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Complete course for students (1st exam May 25)

  • Complete course for students (1st exam May 25)

Welcome!

How this site will help you

This section  of the site is written specifically for you, the student. It provides complete syllabus coverage for all IB Diploma students who have been signed up (at no extra cost to you or the school) to Student access by their teacher(s) in a subscribing school. It is designed to be used both as you learn throughout your Standard Level or Higher Level course and as a review (revision) aid before you take your final examinations from May 2025 onwards. In addition to all the subject specific chemistry required for each topic and sub-topic it also contains all the other information and advice that all IB Diploma chemistry students need. This includes coverage of Approaches to learning, the Nature of Science, Theory of Knowledge, Final assessment including areas of difficulty and Internal Assessment etc. etc. It contains well over 1000 IB style questions (both multiple choice and short-answer) all with worked answers to every question so you can learn from any mistakes you make.

Using this site will not only help you achieve a high grade in IB chemistry but also increase your enjoyment  and understanding of chemistry and provide you with all the tools and training to think critically and put chemistry into a global context.

Please note that all the pages in this section are immediately available to you except the links to most of the quizzes and short-answer type questions and all the main multiple choice tests . This is because your teacher(s) may decide to retain these to set as a test or homework so would not want you to see them beforehand. If you want access to any to these (all of which come with model worked answers) then simply ask your teacher(s) to unblock the page by marking it as "Direct student access".

Brief summary of the contents of 'Complete course for students'

1. Start here

  • Using student access
  • How to navigate the site

2. Approaches to learning

Information, advice and discussion on:

  • Thinking skills
  • Communication skills
  • Social skills
  • Self-management skills
  • Research skills
  • Reflection skills

3. Full coverage of each topic and sub-topic

  • The learning outcomes (i.e. understanding and skills required)
  • Key vocabulary
  • Links to other areas of the chemistry syllabus
  • Gallery of slides covering all the key concepts with worked examples
  • A challenge for you to think more deeply about the sub-topic
  • Quizzes and short-answer questions (with worked model answers) to test your understanding
  • Further resources, e.g. videos.

4. Making links between topics 

  • Specific examples of making connections between different topics 

5. Covering the skills

  • Error & uncertainty
  • Graphing techniques
  • Managing variables 
  • Use of SI units & prefixes 
  • Significant figures & scientific notation
  • Understanding & using logarithms
  • Using sensors & data logging
  • Using spreadsheets
  • Check list for all the skills

    6. Practical work

    • Why do practical work?
    • Information & worksheets on more than 35 different experiments
    • Information and advice on the collaborative sciences project

    7. Internal Assessment (IA)

    • Essential information and requirements
    • How to prepare beforehand
    • Choosing the research question
    • Details and advice on the four examined criteria when writing the report
    • Genuine examples of marked IA reports
    • Advice on gaining high marks including a check list

    8. The Nature of Science

    • What is the nature of science?
    • Key terms and concepts
    • Nature of science and critical thinking
    • The culture of chemistry
    • Practice questions

    9. Incorporating IB chemistry into context 

    • Examples of linking each topic to NOS, TOK, international-mindedness and placing chemistry in a real World context

    10. Final External Assessment

    • Essential facts (e.g. command terms, grade descriptors and grade boundaries, remarks and retaking)
    • Tips for students for both examination papers
    • Practice multiple choice exams for Section A Paper 1
    • Practice data response and experimental work questions for Section B Paper 1
    • In depth coverage of particular areas that students find difficult in Paper 2

    11. Multiple choice tests on all the topics

    • 20 question multiple choice tests on all the main topics and Tools
    • Answers and explanations as to why A, B , C or D is the best answer for every question.

    12. Learner profile

    13. Extended essays in chemistry

    • How to choose the subject and the area for your research
    • Formulating a precisely worded and sharply focused research question
    • How to research your essay including how to reference correctly and compile your bibliography
    • Writing your essay to address the criteria fully in order to maximise your marks
    • The assessment criteria with examples of common errors made by students

    14. Theory of Knowledge (TOK) & chemistry 

    • Why bring TOK into chemistry
    • The twelve TOK concepts
    • The language of chemistry
    • Unnecessary concepts in chemistry

    Selected pages

    Learning to think critically

    A few years ago, Tesco’s, a large UK supermarket chain, put out a statement about its Christmas trading called ‘Tesco’s Christmas in numbers’.Part of the statement said:“Tesco will also sell...

    Ammonium nitrate & IB chemistry

    Ammonium nitrate was been very much in the news at the beginning of this decade after 2750 tonnes of the salt which were being stored in the port area of Beirut caused a massive explosion on 4 August...

    Why bring TOK into chemistry?

    It is worth bearing in mind a quote from Georg C Lichtenberg (1742-1799) who was a professor in Germany in the eighteenth century.“Wer nichts als Chemie versteht, versteht auch die nicht recht”

    Eleven tips for Paper 2

    1. Revision. As for Paper 1 go through the syllabus thoroughly checking that you know and understand the chemistry given in the syllabus for each sub-topic under the separate headings of 'Content statement',.

    S1.3 Electron configuration

    Electron configuration. Written specifically for students to provide help and support for the IB Diploma chemistry programme this page provides full coverage of the syllabus content of Topic S1.3 Electron...

    Selected Pages

    All materials on this website are for the exclusive use of teachers and students at subscribing schools for the period of their subscription. Any unauthorised copying or posting of materials on other websites is an infringement of our copyright and could result in your account being blocked and legal action being taken against you.