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Positive Chemistry Helping students gain high grades in A Level Chemistry to aid university applications

14/09/2026

If A Level Chemistry feels manageable so far, that’s brilliant.
But this is the moment to establish good habits—not wait until the first disappointing test.
After nearly 20 years of teaching Chemistry, my advice is simple:
→ Review the lesson briefly → Close your notes → Attempt one question → Check what you could actually recall and apply
You don’t need hours of revision. You need regular evidence that the knowledge is available when your notes disappear.
New Year 12 students: what topic have you started with?
StudyTips

14/09/2026

If A Level Chemistry feels manageable so far, that’s brilliant.
But this is the moment to establish good habits—not wait until the first disappointing test.
After nearly 20 years of teaching Chemistry, my advice is simple:
→ Review the lesson briefly
→ Close your notes
→ Attempt one question
→ Check what you could actually recall and apply
You don’t need hours of revision. You need regular evidence that the knowledge is available when your notes disappear.
New Year 12 students: what topic have you started with?
StudyTips

13/09/2026

“I revised for hours. Why am I still getting a C?”
This is a conversation I’ve had with many hardworking Chemistry students.
Before deciding they need to work even longer, I want to know what they were doing during those hours.
Were they:
→ Reading their notes? → Highlighting the textbook? → Watching videos? → Making flashcards? → Answering questions without their notes? → Marking their work and investigating mistakes?
The first four can help you learn. But A Level Chemistry also requires you to retrieve, apply and communicate that knowledge independently.
More time is not always the answer.
Sometimes the revision method needs to change.
Be honest: what does Chemistry revision usually look like for you?
ChemistryTeacher

13/09/2026

“I revised for hours. Why am I still getting a C?”
This is a conversation I’ve had with many hardworking Chemistry students.
Before deciding they need to work even longer, I want to know what they were doing during those hours.
Were they:
→ Reading their notes?
→ Highlighting the textbook?
→ Watching videos?
→ Making flashcards?
→ Answering questions without their notes?
→ Marking their work and investigating mistakes?
The first four can help you learn. But A Level Chemistry also requires you to retrieve, apply and communicate that knowledge independently.
More time is not always the answer.
Sometimes the revision method needs to change.
Be honest: what does Chemistry revision usually look like for you?
ChemistryTeacher

12/09/2026

Students often arrive at the conclusion “I’m bad at Chemistry” much too quickly.
After nearly 20 years of teaching the subject, I rarely find that label useful.
I want to know:
→ What can you already do? → At which exact point do you become uncertain? → Is this a knowledge problem, a calculation problem or an exam-language problem? → What happens when the idea is explained differently? → Can you apply it with some guided practice?
Those questions give us somewhere to begin.
“I’m bad at Chemistry” doesn’t.
Which of these slides describes you most accurately?
StudySupport

12/09/2026

Students often arrive at the conclusion “I’m bad at Chemistry” much too quickly.
After nearly 20 years of teaching the subject, I rarely find that label useful.
I want to know:
→ What can you already do?
→ At which exact point do you become uncertain?
→ Is this a knowledge problem, a calculation problem or an exam-language problem?
→ What happens when the idea is explained differently?
→ Can you apply it with some guided practice?
Those questions give us somewhere to begin.
“I’m bad at Chemistry” doesn’t.
Which of these slides describes you most accurately?
StudySupport

09/09/2026

The most useful question a Chemistry student can ask isn’t:
“How do I get the answer?”
It is:
“Where did my thinking first go wrong?”
Those are very different questions.
A wrong answer can show us:
→ The knowledge you were missing → The instruction you misunderstood → The assumption you made → The step you omitted → The wording the examiner needed
Please don’t hide your messiest attempt because you think it makes you look incapable.
That page often tells me far more than a correct answer ever could.
What is your usual reaction when you get a question wrong?
A: Avoid it B: Read the mark scheme C: Try to find the exact mistake D: Ask someone for help
PositiveChemistry

09/09/2026

The most useful question a Chemistry student can ask isn’t:
“How do I get the answer?”
It is:
“Where did my thinking first go wrong?”
Those are very different questions.
A wrong answer can show us:
→ The knowledge you were missing
→ The instruction you misunderstood
→ The assumption you made
→ The step you omitted
→ The wording the examiner needed
Please don’t hide your messiest attempt because you think it makes you look incapable.
That page often tells me far more than a correct answer ever could.
What is your usual reaction when you get a question wrong?
A: Avoid it
B: Read the mark scheme
C: Try to find the exact mistake
D: Ask someone for help
PositiveChemistry

08/09/2026

When students struggle with A Level Chemistry, they often assume they need to revise the entire topic again.
Usually, they don’t.
After nearly 20 years of teaching Chemistry, I’ve learned that the real problem is often one missing connection:
→ A mole calculation that was memorised but never understood → A curly arrow drawn by pattern rather than by following electrons → A definition learned without understanding what it describes → A calculation method used without knowing why it works
Find that gap and the rest often begins to make sense.
Which Chemistry topic has never properly clicked for you?
Tell me below. I’ll use some of your answers in this week’s posts.
ChemistryRevision

08/09/2026

When students struggle with A Level Chemistry, they often assume they need to revise the entire topic again.
Usually, they don’t.
After nearly 20 years of teaching Chemistry, I’ve learned that the real problem is often one missing connection:
→ A mole calculation that was memorised but never understood
→ A curly arrow drawn by pattern rather than by following electrons
→ A definition learned without understanding what it describes
→ A calculation method used without knowing why it works
Find that gap and the rest often begins to make sense.
Which Chemistry topic has never properly clicked for you?
Tell me below. I’ll use some of your answers in this week’s posts.
ChemistryRevision

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