Cambridge International AS & A Level Chemistry (9701) Past Papers: Grade Thresholds and Examiner Report Notes

This page is a guide to past papers for Cambridge International AS & A Level Chemistry (9701). It covers six series: March, June and November 2024, and March, June and November 2025. The grade thresholds are copied from Cambridge’s grade-threshold documents, and the examiner notes are our own summaries of Cambridge’s Principal Examiner Reports for Teachers. We do not host any papers; every link below goes to Cambridge.

Where to get the official papers

• Cambridge International AS & A Level Chemistry (9701) syllabus page
• 9701 past papers page

Cambridge publishes recent papers, mark schemes, examiner reports and grade thresholds on the syllabus’s past-papers page; older series are available to schools through the School Support Hub.

Use the three documents together. Sit the paper first, under timed conditions. Mark it strictly with the mark scheme, which shows the points that earn credit. Then read the examiner report for that paper, which explains where candidates lost marks and why.

Which syllabus were the papers set on? The 2025 series were examined on the current 2025-2027 syllabus. The 2024 series, and every earlier series, were set on an earlier syllabus version. Before you use an older paper, check the syllabus version on the paper’s front cover against the current syllabus, and skip any question on content that has since changed.

Series index

In the threshold tables, Components are the paper numbers in that entry option and Max is the total raw mark. Full A Level grades run A* to E; AS Level grades are shown as a to e.

Series	Papers (components) examined	Examiner report notes	Grade thresholds
November 2025	11-14, 21-24, 31, 33-38, 41-44, 51-54	Summarised below	Tables below
June 2025	11-14, 21-24, 31-35, 37, 38, 41-44, 51-54	Summarised below	Tables below
March 2025	12, 22, 33, 42, 52	Summarised below	Tables below
November 2024	11-13, 21-23, 31, 33-36, 41-43, 51-53	Summarised below	Tables below
June 2024	11-13, 21-23, 31-35, 41-43, 51-53	Summarised below	Tables below
March 2024	12, 22, 33, 42, 52	Summarised below	Tables below
November 2023	Not summarised here	Not summarised here	Official page
June 2023	Not summarised here	Not summarised here	Official page
March 2023	Not summarised here	Not summarised here	Official page
November 2022	Not summarised here	Not summarised here	Official page
June 2022	Not summarised here	Not summarised here	Official page
March 2022	Not summarised here	Not summarised here	Official page
November 2021	Not summarised here	Not summarised here	Official page
June 2021	Not summarised here	Not summarised here	Official page
March 2021	Not summarised here	Not summarised here	Official page
November 2020	Not summarised here	Not summarised here	Official page
June 2020	Cambridge cancelled this series because of COVID-19	Not summarised here	Official page
March 2020	Not summarised here	Not summarised here	Official page
November 2019	Not summarised here	Not summarised here	Official page
June 2019	Not summarised here	Not summarised here	Official page
March 2019	Not summarised here	Not summarised here	Official page

What examiners keep saying

These are the errors that come back across the six series we summarise, grouped by syllabus topic.

• Atomic structure. Definitions lose their key words: relative atomic mass, isotope, relative isotopic mass and ground state have all been marked down. Ionisation energy answers list factors without applying them to the case in front of you, or use loose orbital and subshell wording, and some remove 3d electrons before 4s. June 2024, November 2024, March 2025, June 2025.
• Atoms, molecules and stoichiometry. The most repeated calculation error: missing the reagent in excess, a dilution or scale-up factor, or the mole ratio, then rounding part-way through. March 2024, June 2024, November 2024, March 2025, June 2025, November 2025.
• Chemical bonding. Metallic bonding and conduction are described with “free electrons” or a “sea of electrons” and no electrostatic attraction to positive ions, or drawn without labelled positive ions and delocalised electrons, and conductivity is not tied to charged particles that can move. March 2024, March 2025, June 2025, November 2025.
• Chemical bonding (shapes, sigma and pi). VSEPR shapes ignore lone pairs; sigma and pi overlap is reversed or drawn without labelled p orbitals; hybridisation is explained loosely. March 2024, June 2024, November 2024, June 2025, November 2025.
• States of matter. Melting and boiling are put down to covalent bonds breaking, when intermolecular forces are being overcome; giant covalent melting points are wrongly explained with intermolecular forces. June 2024, November 2024, November 2025.
• Chemical energetics (AS). In q = mcΔT, the mass of the solid is used instead of the mass of water, c is not the value given in the paper, or 273 is added to a temperature change. In Hess cycles, enthalpies are not multiplied by the numbers in the equation, or signs are wrong. March 2024, June 2024, June 2025, November 2025.
• Chemical energetics (A Level). Solubility trends are explained without entropy; lattice energy is explained without both ionic charge and radius, or defined as the energy needed to form the lattice; hydration terms are applied to a compound instead of its ions; entropy is defined as “disorder”, which the June 2025 report says will not be accepted in future. March 2024, June 2024, November 2024, June 2025, November 2025.
• Electrochemistry. E°cell is used where an electrode E° was needed; the electron number in the Nernst equation is wrong; half-equations are not balanced for charge; aqueous electrolysis is treated as molten; a salt bridge is said to carry electrons; changes in E are described as “lower” instead of more positive or more negative. March 2024, June 2024, March 2025, June 2025.
• Equilibria. Kc is worked with amounts instead of concentrations, includes water, ignores volume, or is said to change when the position of equilibrium moves; Ksp includes the solid or uses the wrong ion ratio; buffer definitions leave out the small amount of acid or alkali added; conjugate pairs differ by more than one H+. June 2024, November 2024, March 2025, June 2025, November 2025.
• Reaction kinetics. A rate question is answered in terms of yield, or collisions are counted rather than given a frequency. Half-life is assumed constant for a second-order reaction, or claimed constant with no evidence from successive halvings. Heterogeneous catalysis is explained without adsorption, bond weakening and desorption, and a catalyst is not shown to be regenerated. March 2024, June 2024, November 2024, March 2025, June 2025, November 2025.
• Chemistry of transition elements. Complex ions carry the wrong overall charge, charges sit outside the brackets in stability-constant expressions, and the definitions of a transition element and of Kstab are incomplete. March 2024, November 2024, March 2025, June 2025, November 2025.
• Organic mechanisms (Hydrocarbons, Halogen compounds). Curly arrows start from a charge or an atom instead of a lone pair or a bond; in electrophilic substitution the positive charge is put on the sp3 carbon and H+ is lost from the mechanism; SN1 and SN2 steps are mixed up; carbocation stability is credited to the product rather than the intermediate. March 2024, June 2024, November 2024, March 2025, June 2025, November 2025.
• An introduction to AS Level organic chemistry (isomerism). Stereoisomer counts miss chiral or cis/trans forms, the 2ⁿ rule is misused, and cis/trans isomerism about a C=C in a ring causes trouble. March 2024, June 2024, November 2024, June 2025, November 2025.
• Analytical techniques. IR absorptions are not assigned to specific bonds; spectra are quoted without being interpreted; chlorine isotope peaks are confused with the M+1 peak; mass spectrum fragments are drawn without a positive charge; NMR proton totals do not add up. March 2024, June 2024, November 2024, March 2025, June 2025, November 2025.
• Practical skills. Gases are named but not tested; “clear”, “milky” or “cloudy” are used as colours; conclusions are written where observations were asked for; extra tests are done when told not to; the uncertainty of a value found from two readings is not doubled. March 2024, June 2024, November 2024, March 2025, June 2025, November 2025.

