What the board asks
We went through the ISC board papers, question by question, and matched each question to a topic. Here is what was asked, how often, and what was never asked.
Chemistry: 384 topics in the 2027 syllabus, across 10 units. The board has asked 252 of them at least once. 132 were never asked in the papers we checked.
Pick a unit
C2 Electrochemistry
This unit carries about 9 marks in the paper. We split it into 40 topics: each is one thing an examiner can ask, and you can practise it on paper in 5 to 25 minutes. The board has asked 29 of them. 11 were never asked. The top 5 topics make 36% of all the times this unit was asked. Last asked: Specimen 2027.
The syllabus says: No details of Millikan's experiment are required.
29asked by the board at least once
11in the syllabus, never asked
77times a topic of this unit was asked
5.6hours for one attempt at every topic
What the papers ask most
- Faraday's first law: mass, charge, current or time7 times, last Specimen 2027
- Gibbs energy and maximum work from cell emf6 times, last 2026
- Nernst equation: emf of a cell at given concentrations5 times, last Specimen 2027
- Degree of dissociation (and Ka) of a weak electrolyte5 times, last 2026
- Molar and equivalent conductivity from conductivity and concentration5 times, last 2025 improvement
- Give reasons: conductivity and molar conductivity on dilution4 times, last 2026
- Spontaneity from signs of Ecell and delta G4 times, last 2025 improvement
- Feasibility from E0: displacement, storage, H2 from acid3 times, last Specimen 2027
- Standard cell emf from two standard electrode potentials3 times, last Specimen 2027
- State Kohlrausch's law and its applications3 times, last 2026
In the syllabus, never asked (11)
They can still come, because they are in the syllabus. Give each one clean attempt. Your plan has two practice questions for each.
- Standard hydrogen electrode: construction, use and limitationsDiagram
- Measuring E0 of Zn2+/Zn and Cu2+/Cu against SHEDiagram
- Factors affecting electrode potential: temperature, concentration, natureGive reason
- Nernst equation: potential of a single electrodeNumericals
- Equilibrium constant from E0cell or delta G0Numericals
- Metallic vs electrolytic conductanceComparison
- Graph: molar conductivity vs square root of concentrationGraph
- Faraday constant, Avogadro number and electron chargeNumericals
- Mercury cell: structure, reactions, usesReaction
- Lead storage battery: discharge and recharge reactionsReaction
- Corrosion: factors and methods of preventionGive reason
The 10 topics Chemistry papers ask most
Counted on the board papers from 2018 to the 2027 specimen paper, which every unit has been checked against.
- 1.IUPAC names of coordination compounds from formulaC5 Coordination Compounds · asked 8 times since 2018
- 2.Faraday's first law: mass, charge, current or timeC2 Electrochemistry · asked 7 times since 2018
- 3.Give reasons: transition metal ions are coloured, some colourlessC4 d- and f-Block Elements · asked 7 times since 2018
- 4.Alcohols from Grignard reagent: 1, 2, 3 degreeC7 Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers · asked 7 times since 2018
- 5.Williamson's synthesis of ethersC7 Alcohols, Phenols and Ethers · asked 7 times since 2018
- 6.Identify A, B, C, D in a given reagent chainC8 Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids · asked 7 times since 2018
- 7.Identify compounds from formula and test results (case problem)C8 Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids · asked 7 times since 2018
- 8.Identify A, B, C: amide, Hoffmann and amine-test chainsC9 Organic Compounds containing Nitrogen · asked 7 times since 2018
- 9.Gibbs energy and maximum work from cell emfC2 Electrochemistry · asked 6 times since 2018
- 10.Coordination number and oxidation state of the central metalC5 Coordination Compounds · asked 6 times since 2018