Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Chemistry · 4CH1 · Free · no account needed
Ionic Bonding — exam questions
11 original Incandio exam-style questions on Ionic Bonding, 23 marks, about 23 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 Ionic Bonding — 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.
- State (1 mark)
- one precise fact, no justification
- 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
- Write (1–3 marks)
- the equation, formula or ionic equation, balanced, with state symbols where asked
- Compare (2–4 marks)
- explicit comparison with a comparative word — a bare pair of statements is not a comparison
- 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
- 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.
Where these sit in the specification
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Chemistry (4CH1) — statements 1.37 · 1.38 · 1.39 · 1.40. 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 11 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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Magnesium burns in oxygen with a bright white flame to form magnesium oxide, a white solid with a melting point of 2852 °C.
(a)
(1)Give
Give the formula of the ion formed by an oxygen atom.
Magnesium burns in oxygen with a bright white flame to form magnesium oxide, a white solid with a melting point of 2852 °C.
(b)
(2)Describe
Describe what happens to the electrons when a magnesium atom reacts with an oxygen atom.
Magnesium burns in oxygen with a bright white flame to form magnesium oxide, a white solid with a melting point of 2852 °C.
(c)
(2)Suggest
Magnesium oxide is used to line the inside of industrial furnaces. Suggest why its structure makes it suitable for this.
Magnesium burns in oxygen with a bright white flame to form magnesium oxide, a white solid with a melting point of 2852 °C.
(d)
(3)Explain
Solid magnesium oxide does not conduct electricity, but molten magnesium oxide does. Explain why.
Magnesium burns in oxygen with a bright white flame to form magnesium oxide, a white solid with a melting point of 2852 °C.
(Total for Question 1 = 8 marks)
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(1)State
State what is formed when a metal atom loses electrons.
(Total for Question 2 = 1 mark)
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(1)Give
Give the formula, including the charge, of the ion formed by a calcium atom.
(Total for Question 3 = 1 mark)
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(2)Explain
A sodium atom has one electron in its outer shell. Explain why a sodium atom forms a 1+ ion rather than a 1− ion.
(Total for Question 4 = 2 marks)
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(2)Write
Lithium reacts with fluorine to form lithium fluoride. Write the balanced symbol equation for this reaction, including state symbols.
(Total for Question 5 = 2 marks)
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(3)Explain
Explain why sodium chloride has a high melting point.
(Total for Question 6 = 3 marks)
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(2)Compare
Magnesium oxide melts at 2852 °C and sodium chloride melts at 801 °C. Both are giant ionic lattices. Compare the strength of the attraction between the ions in the two compounds.
(Total for Question 7 = 2 marks)
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(4)Describe
Potassium reacts with sulfur to form potassium sulfide, K₂S. Describe the electron transfers that occur and the ions that are formed.
(Total for Question 8 = 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 — 11 questions, marked on Incandio against the authored scheme, with the mistake you actually made named.
- Teach it — explain Ionic Bonding to Ember, an AI pupil who does not have it yet and asks the awkward question.
- Defend it — argue it against Jöns Jacob Berzelius over three rounds, marked against descriptors you can read first.
Completely free. No subscriptions, no paywalls, no account needed to start.
Back to the lesson
- Ionic Bonding — Why atoms give electrons away or take them, how far you can predict that from the periodic table, and how to draw it.
- All of Incandio Chemistry · Incandio Exam Practice