AQA GCSE Chemistry Paper 2 Predictions 2026

Hello to all our amazing GCSE Chemistry students! 👋 The 2026 exams are fast approaching, and we know it can feel like a massive mountain to climb. But remember, you have got this! 💪

It is so important during this busy revision period to look after yourselves. Your mental health comes first. Make sure you are taking regular breaks, getting enough sleep, and balancing your study time with things that make you happy. A calm, rested brain works much better than a stressed-out one! 🧠💖

We’ve put together our predictions for the AQA GCSE Chemistry Higher Tier Paper 2.

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Managing Expectations 🤔

A common question is, "Are these predictions 100% accurate?" We believe in transparency. To understand how we make these predictions and why you should use them as part of a broader revision plan, check out our blog post ‘How Accurate Are Predicted Papers?’.

⚠️ A Very Important Reminder Before We Start

Before we dive into the predicted topics, we need to make one thing super clear: Nobody knows exactly what will be on the final exam paper except the examiners.

These predictions are based on our analysis of past papers and topic cycles, but they are just guides. You must ensure you have reviewed the entire specification. Please do not rely solely on these predictions!

If you want to know more about how we come up with these lists, check out our blog post on ‘How do we write our Predicted Papers’.

Supercharge Your Revision with Predicted Papers 🚀

While you need to cover everything, predicted papers are fantastic for focusing your final revision sessions and identifying weak spots.

We highly recommend you download our full 2026 Predicted Papers. They are designed to mirror the real exam experience.

But it’s not just about doing the paper! We also include free video walkthroughs 🎞️. These are crucial because they don't just give you the answer; they show you how to interpret the question, how to structure your answer, and exactly what the examiners are looking for to award those precious marks. 📝✅

👉 Action Plan:

1. Download the Predicted Papers.

2. Revise using our unlimited free notes and take our quick-fire retrieval quizzes to test your knowledge.

3. Complete the paper under exam conditions.

4. Watch the video walkthrough to mark it and learn exam technique.

Don't just take our word for it; our revision resources have over 1,000 5-star reviews from happy students! You can read what they have to say right here.

Curious about our process? You can read all about it in our blog post: How do we write our Predicted Papers.

Separate Science AQA GCSE Chemistry Paper 2 (Higher Tier)The 2026 Revision Guide: Key Topics to Master 📘

1. Rates of Reaction ⏱️🌡️

This is a huge topic that often holds lots of marks. You need to be confident in explaining how different factors affect the rate of reaction using collision theory.

• Key factors: Temperature, concentration, pressure (in gases), surface area, and catalysts. Explain why these change the frequency of successful collisions.

• Activation Energy: Understand what it is and how catalysts lower it by providing an alternative reaction pathway.

• Graphs: Be prepared to draw tangents to a curve to calculate the gradient (rate of reaction) at a specific time.

2. Equilibrium ⚖️↔️

As this is the Higher Tier paper, expect some tricky questions on reversible reactions.

• Le Chatelier’s Principle: If a system at equilibrium is subjected to a change in conditions, the position of equilibrium shifts to counteract that change.

• Applying changes: Know how changing temperature, pressure (for gases with different numbers of moles on each side), and concentration affects the position of equilibrium and the yield of products.

3. Hydrocarbons (Alkanes & Crude Oil) 🛢️⛽

This is the foundation of organic chemistry in Paper 2.

• Crude Oil: Know that it is a finite resource and a mixture consisting mainly of alkanes.

• Fractional Distillation: Explain how crude oil is separated into fractions based on boiling points and molecular size.

• Properties: How do boiling point, viscosity, and flammability change as the chain length increases?

• Cracking: The process of breaking down long-chain hydrocarbons into smaller, more useful molecules (alkanes and alkenes) using steam or catalysts.

4. Alkenes 🧪🍊

Alkenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons, meaning they have a C=C double bond.

• The Test: How to distinguish alkanes from alkenes using bromine water (it turns from orange to colourless with alkenes).

• Reactions of Alkenes: Be familiar with addition reactions involving hydrogen (hydrogenation), steam (hydration to make alcohols), and halogens.

• Addition Polymerisation: How many alkene monomers join together to form long-chain polymers (like poly(ethene)).

5. Carboxylic Acids 🍋🐜

You need to know the basics of this functional group (-COOH).

• Weak Acids: Understand that they only partially ionise in water compared to strong acids like HCl.

• Reactions: How they react with metal carbonates (producing salt, water, and carbon dioxide) and with alcohols to produce esters (and water).

6. Materials 🧱👓

A smaller topic, but one that often requires specific knowledge.

• Types of Materials: Know the general properties and uses of ceramics, glass (soda-lime vs. borosilicate), composites, and polymers (thermosoftening vs. thermosetting).

7. Water 💧🚰

Essential for life and essential for the exam!

• Potable Water: Understand that this is water safe to drink, but it is not pure water (it contains dissolved substances).

• Treatment: Know the steps to treat fresh water (filtration and sterilisation using chlorine, ozone, or UV).

• Desalination: Removing salt from seawater via distillation or reverse osmosis (remember, this is energy-intensive!).

• Waste Water: The general process of treating sewage and agricultural waste water (screening, sedimentation, aerobic and anaerobic digestion).

8. Climate Change 🌍🥵

This is often linked to the 'Chemistry of the Atmosphere' topic.

