Ten tips for Paper 3

Preparation 

1. Revision. Go through the syllabus thoroughly for the option you have studied checking that you know and understand the chemistry given in the syllabus under 'Nature of Science', 'Understandings', 'Applications and skills' and 'Guidance' for each sub-topic. Also look at the mandatory experiments in the core/AHL to ensure you understand all the experimental techniques involved.

2. Practice.  As you revise each of the sub-topics of the option, test yourself with the quizzes and short-answer questions given on this site. Also work through the exemplars (together with the worked answers) for the Data Response Questions and Experimental Work Questions given on this site as preparation for Section A.  Make sure you fully understand the worked answers. Once you have fully covered the option work through past Paper 3 Section B questions on that Option. Check your answers carefully against the markscheme to ensure that you are giving sufficient chemical detail to your answers and covering all the necessary points. Also practice past Section A data-based questions and questions testing experimental techniques. Practice doing one whole paper in the required time. If you cannot answer a question or get it wrong try to understand what the problem is. You can do this by reading around the topic, checking the information on this site, discussing with other students or by asking your teacher. Learn from your mistakes.

During the exam 

3. Use the reading time wisely. You will have five minutes reading time before the exam starts. During this time you are not allowed to write. The data-based question may contain several sentences of writing and/or a table(s) or graph(s). Read this carefully. Then read carefully through the questions on the one option that you will be answering. Ignore the rest of the paper.

4. Only answer the questions on the one option you have been taught. It is very noticeable that schools where all the students answer questions on the same option do much better than schools where there is a variety of different options answered. You may think you know something about biology for example, but if you have not studied the biochemistry option (Option B) you are unlikely to give sufficient chemical content to your answers to score many marks.

5. Read each question carefully. As with Paper 2 pay particular attention to the command term used. A question which asks you to explain an observation will have a very different answer to a question that asks you to describe the observation. If the question asks for two examples then do not give three. If all three are correct then you will not be penalised but if two are correct and one is wrong you will only score one of the possible two marks. If the question asks you to name a product do not just give its formula.

6. Write your answer only in the box provided. Again, as with Paper 2, the answer papers are scanned and then e-marked. All the examiner sees is what is written in the box. If you write outside the box it may not be scanned and therefore may not be marked. If you make a mistake then cross it out and continue within the box. If you run out of box space write in the box that your answer continues on a separate piece of answer paper - that way the examiner knows to look elsewhere. On the attached paper clearly identify which question it is you are answering and record on the front cover how many extra sheets are attached.

7. Timing. You must attempt all the questions in Section A and all the questions on the option you have chosen to answer in Section B so do not spend so much time on Section A that you have little time left to answer the option questions in Section B. Try to leave sufficient time over to allow you to check your answers.

8. Check the mark allocation.  The available marks are given for every question and part question. If there are two marks for a question then there will be two different marking points that are necessary to give in the answer in order to gain both of the marks.

9. Use the correct terminology. Provided you can be understood you will not be penalised for incorrect English. However, you may lose marks if you do not use the correct chemical or scientific language. For example, in Option B make sure you can distinguish between a condensation reaction and a hydrolysis reaction and in Option C make sure you know the difference between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission.  As with Paper 2 make sure you give numerical answers to the correct number of significant figures and include the correct units in your numerical answers that have units. Do not give journalistic answers.

10. Show your working. As with Paper 2 whenever you do a calculation show how you arrived at your final answer. If the answer is wrong you may still score many of the available marks for using the correct method. Similarly, whenever you need to use atomic masses use the values given to two decimal places in Section 6 of the IB Data Booklet.