CCEA GCSE · Analysis & Prediction

2024 CCEA GCSE Chemistry 1110 Past Paper: Analysis & Answers

A balanced and thorough assessment across CCEA GCSE Chemistry covering Unit 1, Unit 2, and Unit 3 (Practical Booklets A & B). The suite places heavy emphasis on quantitative chemistry, equation writing (including ionic and redox half-equations), 6-mark QWC extended responses, and precise experimental techniques.

Updated: 31 Aug 2026

Analysis Sample paper

Difficulty 3.4/5

Total marks

280

Duration

345 mins

Most tested

Quantitative Chemistry and Stoichiometric Calculations

Paper breakdown

Unit 1: Higher Tier (GCM12): 80 marks · 75 minsUnit 2: Higher Tier (GCM22): 100 marks · 90 minsUnit 3: Practical Skills Booklet A (GCM33): 30 marks · 120 minsUnit 3: Practical Skills Booklet B (GCM34): 70 marks · 60 mins

Top chapters

Quantitative chemistry (Unit 2) · 37 marksCarrying out an experiment (Unit 3) · 30 marksMetals and reactivity series (Unit 2) · 27 marksOrganic chemistry (Unit 2) · 22 marksAcids, bases and salts (Unit 1) · 20 marks

Executive Summary & Overall Difficulty

The 2024 CCEA GCSE Chemistry suite presents a rigorous assessment spanning theoretical principles, quantitative mastery, and direct experimental practical skills. With a total of 280 marks across Unit 1, Unit 2, and Unit 3 (Booklets A & B), the overall difficulty sits comfortably at a solid standard Higher Tier level (rated 3.4 / 5.0). Well-prepared students who are proficient in multi-step mole calculations, chemical diagram construction, and structured experimental methods will find high reward, whereas candidates weak in writing ionic equations or interpreting kinetic and equilibrium graphs will drop crucial marks.

Where the Marks Lie

Marks across the papers are distributed systematically across the core specification areas:

Quantitative Chemistry & Calculations: Substantial marks are tied to stoichiometry, empirical formula determinations from crucible experiments, back-titration analysis, gas molar volumes (\(24\,\text{dm}^3\)), and bond energy arithmetic.
Chemical Bonding & Structures: Unit 1 rigorously tests dot-and-cross representations for both ionic (\(\text{MgCl}_2\)) and covalent (\(\text{HCl}\)) systems alongside giant vs simple molecular physical properties.
Reactivity Series, Redox & Industrial Chemistry: Displacement reactions, half-equations at electrodes during aluminium extraction, and reactivity trends.
Extended Practical & QWC Tasks: High-tariff 6-mark questions demand thorough step-by-step descriptions for ion identification (\(\text{Mg}^{2+}\), \(\text{Cl}^-\)), continuous mass-loss rate determination, and gas preparation apparatus setup.

Key Pitfalls & Examiner Warnings

Common areas where candidates lose marks include omitting charge balancing on ionic half-equations (e.g., \(2\text{O}^{2-} \rightarrow \text{O}_2 + 4\text{e}^-\)), confusing gas syringe/conical flask experimental setups, failing to state full observation pairs (such as 'fades from blue to colourless'), and missing state symbols where explicitly requested.

Preparation & Exam Strategy

To maximize attainment, candidates must practise converting word equations into fully balanced ionic and symbol equations, master standard practical procedures (titrations, gas collection, and rates of reaction), and write precise bullet-pointed responses for 6-mark Quality of Written Communication (QWC) questions.

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Charts

Marks by chapter

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Question type mix

Compare the mark share of each paper section and question type.

Short Answer / Identification44 marks · 28 questions
Structured Calculations58 marks · 18 questions
Equations & Half-Equations42 marks · 14 questions
Diagrams & Graph Plotting/Reading38 marks · 12 questions
Extended Response (QWC 6-markers)24 marks · 4 questions
Explanation & Deductions44 marks · 22 questions
Practical Method & Data Recording (Booklet A)30 marks · 8 questions

Mark accessibility

Estimate which marks were basic, mid-level, or high-difficulty.

79%within easy or medium reach

126

easy: 96 marksmedium: 126 markshard: 58 marks

Difficulty trend

Compare difficulty across recent years.

Command word frequency

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Skill weighting

Shows the skill mix this paper tested most heavily.

Study ROI

Bigger bubbles recur more often; higher bubbles carry more marks, helping you rank revision priorities.

