AQA GCSE 9-1 Chemistry Exam Skills and Practice: Ideal for the 2026 and 2027 exams (Collins GCSE Grade 9-1 Revision)

I think that these books are invaluable for anybody taking GCSE chemistry, though the skills covered will be common to any subject, as they cover the key words that throw a lot of pupils. These books are more about skills than content, and will help on HOW to answer questions as opposed to WHAT to write. Sometimes pupils lose marks because they miss vital parts of the question in their haste to answer, and when they look back at why they lose marks, they kick themselves. A lot of teachers seem to concentrate on the content rather than looking at what examiners are looking for, so you need to be able to pick up cues from the questions. Pupils need to know what is meant by comparing, contrasting, explaining and describing. They also need to know how to approach unstructured long answer questions without waffling or leaving key information out. This book will help with all of this , and more.
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My daughter is doing her mock exams this year, and then real GCSE exams next year, so, there is never too early to acquire these type of books. I've been told that she's been using CGP books in school, but has been told that AQA is just as good. After acquiring this book, she found the CGP books more interesting with more information that isn't in the AQA books, however, it was harder to pick out the main points. My daughter thinks that the AQA books have enough info in them and that they are indeed cheaper than the CGP version. She has been using both, and the good thing has been different calculation examples as everything else is explained in pretty much same way. There are QR codes to scan and other bits & bobs inside the book to make it more interesting for any student to learn.
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This is a good and comprehensive exam skills and practice book for GSCE chemistry. My son is in year 10 and found the book easy to understand, with very useful practice questions, examples and clear answers. Every section has worked examples and more challenging questions online via the QR codes which brings you an extra support lesson of about 4 minutes for each chapter and explains how to answer the question and the reason behind it. This is very handy and straightforward because it links you straight to the flashcard example questions of the context and makes you revise easily by command words, which are fully explained.
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NOTE – I have recently reviewed a similar Biology revision book by the same publishers so some of my background observations will be very similar It is some 60 years since I did what were then GCE O and A levels proceeding to University to study Chemistry and onto research. Much will have changed in the syllabus and exam style - conversion to GCSE’s and independent exam boards for a start (My GCE O, A an S level exams were created / marked by London). There were past papers available but no structured tests or answers that I can recollect. I cannot comment on syllabus accuracy (see specific Teacher reviews). Before this review I will have carried out my own trial of answering questions. One point I note is the use of QR codes to access additional information, which requires the student to have a smart phone of a size that the encoded website is then readable Having trialled the questions / answers now for a couple of weeks I think that this type of revision booklet , particularly if the exercises are run against the clock , should certainly help students get used to the style of questions and possible marking regimes to obtain the best results
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A compilation of questions (with full answers) in style categories to help students recognise what examiners will be looking for in the Chemistry GCSE. Each section has a QR code linking to videos with examples of how to answer questions based on the key word used (e.g. compare, justify, suggest, explain etc). Grade values are listed to show difficulty levels of each example. Recommended towards the end of GCSE revision as its more about exam technique than course content.
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With kids in school, we do need extra preparation. This book is going to accompany him for a period of time in order to help him revise the material and be good at his assignments. He likes science so hopefully, fingers crossed, everything will be fine. Good quality book!
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I'm so glad I ordered this book for my son. I thought it would be a general GCSE revision book but instead, it completely focuses on exam technique and how to read and answer each question. Each chapter goes into the question word that is being asked, some of which seem very similar eg Show, Suggest, Determine. Definitely recommended.
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Clear and full explanations of the curriculum have helped understanding difficult topics. The book is set out logically, with excellent examples and with focus areas within topics. The way exam technique is covered is great.
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