Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Chemistry · 4CH1 · Free · no account needed
Group 1 — the Alkali Metals — exam questions
12 original Incandio exam-style questions on Group 1 — the Alkali Metals, 26 marks, about 26 minutes of writing. Each one carries the command word, the tariff and the specification statement it assesses, exactly as a paper presents them. This is an original Incandio practice question, written to reflect the structure and demands of the qualification. It is not an official Pearson Edexcel past-paper question.
This is the practice set for Group 1 — the Alkali Metals — the lesson that teaches it. Read the lesson first if the idea is new; come here when you want to find out whether you can turn it into marks. Completely free, no account needed to read.
What these questions ask of you
6 command words run through this set, and on Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Chemistry each one means something precise. Answering the wrong command is the commonest way a candidate who understands the lesson still loses the mark.
- Which (1 mark)
- one option chosen from the set given
- Name (1 mark)
- the correct chemical name
- Give (1–2 marks)
- a short factual answer — the most common chemistry command
- Describe (2–5 marks)
- developed, linked statements of what happens or what is observed Misread as: giving one bare observation where the tariff asked for a developed account
- Explain (2–4 marks)
- the reason, in terms of particles, bonding, energy or equilibrium Misread as: describing the observation without giving the chemistry that causes it
- Suggest (1–3 marks)
- a plausible answer applying taught chemistry to an unfamiliar substance
Assessed on Paper 1 (4CH1/1C) and Paper 2 (4CH1/2C), against AO1, AO2, AO3.
Where these sit in the specification
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Chemistry (4CH1) — statements 2.1 · 2.4 · 2.2 · 2.3. Incandio is aligned to this specification; it is not published by, endorsed by or affiliated with Pearson, and it reproduces none of Pearson's wording.
The 12 questions
Answer them on paper, then open the lesson's exam practice to have them marked. The mark scheme, the accepted and rejected answers and the annotated model answer are in Incandio and are not printed here — an answer beside its question is not practice.
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Table 1 — three alkali metals reacting with cold water Metal Shells of electrons Melting point / °C What is seen with water lithium 2 181 floats, fizzes steadily, slowly disappears sodium 3 98 floats, melts into a ball, fizzes rapidly potassium 4 63 floats, melts, burns with a lilac flame (a)
(1)Give
Give the trend in melting point shown in Table 1.
Table 1 — three alkali metals reacting with cold water Metal Shells of electrons Melting point / °C What is seen with water lithium 2 181 floats, fizzes steadily, slowly disappears sodium 3 98 floats, melts into a ball, fizzes rapidly potassium 4 63 floats, melts, burns with a lilac flame (b)
(2)Describe
Describe how the last column of Table 1 shows that reactivity increases down the group.
Table 1 — three alkali metals reacting with cold water Metal Shells of electrons Melting point / °C What is seen with water lithium 2 181 floats, fizzes steadily, slowly disappears sodium 3 98 floats, melts into a ball, fizzes rapidly potassium 4 63 floats, melts, burns with a lilac flame (c)
(3)Explain
Explain the trend in reactivity in Table 1 using the number of shells in the second column.
Table 1 — three alkali metals reacting with cold water Metal Shells of electrons Melting point / °C What is seen with water lithium 2 181 floats, fizzes steadily, slowly disappears sodium 3 98 floats, melts into a ball, fizzes rapidly potassium 4 63 floats, melts, burns with a lilac flame (d)
(3)Suggest
Rubidium has five shells of electrons and is not in Table 1. Suggest its melting point and what would be seen when it is added to water.
Table 1 — three alkali metals reacting with cold water Metal Shells of electrons Melting point / °C What is seen with water lithium 2 181 floats, fizzes steadily, slowly disappears sodium 3 98 floats, melts into a ball, fizzes rapidly potassium 4 63 floats, melts, burns with a lilac flame (Total for Question 1 = 9 marks)
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(1)Which
Which gas is given off when an alkali metal reacts with water?
Gas A oxygen B hydrogen C carbon dioxide D chlorine (Total for Question 2 = 1 mark)
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(1)Name
Name the solution formed when sodium reacts with water.
(Total for Question 3 = 1 mark)
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(1)Give
Give the charge on the ion formed by any Group 1 metal.
(Total for Question 4 = 1 mark)
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(2)Describe
Describe two things that would be seen when a small piece of lithium is dropped into a trough of cold water.
(Total for Question 5 = 2 marks)
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(3)Explain
Explain why potassium reacts with water more violently than lithium does.
(Total for Question 6 = 3 marks)
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(2)Explain
Explain why the alkali metals are stored under oil.
(Total for Question 7 = 2 marks)
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(3)Suggest
A student proposes keeping a piece of caesium in a bottle of distilled water so that it stays clean. Suggest why this would be dangerous.
(Total for Question 8 = 3 marks)
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(4)Explain
Explain why every Group 1 metal forms an ion with a charge of 1+, and why the resulting compounds are all white solids that dissolve in water.
(Total for Question 9 = 4 marks)
Have them marked, then defend the answer
Practice tells you the mark; teaching it back tells you whether you understand it. On Incandio a topic counts as mastered only once you have taught it and defended it.
- Mark these questions — 12 questions, marked on Incandio against the authored scheme, with the mistake you actually made named.
- Teach it — explain Group 1 — the Alkali Metals to Ember, an AI pupil who does not have it yet and asks the awkward question.
- Defend it — argue it against Humphry Davy over three rounds, marked against descriptors you can read first.
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Back to the lesson
- Group 1 — the Alkali Metals — Metals soft enough to cut with a knife, which set fire to water — and get worse as you go down.
- All of Incandio Chemistry · Incandio Exam Practice