CCEA GCSE Chemistry periodic table: the Data Leaflet in the exam paper
GCSE Chemistry Foundation
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Formula sheet
Press the card to try today's Chemistry paper with a table beside you. The drawing is our own, and the numbers come from the leaflet in the Summer 2025 Unit C1 paper. The specification (Appendix 3) says the same information is provided with live papers and may be updated.
GCSE Chemistry Foundation
Relative atomic masses as CCEA prints them
The first 20 elements. CCEA prints whole numbers, with chlorine at 35.5.
| Atomic number | Symbol | Relative atomic mass |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | H | 1 |
| 2 | He | 4 |
| 3 | Li | 7 |
| 4 | Be | 9 |
| 5 | B | 11 |
| 6 | C | 12 |
| 7 | N | 14 |
| 8 | O | 16 |
| 9 | F | 19 |
| 10 | Ne | 20 |
| 11 | Na | 23 |
| 12 | Mg | 24 |
| 13 | Al | 27 |
| 14 | Si | 28 |
| 15 | P | 31 |
| 16 | S | 32 |
| 17 | Cl | 35.5 |
| 18 | Ar | 40 |
| 19 | K | 39 |
| 20 | Ca | 40 |
Positive ions on the leaflet
The leaflet is headed "Symbols of selected ions" and lists these eight positive ions.
| Name | Symbol |
|---|---|
| ammonium | NH₄⁺ |
| chromium(III) | Cr³⁺ |
| copper(II) | Cu²⁺ |
| iron(II) | Fe²⁺ |
| iron(III) | Fe³⁺ |
| lead(II) | Pb²⁺ |
| silver | Ag⁺ |
| zinc | Zn²⁺ |
Negative ions on the leaflet
The leaflet lists these eleven negative ions.
| Name | Symbol |
|---|---|
| butanoate | C₃H₇COO⁻ |
| carbonate | CO₃²⁻ |
| dichromate | Cr₂O₇²⁻ |
| ethanoate | CH₃COO⁻ |
| hydrogencarbonate | HCO₃⁻ |
| hydroxide | OH⁻ |
| methanoate | HCOO⁻ |
| nitrate | NO₃⁻ |
| propanoate | C₂H₅COO⁻ |
| sulfate | SO₄²⁻ |
| sulfite | SO₃²⁻ |
Two pages, two jobs
The first page of CCEA's leaflet is a chemistry reference: a list headed "Symbols of selected ions" and a rule table headed "Solubility in cold water of common salts, hydroxides and oxides". The second is the periodic table. A student who only memorises the table misses half the leaflet, so look at the ion and solubility page too.
The solubility rules, in our words
- All sodium, potassium and ammonium salts, and all nitrates, are soluble.
- Most chlorides, bromides and iodides are soluble, except those of silver and lead.
- Most sulfates are soluble, except lead and barium. Calcium sulfate is slightly soluble.
- Most carbonates and hydroxides are insoluble, except those of sodium, potassium and ammonium.
- Most oxides are insoluble, except those of sodium, potassium and calcium, which react with water.
How the periodic table is set out
- Each box gives a relative atomic mass, an atomic symbol and an atomic number, as a key explains.
- Groups are numbered 1 to 7 and 0.
- The lanthanum series (58 to 71) and the actinium series (90 to 103) are shown as one note each.
- The last element named is copernicium, 112, with its mass marked approximate.
- The masses are whole numbers except chlorine (35.5), and copper is 64.
Not on the leaflet
- Trends and reactivity series reasons.
- Equations and formulae of every compound.
- Electron configurations.
Worked example: using a whole-number table
Find the relative formula mass of copper(II) hydroxide, Cu(OH)₂, with the leaflet's copper at 64.
Then 4.9 g is 4.9 ÷ 98 = 0.050 mol. Notice that copper is 64 on this leaflet, so the answer differs from a table that uses 63.5.
Worked example: reading solubility
Will silver nitrate and sodium chloride solutions form a precipitate? Nitrates are all soluble, but most chlorides are soluble except silver chloride. So silver chloride forms as a solid, and sodium nitrate stays dissolved.
Check yourself with our Atomic Structure course, then press Mark to see it marked there:
Work out the relative atomic mass of an element from its isotopes and their abundances.
Press Mark to have your answer marked in the Atomic Structure course.
Other boards
AQA and OCR print a periodic table only. AQA's copper is 63.5, where CCEA's is 64: read our AQA and OCR guides for those. For papers, dates and boundaries see the GCSE Chemistry guide. The Molar Mass Calculator uses fuller values than any exam table.
Practising
Try the daily Foundation or Higher paper, 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, not a CCEA paper.
Exam answers
Today's paper comes with worked answers and a mark scheme from us after marking. CCEA's own answers are not published here.
Common questions
Is there a periodic table in CCEA GCSE Chemistry?
What else is in the CCEA Data Leaflet?
Can I bring my own copy?
What is copper's relative atomic mass on the leaflet?
Does Double Award use the same leaflet?
Revision cards
Say the answer first, then flip the card to check it.
Where to go next
- Solve it
Molar Mass Calculator
Find the relative formula mass of any compound
Open the tool - Learn it
Atomic Structure
Electron shells, orbitals and the periodic table: the foundation of all chemistry
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GCSE Chemistry Foundation
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