I’ve spent years on both sides of the exam: teaching students in the run‑up, then marking papers by the hundred once the exam is over. That combination gives you a particular kind of insight — you see exactly where marks are won and lost, again and again. Here’s what I genuinely wish every chemistry student understood before they sit down in that exam hall.
1. The mark scheme is a checklist, not a mystery
Students imagine examiners reading their answer holistically, judging its overall quality. We don’t. We work through a mark scheme — a specific list of creditworthy points — and award a mark each time your answer contains one. Once you understand this, your job becomes clear: give the examiner the specific points on the list. Answer in distinct, identifiable points rather than a flowing essay, and you make it easy for us to award every mark you’ve earned.
2. We can only credit what’s on the page
I can’t award marks for what you meant or what you clearly know but didn’t write. If a point isn’t on the paper, it doesn’t exist as far as marking goes. This is why showing your working and writing the actual conclusion matter so much. Don’t leave the best part of your thinking in your head.
3. Precise words beat lots of words
A short, precise answer using the correct terminology will out‑score a long, vague one every time. “Strong electrostatic forces of attraction between oppositely charged ions” earns the mark; a paragraph of “the bits are really stuck together” earns nothing. Learn the exact vocabulary each topic requires — it’s the difference between the middle and top bands.
4. The command word is an instruction, not decoration
Describe wants what happens. Explain wants why. Compare wants similarities and differences. Evaluate wants a judgement. When students ignore the command word and write the wrong type of answer, they cap their marks no matter how much they know. Underline it. Obey it.
5. Method marks are your safety net
In calculations, we award marks for the method, not just the final number. A student who shows every step but makes one arithmetic slip usually keeps most of the marks. A student who writes only a wrong final answer gets nothing. Always show your working — it’s the most reliable insurance on the paper.
6. Blank answers are the real tragedy
The saddest thing to mark is a blank space on a question the student could have attempted. A structured attempt almost always scores something; a blank scores zero, guaranteed. Even if a 6‑mark question intimidates you, write a planned attempt. Never leave marks on the table by leaving the box empty.
7. The exam rewards preparation for its format, not just knowledge
Two students can know the same chemistry and get very different grades, because one has practised the exam itself — the wording, the timing, the mark‑scheme style — and the other has only revised content. Past‑paper practice, marked honestly against the scheme, is the highest‑value revision there is. It’s the closest thing to sitting on the examiner’s side of the desk.
8. Neatness and clarity genuinely help you
We mark a great many papers, and a clear, well‑organised answer is easier to award marks to than a cramped, disorganised one. Label your diagrams. Set out calculations line by line. Write legibly. You’re not being judged on presentation — but you are making sure every mark you’ve earned is easy to find and impossible to miss.
The theme behind all of it
Every point above comes back to one idea: the exam is a game with knowable rules, and technique is how you play it well. Knowing the chemistry gets you into the game. Knowing how the marking works is how you claim every mark that knowledge deserves.
That’s exactly why I teach the way I do — weaving mark‑scheme insight and exam technique into every lesson, not just content. When you understand how the exam thinks, your grade reflects what you truly know.
If you’d like an examiner in your corner — someone who can show you precisely how the marks are awarded and coach you to claim them — I’d love to help. You can read more about me and my method.
👉 Book a free intro call and let’s get you exam‑ready, the examiner’s way.