Practical questions
You will complete eight required practical activities if you are studying GCSE Chemistry and 21 if you are studying GCSE combined science: Trilogy.
There is one required practical activity in the Energy changes section:
- investigate the variable that affect temperature changes in reacting solutions such as acid plus metals, acid plus carbonates, neutralisations, displacement of metals
There will be a number of different types of practical based questions. Some will be on the set required practicals, some will cover the working scientifically terms and some will be on other science practicals which you might have done in class. Use all the information given in the question particularly any diagrams to help you understand what the question is about.
Learn about practicals with Dr Alex Lathbridge
Listen to the full series on BBC Sounds.
Dr Alex Lathbridge answers questions about practicals.
Sample question 1 - Foundation
Question
Complete the diagram to show how you can distil salt solution to produce and collect pure water.
Label the following:
- pure water
- salt solution
[3 marks]
This question is AQA material which is reproduced by permission of AQA.
- Salt solution in conical flask or round bottomed flask connected to bung on diagram [1]
- Pure water in test tube or beaker at the end of the glass tube on the right (must not be sealed to the glass tube) [1]
- Heat source below conical or round bottomed flask [1]
Sample question 2 - Foundation
Question
A student set up six test tubes to investigate the rusting of iron. This is the method used for each test tube.
- Measure the mass of the nail using a balance.
- Leave the nail in the test tube for 6 days.
- Measure the mass of the nail after six days.
The nail in test tube 1 had a mass of 8.45 g at the beginning of the experiment and 8.91 g at the end of the experiment. What is the resolution of the balance used by the student?
[1 mark]
This question has been written by a Bitesize consultant as a suggestion to the type of question that may appear in an exam paper.
1 x 10-2 g [1]
Sample question 3 - Higher
Question
Some students are purifying water in the school laboratory. They follow this procedure.
- Fold a circular piece of filter paper in half and then in half again. Open up the curved edge to form a cone of paper.
- Poke a small hole into the corner of the filter paper cone and then place into a plastic filter funnel.
- Place the filter funnel into a conical flask, then pour the water to be purified into the filter paper.
Identify the error in the students’ method and explain the consequence of their mistake.
[2 marks]
This question has been written by a Bitesize consultant as a suggestion to the type of question that may appear in an exam paper.
The following are vaild points that could be included in your answer. It is important that you do not bullet point your answer but write your sentences in full.
- Poking a hole through the filter paper [1]
- This will allow insoluble particles to pass into the filtrate [1]
Sample question 4 - Higher
Question
A group of students is investigating sacrificial protection of steel. They take four steel nails, rub them with fine sandpaper and then wash them in detergent. Each of the nails is then treated differently in the test, as shown in the table below, before being placed in a test tube containing tap water for seven days.
| Nail | Treatment of nail |
| 1 | No additional treatment |
| 2 | Wrapped in copper wire |
| 3 | Wrapped in zinc wire |
| 4 | Wrapped in magnesium wire |
| Nail | 1 |
|---|---|
| Treatment of nail | No additional treatment |
| Nail | 2 |
|---|---|
| Treatment of nail | Wrapped in copper wire |
| Nail | 3 |
|---|---|
| Treatment of nail | Wrapped in zinc wire |
| Nail | 4 |
|---|---|
| Treatment of nail | Wrapped in magnesium wire |
Two of the nails in this experiment had no rust on them after seven days. Identify which nails had not rusted and explain your answer.
[2 marks]
This question has been written by a Bitesize consultant as a suggestion to the type of question that may appear in an exam paper.
The following are vaild points that could be included in your answer. It is important that you do not bullet point your answer but write your sentences in full.
- Nails 3 and 4 had not rusted [1]
- Because zinc and magnesium are more reactive than iron [1]
