How to get an A* in A-level Chemistry
7 min read Β· updated 2026-10-13
In June 2026 the AQA A-level Chemistry A* boundary was 255 out of 300, 85% of the marks. Reaching it means securing the calculations, knowing organic mechanisms perfectly and treating practical skills as exam content, because Paper 3 tests them directly.
How AQA A-level Chemistry is assessed
- β Paper 1 (2 hours, 105 marks, 35%): physical and inorganic chemistry
- β Paper 2 (2 hours, 105 marks, 35%): physical and organic chemistry
- β Paper 3 (2 hours, 90 marks, 30%): any content, with 40 marks on practical techniques and data analysis, 20 marks across the specification and 30 multiple-choice marks
- β The practical endorsement is reported separately (pass or not classified) and doesn't count towards the grade
Where marks are won and lost
- β Calculations: moles, Kc and Kp, pH and buffers, entropy and free energy, with units and significant figures
- β Organic mechanisms: curly arrows from bonds or lone pairs, partial charges and intermediates drawn correctly
- β Required practicals: method details, sources of error and how to improve them
- β Explanations: linking structure to properties in precise terms
- β Multiple choice in Paper 3: 30 quick marks that reward broad, secure knowledge
A plan from January
- β January-February: calculation types one a week; mechanisms drawn from memory daily
- β March: required practicals reviewed with past questions on each
- β April-May: full papers weekly, Paper 3 last because it draws on everything
- β Final weeks: recent papers under exam conditions and a mistakes list
Keep a mistakes log
After every past paper, write each lost mark in one of four columns. Patterns appear within three or four papers, and fixing the biggest column is the fastest route to the top grade.
- β Knowledge: didn't know the fact, definition or method
- β Method: knew it but set it out wrongly or skipped a step
- β Reading: misread the question or answered a different one
- β Slip: arithmetic, units, copying or rounding errors
Learning the definitions
A-level Chemistry has dozens of definitions that are marked word for word: enthalpy changes, electronegativity, first ionisation energy, a BrΓΈnsted-Lowry acid. Write them on cards, test yourself weekly and compare your wording with past mark schemes; precise definitions are quick, reliable marks.
FAQs
What was the A* boundary for AQA A-level Chemistry in 2026?οΌ
255 out of 300 (85%).
What's on AQA Chemistry Paper 3?οΌ
Any content: 40 marks of practical techniques and data analysis, 20 marks across the specification and 30 multiple-choice marks.
Does the practical endorsement affect the grade?οΌ
No. It is reported separately as pass or not classified, but practical skills are examined in the papers.
How do I get better at organic mechanisms?οΌ
Draw each mechanism from memory regularly, checking arrows start from a bond or lone pair, until they are automatic.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these official sources on 2026-10-13.
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