ChemBridge Academy by Dishna Karunasekara

Here are 5 genuinely useful tips to study effectively.
Less “study harder,” more “study smarter”:

1. Use active recall, not just rereading

Rereading notes feels productive, but your brain can get tricked into familiarity.

Instead:

Close the book and ask yourself questions
Write what you remember from memory
Use flashcards or quiz yourself

Example: After studying a chemistry chapter, ask: “What are the differences between exothermic and endothermic reactions?” before checking notes.

2. Study in focused time blocks

Long, unfocused sessions usually become decorative suffering.

Try:

25 min study + 5 min break (Pomodoro)
or
50 min study + 10 min break if you can focus longer

During study blocks:

Phone away
Tabs closed
One task only

3. Spaced repetition beats cramming

Your brain remembers better with repeated exposure over time.

Instead of:

5 hours in one day

Do:

1 hour across 5 days

Review schedule idea:

Day 1: Learn
Day 2: Review
Day 4: Review
Day 7: Review again

4. Practice like the exam

Studying passively is different from performing under pressure.

Do:

Past papers
Timed questions
Writing answers without notes

If your exam is problem-solving, don’t spend all your time just reading theory.

5. Teach what you learned

If you can explain it simply, you probably understand it.

Try:

Explain to a friend
Pretend to teach a class
Record yourself explaining a topic
Turn what you studied to a mind map or a short -note

A useful test:

“Can I explain this to a 12-year-old?”

If not, revisit the concept.

Bonus: Sleep is not optional 😄

Studying while sleep-deprived is like saving files to a corrupted USB.

Memory consolidation happens during sleep.

A simple formula:

Learn → Recall → Practice → Review → Sleep

“Don’t just spend more time studying. Make your brain do more work.”🧠👍

What on earth is matter?🤔

Simply Chemistry - Shorts 6 likes, 2 comments. "“Matter, Does It Really Matter? | Simply Chemistry – Shorts” "

In case anyone wondered???😊
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/favyhB94dJk

“What on Earth is Chemistry? | Simply Chemistry – Shorts” #chemistry #igcse #aslevel #alevel Chemistry is all around us , from the air we breathe to the food we eat. In this Short, explore what chemistry really is and why it’s so important to underst...

Why do some compounds melt or boil at super high temperatures while others don’t? 🤔

It all comes down to bonding and inter molecular forces!

🔬 Silicon dioxide (SiO₂) has a giant covalent structure, a strong 3D network where many covalent bonds must be broken. That’s why it has extremely high melting and boiling points.

💨 Sulfur dioxide (SO₂), on the other hand, is a simple molecule. Only weak intermolecular forces (like van der Waals and dipole-dipole) need to be overcome, so it melts and boils at much lower temperatures.

💧 Ammonia (NH₃) forms strong hydrogen bonds because nitrogen is highly electronegative, giving it higher boiling points than expected.

🌫️ Phosphine (PH₃) is much less polar, so it only has weak dipole forces between molecules, meaning lower boiling points.

👉 Strong bonds = more energy needed
👉 Weak forces = less energy needed

Chemistry is all about how atoms stick together! 🧪✨

Now, here’s how to turn it into a powerful revision tool 👇

🧠 Step 1: Start with the central idea

Put in the middle of your mind map:

👉 Intermolecular Forces & Structure

🔗 Step 2: First branches (big categories)

Split into two main paths:

Giant Covalent Structures
Simple Molecular Substances

🧱 Step 3: Add your examples
1️⃣ Giant Covalent

Example: SiO₂
Strong covalent bonds throughout lattice
No intermolecular forces (it’s one big structure)
✅ Very high melting/boiling point
👉 Key idea: You break bonds, not forces

2️⃣ Simple Molecular

Split this further 👇

💨 Weak intermolecular forces
Example: SO₂
Has dipole-dipole + van der Waals
❗ Still much weaker than covalent bonds
✅ Low melting/boiling point

💧 Hydrogen bonding

Example: NH₃ (ammonia)
Nitrogen is highly electronegative
Forms hydrogen bonds
✅ Higher boiling point than expected
🌫️ Very weak forces

Example: PH₃ (phosphine)
Low polarity
Only van der Waals forces and dipole attractins
✅ Very low boiling point

⚡ Step 4: Add a comparison rule (this is the exam gold)

Make a small box in your mind map:

👉 Strength order:
Covalent bonds >> Hydrogen bonds > Dipole-dipole > van der Waals

🎯 Step 5: Turn it into a quick recall trick

From this one question, you train your brain to automatically think:

What is the structure?
What forces/bonds are present?
How strong are they?
→ Predict melting/boiling point

🔥 Why this works so well

Instead of memorizing facts like:

“NH₃ has higher boiling point”
“SiO₂ is high melting”

You understand the reason behind everything!!

🏆Quick Chemistry Challenge 🧪 for AS/AL students!!!
Which is the correct answer?
👇 Comment your answer with an explanation.

I’ll explain the correct answer in the next post plus how you can use this question to mindmap an entire section of the syllabus.📖📖

Most students don’t fail Chemistry because it’s “hard”… 🧪

They lose marks because:
❌ Weak answering technique
❌ Poor time management
❌ Not understanding what examiners want

This is exactly what I fix.

At ChemBridge Academy, students learn:
✔ How to structure answers properly
✔ How to avoid common examiner traps
✔ How to turn average answers into A* responses

📘 Cambridge & Edexcel | IGCSE • AS • A2
👩‍🏫 Individual/Small group classes (online & in-person)

🚨 Limited seats per batch

📩 Message now to join the next intake.

Struggling with International Chemistry? 🧪

Whether it’s Cambridge or Edexcel, many students lose marks not because they don’t understand…
…but because they don’t know how to answer the way examiners expect.

At ChemBridge Academy, I help students:
✔ Master difficult concepts with clarity
✔ Break down past paper questions
✔ Learn exact exam techniques to score A*

📘 IGCSE | AS | A2
🌍 Cambridge & Edexcel
👩‍🏫 Individual/Small group classes (online & in-person)

🚨 Limited seats per batch