Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Chemistry · 4CH1 · Free · no account needed
Inside the Atom — exam questions
12 original Incandio exam-style questions on Inside the Atom, 25 marks, about 25 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 Inside the Atom — 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
7 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
- State what is meant by (1–2 marks)
- the definition
- Give (1–2 marks)
- a short factual answer — the most common chemistry command
- 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
- Determine (1–4 marks)
- a value reached by combining given data with a method the learner selects
- Suggest (1–3 marks)
- a plausible answer applying taught chemistry to an unfamiliar substance
- Calculate (1–4 marks)
- a numerical answer with working, to the stated precision
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 1.15 · 1.16 · 1.14 · 1.17. 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 — the naturally occurring isotopes of a metallic element, M. Isotope Mass number Number of protons Abundance / % M-63 63 29 69.0 M-65 65 29 31.0 (a)
(1)Give
Give the number of neutrons in an atom of M-65, using Table 1.
Table 1 — the naturally occurring isotopes of a metallic element, M. Isotope Mass number Number of protons Abundance / % M-63 63 29 69.0 M-65 65 29 31.0 number of neutrons = ............................
(b)
(2)Explain
Explain why M-63 and M-65 are isotopes of the same element.
Table 1 — the naturally occurring isotopes of a metallic element, M. Isotope Mass number Number of protons Abundance / % M-63 63 29 69.0 M-65 65 29 31.0 (c)
(3)Calculate
Calculate the relative atomic mass of element M. Give your answer to 3 significant figures.
Table 1 — the naturally occurring isotopes of a metallic element, M. Isotope Mass number Number of protons Abundance / % M-63 63 29 69.0 M-65 65 29 31.0 (d)
(2)Suggest
Suggest how the relative atomic mass would differ if the abundances of the two isotopes were reversed.
Table 1 — the naturally occurring isotopes of a metallic element, M. Isotope Mass number Number of protons Abundance / % M-63 63 29 69.0 M-65 65 29 31.0 (Total for Question 1 = 8 marks)
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(1)Which
Which subatomic particle has a relative charge of zero?
Particle A proton B neutron C electron D nucleus (Total for Question 2 = 1 mark)
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(1)State what is meant by
State what is meant by the mass number of an atom.
(Total for Question 3 = 1 mark)
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(2)Give
Give the relative mass and the relative charge of an electron.
Figure 1 — the structure of an atom. (Total for Question 4 = 2 marks)
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(3)Explain
Explain why two isotopes of the same element have identical chemical properties.
(Total for Question 5 = 3 marks)
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(1)State what is meant by
State what is meant by a molecule.
(Total for Question 6 = 1 mark)
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(3)Determine
An ion of an element has a mass number of 39, an atomic number of 19 and a charge of 1+. Determine the numbers of protons, neutrons and electrons it contains.
(Total for Question 7 = 3 marks)
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(2)Suggest
Suggest why the relative atomic mass of chlorine is given as 35.5 although no chlorine atom has that mass.
(Total for Question 8 = 2 marks)
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(4)Explain
The relative atomic mass of chlorine is 35.5. Explain why it is not a whole number.
(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 Inside the Atom to Ember, an AI pupil who does not have it yet and asks the awkward question.
- Defend it — argue it against Ernest Rutherford over three rounds, marked against descriptors you can read first.
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Back to the lesson
- Inside the Atom — Protons, neutrons and electrons — where they are, what they weigh, what they carry, and how isotopes give an element a decimal mass.
- All of Incandio Chemistry · Incandio Exam Practice