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AQA A-Level Chemistry (7405): complete guide to the three areas and the exams

A complete guide to AQA A-Level Chemistry (specification 7405). Covers the three content areas (physical, inorganic and organic chemistry), how the three written papers are structured and marked, the 12 required practicals, the maths skills, and how to study each area for top grades.

Browse guides →Syllabus dot points (34)

AQA A-Level Chemistry (specification 7405) is a two-year linear course assessed by three written papers at the end of Year 13. There is no coursework grade; practical work is reported separately as the Practical Endorsement. This page is the index: below is a map of the three content areas, the exam structure, and how to study each one.

The three AQA Chemistry areas (3.1-3.3)

The specification splits the subject content into three areas. Physical chemistry runs through and underpins the other two, so it is examined on both Paper 1 and Paper 2.

3.1 Physical chemistry
The quantitative and theoretical core: atomic structure, amount of substance (moles), bonding, energetics, kinetics, equilibria and KcK_c, and redox. The second-year content adds thermodynamics, rate equations, KpK_p, electrode potentials and electrochemical cells, and acids and bases. This is the most mathematical area.
3.2 Inorganic chemistry
Trends and reactions across the periodic table: periodicity, Group 2 (the alkaline earth metals), Group 7 (the halogens). The second-year content adds the Period 3 elements and their oxides, the transition metals (complexes, colour, catalysis), and the reactions of metal ions in aqueous solution.
3.3 Organic chemistry
Carbon chemistry built up by functional group: nomenclature and isomerism, alkanes, halogenoalkanes, alkenes, alcohols, and organic analysis. The second-year content adds optical isomerism, aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids and derivatives, aromatic chemistry, amines, polymers, amino acids and DNA, organic synthesis, NMR spectroscopy, and chromatography.

Exam structure

AQA A-Level Chemistry is assessed by three written papers, all sat at the end of the course. A calculator is allowed in every paper.

  • Paper 1 - physical chemistry (most of 3.1) plus inorganic chemistry (3.2) and relevant practical skills. 2 hours, 105 marks, 35% of the A-Level. Short and long structured questions.
  • Paper 2 - physical chemistry (most of 3.1) plus organic chemistry (3.3) and relevant practical skills. 2 hours, 105 marks, 35%. Same style as Paper 1.
  • Paper 3 - any content from the whole specification. 2 hours, 90 marks, 30%. Heavily focused on practical techniques and data analysis (about 40 marks), questions across the specification (about 20 marks), and 30 marks of multiple-choice questions.

At least 20% of marks assess maths skills, and around 15% assess practical skills drawn from the 12 required practicals.

How to study AQA Chemistry

Chemistry rewards quantitative fluency, precise recall of reactions and trends, and confident mechanism drawing.

  1. Work from the specification statements. Each numbered point (e.g. 3.1.3 bonding) is a checklist; questions are written from them. Turn each statement into a flashcard.
  2. Drill the maths. With 20% of marks mathematical, moles, titrations, equilibria, rates, pH and thermodynamics calculations must be automatic.
  3. Master mechanisms and pathways. Organic marks reward correct curly arrows, conditions and reagents; build a reaction map linking functional groups.
  4. Learn the required practicals. The 12 practicals and their techniques recur across all three papers, especially the practical-heavy Paper 3.
  5. Practise multiple choice and unfamiliar contexts. Paper 3's multiple-choice and application questions reward exposure, so drill past papers from the start of Year 13.

The three areas, dot point by dot point

Each area has specification-statement-level answer pages with worked exam questions and cross-links:

  • 3.1 Physical chemistry - atomic structure, moles, bonding, energetics, kinetics, equilibria, redox, thermodynamics, rate equations, KpK_p, electrode potentials and acids and bases.
  • 3.2 Inorganic chemistry - periodicity, Group 2, Group 7, Period 3, transition metals and reactions of ions in solution.
  • 3.3 Organic chemistry - from alkanes and alcohols through to aromatic chemistry, polymers, NMR and synthesis.

Browse the full set at /a-level-aqa/chemistry/syllabus.