• Greenhouse Gases: Carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapour. Explain the greenhouse effect (short wavelength radiation in, long wavelength radiation trapped).

• Human Impact: How activities like burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and cattle farming contribute to climate change.

• Effects: Consequences such as rising sea levels, extreme weather patterns, and changes to ecosystems.

9. Fertilisers 🍅🥦🚜

Connects industrial chemistry with agriculture.

• NPK: Fertilisers contain formulations of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium salts to promote plant growth.

• The Haber Process: The industrial production of ammonia (N₂ + 3H₂ ⇌ 2NH₃). You must know the conditions used (temp, pressure, iron catalyst) and the compromises made between rate of reaction and yield.

• Production: Comparing the laboratory preparation of ammonium sulphate with its industrial production.

📄 AQA GCSE Chemistry Paper 2: Exam Structure Breakdown

Just to remind you what you are walking into on exam day:

• Time allowed: 1 hour 45 minutes.

• Total marks: 100 marks.

• Weighting: This paper is worth 50% of your GCSE Chemistry grade.

• Topics Covered: Topics C6–C10:

  • The rate and extent of chemical change

  • Organic chemistry

  • Chemical analysis

  • Chemistry of the atmosphere

  • Using resources

• Question Types: A mixture of multiple choice, structured, closed short answer, and open response questions.

Keep up the hard work, believe in yourself, and remember to balance that revision with plenty of self-care! Good luck! ✨ You can do this!

Combined Science AQA GCSE Chemistry Paper 2 (Higher Tier)The 2026 Revision Guide: Key Topics to Master 📘

1. Rates of Reaction ⏱️💥

This is a core topic that links to practical skills.

• Collision Theory: Remember that for a reaction to happen, particles must collide with sufficient energy (activation energy).

• Factors affecting rate: Be able to explain how temperature, concentration, surface area, and catalysts affect the rate. (e.g., Higher temperature = particles move faster + collide more frequently + collide with more energy).

• Measuring Rate: Know how to calculate the mean rate of reaction from a graph or data (Amount of product formed / time).

2. Climate Change & The Atmosphere 🌍🌡️

A very topical subject that frequently appears.

• Greenhouse Gases: Know the main three (Carbon dioxide, Methane, Water vapour) and describe the greenhouse effect (short wavelength radiation passes through, long wavelength radiation is trapped).

• Human Activities: How farming (methane), burning fossil fuels (CO2), and deforestation contribute to global warming.

• Effects: Be able to list effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels, extreme weather, and changes to wildlife distribution.

3. Water (Potable & Waste) 🚰💧

Don't get caught out by the definitions here!

• Potable Water: This is water that is safe to drink. It is not pure water (pure water has nothing else in it), as potable water contains dissolved solids.

• Treatment: Know the steps to produce potable water from fresh water: Filtration (removes solids) and Sterilisation (kills microbes using chlorine or UV).

• Waste Water: Understand the basics of sewage treatment: Screening, Sedimentation (producing sludge and effluent), and digesting the sludge anaerobically vs. treating effluent aerobically.

4. Chromatography 🎨🔍

This is often linked to the "Pure substances and Mixtures" topic.

• The Method: Be familiar with the practical setup (start line in pencil, solvent below the line).

• Rf Values: You must be able to calculate this:

  $$R_f = \frac{\text{distance moved by substance}}{\text{distance moved by solvent}}$$

  .

• Interpretation: Pure substances produce one spot; mixtures produce multiple spots. If a spot stays on the line, it is insoluble in that solvent.

5. Hydrocarbons (Crude Oil & Fuels) 🛢️⛽

For Combined Science, focus on the fuels aspect rather than complex organic reactions.

• Crude Oil: It is a finite resource (plankton buried for millions of years) and a mixture of hydrocarbons.

• Alkanes: The simplest hydrocarbons with the general formula $C_n H_{2n+2}$. They are saturated (single bonds only).

• Fractional Distillation: How crude oil is separated into fractions based on boiling points (larger molecules condense at the bottom where it is hotter; smaller molecules condense at the top).

• Cracking: Breaking down long, less useful alkanes into shorter alkanes and alkenes. Know the test for alkenes: Bromine water turns from orange to colourless.

6. Equilibrium ⚖️↔️

• Reversible Reactions: Reactions that can go forwards and backwards ($A + B \rightleftharpoons C + D$).

• Energy: If the forward reaction is exothermic, the backward reaction is endothermic (and involves the same amount of energy).

• Le Chatelier's Principle (HT Only): If you change the conditions (concentration, temperature, pressure) of a reversible reaction at equilibrium, the system will counteract the change.

📝 Exam Structure: AQA Combined Science Chemistry Paper 2

Make sure you know the format so there are no surprises on the day!

• Time allowed: 1 hour 15 minutes.

• Total marks: 70 marks.

• Weighting: This paper makes up 16.7% of your total Combined Science GCSE.

• Content: Topics C6–C10:

  • The rate and extent of chemical change

  • Organic chemistry

  • Chemical analysis

  • Chemistry of the atmosphere

  • Using resources

• Question Style: A mix of multiple choice, structured, closed short answer, and open response questions.

You have put in the work, now trust your revision. Take a deep breath, look after your wellbeing, and go smash it! 🌟 You've got this!