Mole Calculations (Titration, Purity, Yield, Empirical Formula)

49 marks · Difficulty 3.6 · recurrence 5%

Reactivity Series, Extraction of Metals & Redox

42 marks · Difficulty 2.8 · recurrence 5%

Chemical Bonding, Dot-and-Cross & Structure

27 marks · Difficulty 2.5 · recurrence 5%

Organic Functional Groups, Reactions & Polymers

22 marks · Difficulty 2.9 · recurrence 5%

Acids, Salts Preparation & Qualitative Analysis

26 marks · Difficulty 2.7 · recurrence 4%

Rates of Reaction & Equilibrium (Le Chatelier)

26 marks · Difficulty 3.2 · recurrence 4%

Time vs marks

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marksmins

Next-year prediction

Topics worth watching next year, with the reason shown directly below each bar.

Nanoparticles and Fullerenes82%

Nanoparticles and carbon allotropes (graphene, nanotubes) received negligible weighting in this 2024 cycle and are frequently assessed in Unit 1.

Gas tests and quantitative gas volume calculations at RTP78%

Consistently featured across Unit 2 and Unit 3; expected to remain a core calculation pillar.

Hard water, testing and softening methods75%

Hard water and water treatment practicals were absent in this cycle and are prime candidates for upcoming Unit 2/3 papers.

Electrochemical cells and half-cell potentials70%

Electrolysis of aluminium was heavily examined; simple chemical cells and fuel cells are likely to cycle into the next series.

Cumulative marks ladder

The line is your running mark total question by question; dashed lines are the estimated grade cut-offs. See which question the line crosses your target grade at, so you know how far you must answer cleanly and which questions decide a band.

Topic-year heatmap

Compare topic weight by year to spot recurring and returning areas.

Jun 2023

Jun 2024

Bonding

Structures

Atomic structure

Chemical analysis

Acids, bases and salts

Quantitative chemistry (Unit 1)

Nanoparticles

The Periodic Table

Solubility

Metals and reactivity series

Examiner insights

Official report

Common pitfalls

Forgetting to write electron transfers on the correct side in redox half-equations (e.g. subtracting electrons from the wrong side or placing them erroneously).
Incomplete observational descriptions, such as writing just 'colourless' rather than identifying both initial and final colours (e.g., 'orange to green' with acidified potassium dichromate or 'blue to colourless' with copper sulfate displacement).
Omitting units or rounding prematurely during multi-step titration stoichiometry and empirical formula conversions.
Failure to state that the protective aluminium oxide layer accounts for aluminium's apparent slow initial rate of reaction.

Misconceptions

Believing that an increase in pressure shifts equilibrium toward the side with more moles of gas rather than the side with fewer gas moles.
Confusing a weak acid with a dilute acid; failing to define weak acids specifically as 'partially ionised in aqueous solution'.
Thinking the crust of aluminium oxide in industrial Hall-Héroult cells is merely waste, rather than acting as thermal insulation to retain heat.

Where marks are lost

Unit 1 Q4(c) & Unit 2 Q2(c) QWC Extended writing: losing marks in Band A criteria due to omission of key technical steps (e.g. tare/zero balance, excess NaOH check, full ionic precipitation equation).
Calculation steps in back titration where candidates forgot to scale from the 25.0 cm3 aliquot back to the total 250 cm3 volumetric flask volume (multiplying by 10).
Failing to include state symbols when specifically asked in balanced symbol and ionic equations.

Estimated grade boundary

Updated: 31 Aug 2026

Source: CCEA

Grade	Mark	Percentage
A*	—	90%
A	—	80%
B	—	70%
C*	—	65%
C	—	60%
D	—	50%
E	—	40%
F	—	30%
G	—	20%

Official grade boundaries published by CCEA.

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Grade	Mark	Percentage
A*	—	90%
A	—	80%
B	—	70%
C*	—	65%
C	—	60%
D	—	50%
E	—	40%
F	—	30%
G	—	20%

Grade	Mark	Percentage
A*	—	90%
A	—	80%
B	—	70%
C*	—	65%
C	—	60%
D	—	50%
E	—	40%
F	—	30%
G	—	20%

Grade	Mark	Percentage
A*	—	90%
A	—	80%
B	—	70%
C*	—	65%
C	—	60%
D	—	50%
E	—	40%
F	—	30%
G	—	20%