Chemistry isn’t for everyone – and that’s okay. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t still do well in it or improve your current grades.
When it comes to O Level Chemistry, it’s study smart over study hard. There’s simply too much information to remember and master – and you also need to know how to use this knowledge to solve the given problems.
If you think chemistry is just too overwhelming to study and you don’t know where to start, don’t worry. Let us share some study tips and tricks to kickstart your revision (if you haven’t started properly)!
Ways to study content
Most people think of ‘studying’ as studying the content of the subject. Content refers to the facts and concepts you need to know in order to answer the questions in the exam. Mastering the content often means memorising heaps of information, and being able to recall them very quickly.
Not good at memorising? Here are some methods for helping you study content for Chemistry.
-
Make your own notes
Writing your own notes is a common way to study, and rightly so, because it is undeniably effective. The biggest reason why it works is because writing notes forces you to slow down and read what you are writing. Better still if you are summarising, rephrasing, and consolidating information as you go along. This ensures that you go through everything you need to know, and digest the information.
For those who enjoy getting a little creative, making colourful and well-decorated notes can also add joy and satisfaction to the study process! The downside? It can get rather tedious and time-consuming to make notes for every single chapter.
-
Test your friends/yourself
Once you understand the content, it’s time to commit them to memory. The best way to help you remember and shorten recall times is to revise the concepts frequently.
Make it more interactive when you study with friends and test each other on key definitions and simple recall questions. If you prefer studying alone, you can also test yourself by making flashcards (write the question on one side, and the answer on the flip side).
-
Don’t memorise everything
Yes, you read it right. Don’t try to memorise everything, especially if you are already overwhelmed, and if you know you are not good at memorising a lot of information.
What we mean is, you need to be smart about what you choose to memorise. Some things don’t have to be memorised because you can infer or derive it from the periodic table (which is always provided). You don’t have to remember the properties of every single element, but just the trends. You don’t have to remember concepts word for word, but know the keywords (you can even make acronyms or other mnemonics to help you). Work smart!
-
Practice topical questions first
If you are studying chapter by chapter, don’t dive straight into doing entire practice papers. Do topical questions that focus on just one or two topics. This allows you to test your knowledge, get used to common question types for the topic, and identify conceptual errors or lapses that you still need to work on.
From there, you can go back to your notes to brush up on your weak areas. The goal is to gradually reduce your reliance on your notes, until you can do most of the questions without help.
-
Draw links between topics
Nowadays, it’s not enough to understand every topic well. You also need to know how different topics can link to each other, and apply multiple concepts to one question.
So, don’t just study chapters in isolation, but make a note of where topics can overlap and possible question angles that can involve more than one topic.
Some of the most common topic combinations are:
Elements, Compounds and Mixtures + Separation Techniques
Periodic Table + Metals/Salts
Acids, Bases and Salts + Metals + Qualitative Analysis
Metals + Redox
Electrolysis + Redox
Atomic Structure + Chemical Bonding
Chemical Bonding + Periodic Table
Ways to hone answering skills
You may think you have a pretty good understanding of Chemistry. But are you losing marks because of the way you answer the questions? Then the issue may be more of a lack of answering skills. The truth is, you need both content mastery and skills mastery to excel in Chemistry!
Improving your answering technique takes a little more self-reflection and analysis. Here’s what you can look out for:
-
Look for keywords
Question keywords tell you the type of answer the question is looking for. For example, if the question asks you to ‘state’ or ‘define’, often the answer is very straightforward and factual.
But if the question is asking you to ‘explain’, you need to provide more elaboration. You may also look at how many marks the question part is worth to decide how much to write.
-
Use the right phrases
You know it, but somehow your answer is marked wrong. Usually, that’s a case of missing keywords in your answer. You have to understand that the O Level Chemistry paper is marked based on keywords and phrases. So if your answer does not contain the correct key phrases, points will not be awarded even if the ‘idea’ is correct.
That’s why when you are doing Ten Year Series papers, it’s crucial to check your answers against a reliable answer key which highlights the necessary keywords for every answer. If you are unsure, you can always approach your teacher or Chemistry tutor to go through your answers.
-
Identify your mistakes
There’s no use doing and doing more past year papers if you keep making the same mistakes. Make it a point to review your papers – don’t just find the correct answer and move on. Instead, ask ‘Why did I get this wrong?’ Look at the paper as a whole – do you keep making similar mistakes in terms of answering technique?
Some common errors may include poor phrasing, lack of keywords, not elaborating enough (or elaborating too much!), misreading the question, and so on. At Future Academy, our tutors will also help students review their work, identify their weak spots, and advise them on how to improve in those areas.
-
Identify common question types
Some types of questions come up in almost every Chemistry O Level paper – you can’t avoid them. It helps to get familiar with the most common question types, so that you know exactly how to start tackling the question.
You may look out for common experiments associated with each topic, data analysis questions, and types of questions asked for each topic. Want some practice questions to start with? Download our free Chemistry sample questions pack by filling in the form below!
Discover a better way to study Chemistry
Now that we’ve shared some methods and things to note when studying O Level Chemistry, you should have a better idea of how to structure your study sessions leading up to the big exam! These tips will also work for IP students, say, if you are in need of IP Chemistry tuition.
Our Future Academy O Level Chemistry tutors can also assist you in your journey to getting better Chemistry grades, by providing you with expert guidance and feedback on how you can improve. Many students have already benefitted and grown more comfortable with tackling Chemistry questions.
Take a look at some of their impressive achievements after tuition with us!
