IGCSE CHEMISTRY · REVISION PLAN
Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry: an 8-week revision plan
An eight-week, paper-based system with diagnosis, weekly focuses, an error log, mock examinations and a downloadable A4 planner.
Read in VietnameseBefore you begin: record your examination profile
Write at the top of one page:
- 0620 or 0971 syllabus code;
- examination year and series;
- Core or Extended;
- Paper 1 + 3 or Paper 2 + 4;
- Paper 5 or Paper 6;
- exact examination dates;
- realistically protected weekly study time;
- peak periods in two other subjects.
Then complete a 60–75-minute mixed diagnostic without help: 10 MCQs, two structured explanations, one multi-step stoichiometric calculation and one practical-data or planning task. Record more than the score: classify every error as knowledge, decision or communication.
Five principles of the 8-week plan
- Prepare for your own paper combination. Core: 1 + 3 + 5/6; Extended: 2 + 4 + 5/6.
- The 30–50–20% weighting guides time but does not erase personal weaknesses. The Theory paper receives the largest share while the others return every week.
- Repair the first wrong decision. Do not reread an entire chapter after every incorrect answer.
- Correction is followed by a delayed reattempt. A new question, without help, 48–72 hours later.
- A full paper is one part of the system. Processing lost marks after a simulation matters at least as much.
An eight-week revision rhythm
Diagnose the route, topics and first unstable skill.
Repair Core foundations and set up the error log.
Practise equations, quantities and ratio decisions.
Build command-word and explanation routines.
Rotate Paper 5/6 practical reasoning.
Mix topics in partially timed blocks.
Complete a realistic paper rhythm and correct it.
Narrow the remaining errors and stabilise timing.
Weeks 1–2: diagnosis and the highest-value foundations
Week 1 – a map, not a marathon
Create the examination profile and diagnostic block. Mark the three patterns that lose the most marks or time—for example equation ratios, causal links in explain answers or graph scales. Do not complete several full papers merely to obtain another percentage.
Suggested three sessions:
- A: diagnostic and first correction;
- B: targeted relearning of two important foundations;
- C: a short mixed Paper 1/2 + Paper 3/4 + Paper 5/6 block.
Week 2 – Core foundations for every route
Focus on the particle model, formulae and balanced equations, units, common reaction patterns and the observation–inference distinction. Extended candidates should not skip this week: Supplement content depends on the same foundation.
Weekly output: repair tasks for three error-log entries and at least two successful delayed reattempts.
Weeks 3–4: calculations and markable explanations
Week 3 – stoichiometric decisions
Use the five decisions from the moles and stoichiometry guide. Mix mass–mole, solution and equation-ratio questions with the Extended types belonging to the candidate’s route. End every calculation with unit, order-of-magnitude and ratio checks.
Minimum:
- two targeted 20-minute calculation blocks;
- one 10-question MCQ block containing calculation distractors;
- two Paper 3/4 calculations with complete working;
- one reattempt after 72 hours.
Week 4 – command words and explanation chains
Using the Paper 3/4 guide, rotate state, describe, explain, compare, calculate and suggest. Rewriting two weak sentences each day can be more valuable than another page of notes.
Weekly output: at least six rewritten answers for which the missing idea can be named, plus a 35–45-minute partially timed Theory block.
Weeks 5–6: AO3 and mixed paper rotation
Week 5 – Paper 5/6 practical reasoning
Practise apparatus choice, results tables, graphs, experimental planning and the error → effect → improvement chain. Paper 6 candidates should still connect written work to genuine, safely conducted school experiments; online study cannot replace apparatus use.
Use the Paper 5/6 practical-skills guide and a short qualitative-analysis block. Weekly output: one complete planning answer, one corrected graph and one unknown-sample evidence chain.
Week 6 – mixed, partially timed blocks
Now switch more quickly between knowledge areas and paper formats. One session might contain 20 minutes of Paper 1/2, 35 minutes of Paper 3/4 and 25 minutes of Paper 5/6 with short breaks. Another session may be one longer half-paper simulation.
Alongside percentage, measure: proportion completed in time, marks left blank, recurring error types and performance on post-correction reattempts.
Weeks 7–8: mocks, correction and refinement
Week 7 – complete examination rhythm
Complete at least one full paper matching the candidate’s route under the real time limit. If the actual papers fall on different days, do not necessarily complete all three on one day; the aim is an authentic paper experience. Use material matching the current syllabus because Cambridge warns that older questions may not reflect the present content.
Correction has three layers:
- mark and identify omitted items;
- locate the first wrong decision and error type;
- set a specific repair task, then a new question.
Week 8 – narrowing and reliability
Do not attempt to relearn the entire syllabus in the final days. Select no more than three recurring errors and two high-value content gaps. Shorten the blocks, retain paper switching, and protect sleep, meals, travel arrangements and required examination equipment.
In the final 48 hours, do not let one poor new mock determine confidence. Use short previously corrected examples, checklists and official examination information.
Paper rotation: three skill families every week
Three skill families every week
Short retrieval and decision blocks; correct every distractor.
Structured explanations and calculations with visible working.
Plan, interpret, graph, evaluate and handle practical evidence.
The times in the matrix are examples, not compulsory quotas. With three hours per week, three 50-minute blocks plus three 10-minute reattempts may work. With six hours, repetition and timed work can grow, but do not reduce the share devoted to correction.
If one paper is much weaker, give it more targeted blocks without abandoning the others for eight weeks. The qualification result combines all three components.
The error log: the plan’s control panel
| Date / paper | Question | Error type | First wrong step | Targeted repair | Reattempt | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug / P2 | 7 | unit | volume remained in cm³ | 3 cV examples with units | 27 Aug | 3/3 |
| 25 Aug / P4 | 3b | explain | reason present, link missing | 2 claim–reason–link answers | 28 Aug | partial |
| 26 Aug / P6 | 2c | graph | axis unit missing | redraw + new dataset | 29 Aug | successful |
Use short, standard error types: knowledge, command word, equation, mole ratio, unit, data reading, observation/inference, graph, planning, evaluation and timing. Then each week can show which patterns are decreasing.
Four signs of progress beyond the total score
Four signs of progress
The student names the first failed step, not only the topic.
The same error returns less often in a new context.
The method begins independently with fewer prompts.
Answers become clearer, not merely longer.
Total scores can fluctuate across blocks of different difficulty. More stable signs are that the same error returns less often, the student begins with less help, answers become more precise rather than merely longer, and more marks are attempted before a timed block ends.
Parents do not need Chemistry knowledge to ask three useful questions: what were the week’s two recurring errors; what specific repair task followed; and when did the independent reattempt occur? Do not track only the number of pages completed.
A five-minute weekly reflection
A five-minute weekly reflection
Name one skill that was more independent this week.
Record the first failed decision that returned.
Choose one repair task specific enough to schedule.
Set a date after a short delay, not only the same evening.
Answer briefly on Sunday or after the final weekly block, then place the next week’s first two priorities in the calendar. If the same foundational error appears in three consecutive attempts, do not simply increase question volume: seek a targeted explanation or diagnostic.
If the plan repeatedly overflows, do not take time from sleep. Reduce question volume while preserving the cycle: independent attempt → cause identification → repair → delayed reattempt.
Printable two-week view and eight-week plan
The PDF below contains the eight weekly focuses, paper rotation, a blank error log and weekly reflection fields across two A4 pages. The complete web guide remains usable without downloading; the PDF supports printing and handwritten tracking.
After printing, complete the examination profile and weekly time first. Do not fill all eight weeks at once: plan two weeks in detail, then update the next block from the reflection and error log.
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