For the official specification

AQA publishes the full specification (7405), past papers, mark schemes and the required-practical handbook at aqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and AQA's own past papers, because question style and the Paper 3 format are board-specific.

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Common questions about Chemistry

How is AQA A-Level Chemistry (7405) structured?
AQA A-Level Chemistry is a two-year linear course assessed entirely by three written exams at the end of Year 13. The subject content is organised into three areas (3.1 Physical chemistry, 3.2 Inorganic chemistry and 3.3 Organic chemistry), plus 12 required practicals and a set of mathematical skills. Roughly the first half of each area is also the AS content, so AS and A-Level can be taught together. There is no coursework grade, but practical competence is reported separately as the Practical Endorsement (pass or not classified).
What are the three AQA A-Level Chemistry exam papers?
Paper 1 covers physical chemistry (most of 3.1) and all of inorganic chemistry (3.2) plus relevant practical skills (2 hours, 105 marks, 35% of the A-Level). Paper 2 covers physical chemistry (most of 3.1) and all of organic chemistry (3.3) plus practical skills (2 hours, 105 marks, 35%). Paper 3 can test any content across the whole specification and is heavily focused on practical techniques and data analysis, plus 30 marks of multiple-choice questions (2 hours, 90 marks, 30%).
What maths skills does AQA A-Level Chemistry require?
At least 20% of the marks across the papers assess mathematical skills at Level 2 (roughly GCSE higher tier and above), which is double the Biology requirement. Expect moles and titration calculations, the ideal gas equation, percentage yield and atom economy, rate equations and orders, equilibrium constants ($K_c$ and $K_p$), pH and acid-base calculations, Gibbs free energy and entropy, and reading and plotting graphs. A calculator is allowed in every paper.
What are the required practicals and the Practical Endorsement?
There are 12 required practicals (for example making a standard solution and titration, measuring an enthalpy change, investigating rates by an initial-rate and a continuous method, electrochemical cells, tests for organic functional groups, and preparing an organic solid by recrystallisation). They are not assessed in a lab exam, but about 15% of written-exam marks test practical skills and these specific methods. Separately, your teacher assesses hands-on competence against the Common Practical Assessment Criteria; passing earns the Practical Endorsement reported alongside your grade.
How should I structure my AQA A-Level Chemistry revision?
Work area by area against the numbered specification statements (3.1.1, 3.1.2, and so on), because questions are written directly from them. Physical chemistry is the most mathematical, so drill calculations until they are automatic; inorganic chemistry rewards learning trends and reactions precisely; organic chemistry rewards mastering mechanisms and reaction pathways. Practise unfamiliar-context application and past-paper multiple choice from the start of Year 13.
How does AQA A-Level Chemistry compare to other exam boards?
All A-Level Chemistry specifications (AQA, OCR, Edexcel, Eduqas) cover the same core regulated content, so topics such as bonding or organic mechanisms are broadly the same everywhere. AQA's distinctive features are the three-area structure (physical, inorganic, organic), the numbering (3.1-3.3), its specific list of 12 required practicals, and the practical-heavy Paper 3 with multiple-choice questions. Always revise from the current AQA specification and AQA past papers, because question style is board-specific.
What's the difference between ionic and covalent bonding?
Ionic: electrons are transferred between atoms (typically metal + non-metal); forms a lattice. Covalent: electrons are shared (non-metal + non-metal); forms discrete molecules or networks.
How do I calculate pH?
pH = -log₁₀[H⁺]. For strong acids/bases, [H⁺] equals the concentration. For weak acids, use Ka. For buffers, use Henderson-Hasselbalch.
What's Le Chatelier's principle?
When a system at equilibrium is disturbed (concentration, temperature, pressure change), the equilibrium shifts to partially counteract the disturbance.
How do I balance a redox equation?
Identify the half-reactions (oxidation and reduction), balance atoms (excluding O and H), balance O with H₂O and H with H⁺, balance charge with electrons, then combine so electrons cancel.
What's the difference between enthalpy and entropy?
Enthalpy (ΔH) is the heat change of a reaction. Entropy (ΔS) is the change in disorder. Gibbs free energy (ΔG = ΔH - TΔS) tells you if the reaction is spontaneous.