AQA GCSE Chemistry Paper 1 Exam
With Detailed Questions And Correct
Answers||Latest Exam
2026/2027||Already Graded A+
What is an atom? -ANSWER Smallest part of an element that can exist Independently
What is an element? -ANSWER A substance made up of one type of atom
How are elements represented? -ANSWER Using symbols, in the periodic table
Approximately how many elements are there? -ANSWER 100
What is a compound? -ANSWER A substance made up of two or more elements
chemically combined in fixed proportions
How are the elements in a compound separated? -ANSWER By chemical reaction
How are chemical reactions represented? -ANSWER By word or symbol equations
Which group of the periodic table includes sodium and potassium? -ANSWER Group 1,
alkali metals
Which group of the periodic table includes chlorine, bromine and iodine? -ANSWER
Group 7, halogens
Which group of the periodic table includes helium, neon and argon? -ANSWER Group 0,
noble gases
What information does a chemical formula provide? -ANSWER Which elements are
bonded together, and how many atoms of each are present
What is a mixture? -ANSWER Two or more elements or compounds not chemically
bonded together
Which separation technique is used to separate a mixture of two liquids? -ANSWER
Distillation
Which separation technique is used to separate a mixture of more than two liquids? -
ANSWER Fractional distillation
,Which separation technique is used to separate an insoluble solid and a liquid? -
ANSWER Filtration
Which separation technique is used to separate a mixture of coloured substances? -
ANSWER Chromatography
Which separation technique is used to separate a soluble solid from its solution? -
ANSWER Crystallisation
Before the discovery of the electron what were atoms thought to be? -ANSWER Tiny
spheres that could not be divided
What is the 'plum pudding' model of the atom? -ANSWER Ball of positive charge with
negative electrons embedded in it
What experiment led to the development of the nuclear model? -ANSWER Rutherford's
alpha particle scattering experiment
What happened to the alpha particles fired at thin gold foil in Rutherford's scattering
experiment? -ANSWER Most alpha particles went straight through, but a few were
scattered
What is the 'nuclear' model of the atom that Rutherford developed that replaced the
'plum pudding' model? -ANSWER Mass of the atom is in the centre (nucleus) and the
nucleus was positively charged
Who proposed that electrons orbit the nucleus at specific distances? -ANSWER Niels
Bohr
What name was given to the positive particles in the nucleus? -ANSWER Protons
What did James Chadwick discover? -ANSWER Neutrons
In what order were the subatomic particles discovered? -ANSWER Electron, proton,
neutron
What is the relative charge on a proton? -ANSWER +1 (positive 1)
What is the relative charge on a neutron? -ANSWER 0 (no charge)
What is the relative charge on an electron? -ANSWER -1 (negative 1)
Why are atoms electrically neutral? -ANSWER Number of protons = number of electrons
What name is given to the number of protons in an atom of an element? -ANSWER
Atomic number
, What does the atomic number (number of protons) determine? -ANSWER The element.
Atoms of a particular element have the same number of protons
What is the approximate size of an atom? -ANSWER 0.1 nm (1 x 10-10 m)
What is the approximate radius of a nucleus? -ANSWER 1 x 10-14 m
Where is almost all the mass of an atom? -ANSWER In the nucleus
What is the relative mass of a proton? -ANSWER 1
What is the relative mass of a neutron? -ANSWER 1
What is the relative mass of an electron? -ANSWER Very small / negligible
What name is given to the sum of the number of protons and neutrons? -ANSWER Mass
number
What are isotopes? -ANSWER Atoms of the same element with different numbers of
neutrons (same number of protons)
What is relative atomic mass, Mr, of an element? -ANSWER Average mass of an
element's atoms, compared to 1/12th the mass of a carbon-12 atom
How is Mr calculated? -ANSWER Mr = (Ar 1 x abundance 1)/100 + (Ar 2 x abundance
2)/100
What is the 'electronic structure' of an atom? -ANSWER Shows where in the atoms the
electrons are situated
How is the electronic structure of an atom represented? -ANSWER By numbers or a
diagram
Where is the lowest energy level in an atom? -ANSWER Nearest the nucleus
How many electrons are needed to fill the lowest energy level in an atom? -ANSWER 2
How many electrons are needed to fill the second lowest energy level in an atom? -
ANSWER 8
How many electrons are needed to fill the third lowest energy level in an atom? -
ANSWER 8
How are the elements arranged in the periodic table? -ANSWER In order of increasing
