. Redox and inorganic chemistry | Periodicity across Period 3: oxides and chlorides | ||||
| 3. Redox and inorganic chemistry | Group 2 trends; Group 7 displacement and disproportionation | ||||
| 3. Redox and inorganic chemistry | Transition metals: variable oxidation states; complex ions; colour | ||||
| 3. Redox and inorganic chemistry | Catalysis by transition metals | ||||
| 4. Organic chemistry — core | IUPAC nomenclature; structural and stereoisomerism | ||||
| 4. Organic chemistry — core | Reaction mechanisms: curly arrows; nucleophilic substitution | ||||
| 4. Organic chemistry — core | Alkanes: free-radical substitution | ||||
| 4. Organic chemistry — core | Alkenes: electrophilic addition; polymerisation | ||||
| 4. Organic chemistry — core | Halogenoalkanes: SN1/SN2 overview | ||||
| 4. Organic chemistry — core | Alcohols: oxidation, dehydration | ||||
| 4. Organic chemistry — core | Aldehydes and ketones: nucleophilic addition | ||||
| 4. Organic chemistry — core | Carboxylic acids and derivatives (as specified) | ||||
| 5. Organic chemistry — aromatics and synthesis | Benzene structure and stability; electrophilic substitution | ||||
| 5. Organic chemistry — aromatics and synthesis | Directing effects of substituents (introductory) | ||||
| 5. Organic chemistry — aromatics and synthesis | Amines: basicity; diazonium salts (as specified) | ||||
| 5. Organic chemistry — aromatics and synthesis | Amino acids, peptides, proteins | ||||
| 5. Organic chemistry — aromatics and synthesis | Condensation polymers: polyester, polyamide | ||||
| 5. Organic chemistry — aromatics and synthesis | Multi-step synthetic routes; retrosynthesis | ||||
| 5. Organic chemistry — aromatics and synthesis | Green chemistry principles | ||||
| 6. Modern analytical techniques | Mass spectrometry: molecular ion, fragmentation | ||||
| 6. Modern analytical techniques | Infrared spectroscopy: characteristic absorptions | ||||
| 6. Modern analytical techniques | Carbon-13 and proton NMR: chemical shift, integration, splitting | ||||
| 6. Modern analytical techniques | Combined techniques for structure elucidation | ||||
| 6. Modern analytical techniques | Chromatography: Rf; HPLC/GC overview |
Use with our Past Paper Finder for exam practice. Always cross-check topic coverage with your school’s route and the official board specification.
Quick answers about this free revision checklist, how to use it for exam prep, and how it relates to the official syllabus.
This revision checklist mirrors the official AQA UK GCE A Level Chemistry 7405 syllabus for the 2026 examination series. Every topic and sub-topic on the page is taken from the published syllabus document, so working through the list in order gives you full coverage of what your exam can assess. For the authoritative version, always cross-check with the latest syllabus PDF on your exam board's website before your final revision push.
The number of top-level topic groups varies by subject, but you can see the exact count on this page — each major heading in the checklist corresponds to one syllabus topic group, and each row below it is a syllabus-level sub-topic. Use the confidence column (1–5) to flag which sub-topics need more work, and re-score yourself weekly to track real progress instead of guessing.
12–16 weeks of focused revision, working through one topic group per week with weekly past-paper practice, is a realistic target for most A Level students. Use this checklist to plan your weeks: filter by topics you have rated 1–3 and spend your first revision block there. Subjects with heavy practical or extended-writing components (e.g. sciences, English) need more past-paper time in the final block than the topic-by-topic phase.
Revise in roughly the order the syllabus lists the topics — exam boards build later topics on earlier ones, so taking them in syllabus order avoids gaps. Once you have rated every topic, switch to weakest-first: filter the checklist by confidence ≤ 2 and prioritise those topics in your next study block. This is more effective than re-revising topics you already score 4–5 on.
You can find past papers and mark schemes via Tutopiya's Past Paper Finder and on your exam board's official site. Once you have rated each sub-topic on this checklist, attempt past-paper questions on your weakest topics first — practising under timed conditions is the single best predictor of exam performance, more so than re-reading notes.
Use the Download CSV or Print PDF button at the bottom of the checklist. CSV opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets so you can sort by confidence and re-arrange revision order. The PDF is print-ready for offline use. A free Tutopiya account is required for download — this also unlocks the matching topic resources, notes and worked examples on the Learning Portal.
Yes, the checklist itself is free — you can view, score and re-score every topic on this page without an account. The CSV / PDF downloads and access to matching Tutopiya Learning Portal resources require a free account. There is no payment required at any point; teachers and parents can also use this checklist freely with their students.
Yes. The topics and sub-topics on this page are drawn from the current 2026 AQA UK GCE A Level Chemistry 7405 specification published by AQA. Exam boards occasionally tweak weighting or assessment structure mid-cycle, so do a quick sanity-check against the official syllabus PDF when you start your revision and again 4 weeks before the exam.