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Paper 6 styleExtended

Paper 6 style: alternative to practical

Seven original practical-style questions — reading tables, observations and experiment planning — in the style of the alternative-to-practical paper, with a full mark scheme.

Modelled on Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry Paper 6 (Alternative to Practical). These are original QuizQuip questions written against the 0620 syllabus — not Cambridge past-paper questions.

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Total marks
30
Time
40 min
Format
4 MCQ + 3 structured
Covers
Topic 12: experimental techniques and chemical analysis

Set

The paper and mark scheme

Question paper

Paper 6 style practice paper

30 marks · 40 min · 6 pages

4 multiple-choice questions and structured questions with answer lines. Topic 12: experimental techniques and chemical analysis.

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Mark scheme

PRO

Paper 6 style practice paper — mark scheme

Answers · Marking points · 3 pages

Model answers with a mark for each creditworthy point — for marking at home or in class.

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Coverage

Topics in this paper

How to use

Work through it like the real exam

  1. 1Print the paper, or open the PDF and write your answers on paper.
  2. 2Set a timer and work without notes — the real thing is timed and closed-book.
  3. 3Mark your work with the mark scheme, one point at a time.
  4. 4Redo every question you lost marks on, then revise that topic.

Preview

The opening questions

Section A: Experimental techniques[15 marks]

Answer all questions in the spaces provided. The marks for each part are shown in brackets.

  1. 1

    A student carries out a titration to find the volume of aqueous sodium hydroxide needed to neutralise 25.0 cm³ of dilute hydrochloric acid. The burette readings are shown in the table.

    Burette readings

    TitrationFinal reading / cm³Initial reading / cm³
    124.602.10
    225.152.65
    346.1021.55
    1. (a)

      State the colour change seen at the end-point when methyl orange is used and alkali is added to the acid.

      [1]
    2. (b)

      Explain why each reading must be taken with the eye level with the bottom of the meniscus.

      [1]
    3. (c)

      Use the table to calculate the average volume of alkali used. Choose the concordant results.

      [2]
  2. 2

    Dilute hydrochloric acid is added to an unknown white solid. A gas is produced that turns limewater milky.

    1. (a)

      Name the gas produced.

      [1]
    2. (b)

      Name the ion in the solid that produced this gas.

      [1]
    3. (c)

      Describe the test and the result used to show that a gas is hydrogen.

      [1]
    4. (d)

      State the test used to show that a solution contains sulfate ions.

      [1]
  3. 3

    A student separates the dyes in a food colouring by paper chromatography, using water as the solvent. The solvent front travels 8.0 cm from the start line and one dye travels 6.0 cm.

    1. (a)

      Calculate the Rf value of this dye.

      [2]
    2. (b)

      State what the student can conclude if the colouring produces two separate spots.

      [1]
    3. (c)

      State why the start line is drawn in pencil rather than in ink.

      [1]
  4. 4

    A mixture contains sand, salt and water.

    1. (a)

      Name the technique used to separate the sand from the salt solution.

      [1]
    2. (b)

      Name the technique used to obtain solid salt from the solution.

      [1]
    3. (c)

      State how the student could show that the salt obtained is pure.

      [1]
Open the full paper

Revision

Before you sit the paper

  • Revise every topic this paper covers, using the free notes pages.
  • Do the quick quiz on each topic and note where you lose marks.
  • Practise the topical questions with the mark schemes.
  • Read the command words: state, describe, explain, calculate.

Tips

Exam tips

Marks come from key words

  • Give the number of marks’ worth of points the question asks for.
  • Name the substance, then explain — do not explain without naming.
  • In calculations, show the equation, substitute, then give the unit.
  • In Paper 6-style questions, write the observation, not the conclusion.

Questions

About the Paper 6 style

Is this the real Paper 6?

No. It is an original QuizQuip practice set written in the style of the alternative-to-practical paper. It is not a Cambridge past paper, and QuizQuip writes all of its own questions.

Do I need to do any experiments?

No. Paper 6 is a written paper: every question describes the experiment and the readings, and you answer from that information. The practical skills tested are the same ones you would use in a laboratory.

Which topics does this set test?

All of the practical skills in topic 12: choosing apparatus, reading burettes and measuring cylinders, recording observations, identifying ions and gases, chromatography, separation and purification, and planning a fair test.

How should I use the mark scheme?

Mark one credit at a time against the lines given. Observations must name the substance and the change you see, and planning answers must state the variable you change, the variables you keep constant and the measurement you take.