atomic number
With Detailed Questions And Correct
Answers||Latest Exam
2026/2027||Already Graded A+
What is an atom? -ANSWER Smallest part of an element that can exist Independently
What is an element? -ANSWER A substance made up of one type of atom
How are elements represented? -ANSWER Using symbols, in the periodic table
Approximately how many elements are there? -ANSWER 100
What is a compound? -ANSWER A substance made up of two or more elements
chemically combined in fixed proportions
How are the elements in a compound separated? -ANSWER By chemical reaction
How are chemical reactions represented? -ANSWER By word or symbol equations
Which group of the periodic table includes sodium and potassium? -ANSWER Group 1,
alkali metals
Which group of the periodic table includes chlorine, bromine and iodine? -ANSWER
Group 7, halogens
Which group of the periodic table includes helium, neon and argon? -ANSWER Group 0,
noble gases
What information does a chemical formula provide? -ANSWER Which elements are
bonded together, and how many atoms of each are present
What is a mixture? -ANSWER Two or more elements or compounds not chemically
bonded together
Which separation technique is used to separate a mixture of two liquids? -ANSWER
Distillation
Which separation technique is used to separate a mixture of more than two liquids? -
ANSWER Fractional distillation
,Which separation technique is used to separate an insoluble solid and a liquid? -
ANSWER Filtration
Which separation technique is used to separate a mixture of coloured substances? -
ANSWER Chromatography
Which separation technique is used to separate a soluble solid from its solution? -
ANSWER Crystallisation
Before the discovery of the electron what were atoms thought to be? -ANSWER Tiny
spheres that could not be divided
What is the 'plum pudding' model of the atom? -ANSWER Ball of positive charge with
negative electrons embedded in it
What experiment led to the development of the nuclear model? -ANSWER Rutherford's
alpha particle scattering experiment
What happened to the alpha particles fired at thin gold foil in Rutherford's scattering
experiment? -ANSWER Most alpha particles went straight through, but a few were
scattered
What is the 'nuclear' model of the atom that Rutherford developed that replaced the
'plum pudding' model? -ANSWER Mass of the atom is in the centre (nucleus) and the
nucleus was positively charged
Who proposed that electrons orbit the nucleus at specific distances? -ANSWER Niels
Bohr
What name was given to the positive particles in the nucleus? -ANSWER Protons
What did James Chadwick discover? -ANSWER Neutrons
In what order were the subatomic particles discovered? -ANSWER Electron, proton,
neutron
What is the relative charge on a proton? -ANSWER +1 (positive 1)
What is the relative charge on a neutron? -ANSWER 0 (no charge)
What is the relative charge on an electron? -ANSWER -1 (negative 1)
Why are atoms electrically neutral? -ANSWER Number of protons = number of electrons
What name is given to the number of protons in an atom of an element? -ANSWER
Atomic number
, What does the atomic number (number of protons) determine? -ANSWER The element.
Atoms of a particular element have the same number of protons
What is the approximate size of an atom? -ANSWER 0.1 nm (1 x 10-10 m)
What is the approximate radius of a nucleus? -ANSWER 1 x 10-14 m
Where is almost all the mass of an atom? -ANSWER In the nucleus
What is the relative mass of a proton? -ANSWER 1
What is the relative mass of a neutron? -ANSWER 1
What is the relative mass of an electron? -ANSWER Very small / negligible
What name is given to the sum of the number of protons and neutrons? -ANSWER Mass
number
What are isotopes? -ANSWER Atoms of the same element with different numbers of
neutrons (same number of protons)
What is relative atomic mass, Mr, of an element? -ANSWER Average mass of an
element's atoms, compared to 1/12th the mass of a carbon-12 atom
How is Mr calculated? -ANSWER Mr = (Ar 1 x abundance 1)/100 + (Ar 2 x abundance
2)/100
What is the 'electronic structure' of an atom? -ANSWER Shows where in the atoms the
electrons are situated
How is the electronic structure of an atom represented? -ANSWER By numbers or a
diagram
Where is the lowest energy level in an atom? -ANSWER Nearest the nucleus
How many electrons are needed to fill the lowest energy level in an atom? -ANSWER 2
How many electrons are needed to fill the second lowest energy level in an atom? -
ANSWER 8
How many electrons are needed to fill the third lowest energy level in an atom? -
ANSWER 8
How are the elements arranged in the periodic table? -ANSWER In order of increasing
atomic number
