CCEA A-level Chemistry: units, practical assessment and 2027 dates

CCEA A-level Chemistry: the specification

CCEA first taught GCE Chemistry in September 2016, with AS awards from 2017 and A level awards from 2018. The AS is 40% of the A level. Each practical unit has two booklets, one done in the laboratory and one sat in an exam hall, and the practical units are early in the exam calendar.

CCEA A-level Chemistry units

The early start matters: both laboratory papers fall before the first theory paper, on 30 April and 6 May, so practical skills need to be secure by the end of April. CCEA morning papers normally start at 9.15am. Dates are from CCEA's final GCE timetable; see the CCEA A-level timetable 2027. A data sheet is provided; see our CCEA A-level Chemistry data sheet guide.

Worked example in CCEA Chemistry style

Enthalpy from calorimetry. A reaction warms 50 g of water by 6.5 K, and 0.025 mol of reactant was used. Use 4.18 J g⁻¹ K⁻¹ for the specific heat capacity of the water:

The temperature rose, so the reaction is exothermic and ΔH is negative. Give the answer to 3 significant figures, −54.3 kJ mol⁻¹.

CCEA A-level Chemistry grades

CCEA adds uniform marks from all six chemistry units. At A level the grades are A* to E and the A* demands an A overall plus at least 90% of the A2 maximum. Do not confuse this with the CCEA GCSE scale, which includes C*; there is no C* at A level. A-level grades explained gives the context.

Use the daily papers as short timed mocks for CCEA A-level Chemistry

Practise on A-level Chemistry Year 1 and Year 2. A daily paper is 8 questions and 25 to 35 marks, not a CCEA paper, and has no multiple-choice section.

• What it covers well: amount of substance, enthalpy and Hess's law, equilibria, redox, kinetics, organic chemistry, buffers, electrode potentials, transition metals and spectroscopy.
• What it does not cover: the practical units AS 3 and A2 3, which are 20% of the A level between them, and the 10-mark multiple-choice sections.

Time one daily paper, then add the 10-mark multiple-choice section from a CCEA past paper so you get used to answering it quickly.

Exam answers

Uni-Sine does not publish official answers, past paper answers or board mark schemes. Answers and a worked mark scheme come with today's paper once you have marked it, line by line.

Common mistakes in CCEA A-level Chemistry

• Neglecting the practical units. They are 20% of the A level.
• Getting the sign of ΔH wrong. Temperature rising means exothermic and a negative ΔH.
• Forgetting the multiple-choice section. It is 10 marks of every theory paper.
• Not reading the data sheet. Look up constants before you start.

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