Exam technique the reports repeat:

• Learn syllabus definitions word for word, then check each later answer against them (June 2024, November 2024, June 2025, November 2025).
• Label every step of a calculation, carry full values and round only at the end, usually to three significant figures unless the question says otherwise (all six series).
• Balance every equation and half-equation for atoms and charge, and add state symbols (March 2024, March 2025, June 2025).
• Give one answer when one is asked for. An extra wrong answer can cancel a right one (November 2024, March 2025, November 2025).
• Read the introduction to each question and the qualitative analysis notes, and use their wording. They often hold information you need later (June 2024, March 2025, November 2025).
• Name the exact species, bond, ion or apparatus. Avoid “it”, and use plain comparatives such as “stronger” or “more negative” (June 2025, November 2025).

November 2025

This series paid off exact definitions, close reading of the information supplied and calculations with several steps. On the AS papers, weaker answers put changes of state down to covalent bonds breaking, dropped key words from definitions and stalled on enthalpy problems needing more than one step. Strong practical scripts recorded data to the correct precision, kept enough significant figures and used the qualitative analysis notes. At A Level, the best answers read structural formulae carefully, drew exact curly arrows and wrote balanced equations with correct symbols. Vague wording, the word “it” and early rounding cost marks across the series.

Where marks were lost:

• Papers 21 and 23: changes of state explained by bonds breaking; definitions of empirical formula and stereoisomerism missing key words; reagents given without a state symbol or the word “concentrated”.
• Paper 24: the enthalpy of formation defined without standard states; Kc said to change when the equilibrium position moves, or calculated without the volume.
• Paper 42: a constant half-life assumed for an overall second-order reaction; the wrong ion ratio in Ksp; the electron affinity definition.
• Paper 44: entropy defined as “disorder”; an incomplete Kstab definition; an intermediate called a catalyst.
• Papers 31, 35 and 37: Mr worked out from Ar values while the degree of hydration was still unknown; ions tested for without first dissolving the solid.
• Paper 52: percentage error based on one reading; standard solutions made without rinsing or inverting the flask; not knowing what “concordant” means.

The report does not comment on Papers 41 and 51, as too few candidates sat them.

Grade thresholds – November 2025

Full A Level, all papers in this series

Option	Components	Max	A*	A	B	C	D	E
AC	14, 24, 37, 44, 54	260	207	179	151	127	103	80
AX	11, 21, 31, 41, 51	260	210	183	156	131	106	82
AY	12, 22, 33, 42, 52	260	199	174	149	124	99	74
AZ	13, 23, 35, 43, 53	260	210	183	156	131	106	82
HC	14, 24, 38, 44, 54	260	206	177	148	125	102	79
HY	12, 22, 34, 42, 52	260	198	174	150	124	98	73
HZ	13, 23, 36, 43, 53	260	209	181	153	129	105	81

AS Level only

Option	Components	Max	a	b	c	d	e
S1	11, 21, 31	130	89	74	63	53	43
S3	12, 22, 33	130	88	76	64	53	42
S4	12, 22, 34	130	88	77	65	53	41
S5	13, 23, 35	130	89	74	63	53	43
S6	13, 23, 36	130	87	71	61	51	42
S7	14, 24, 37	130	89	72	61	51	41
S8	14, 24, 38	130	87	69	59	49	40

Not shown: 20 further route(s) in the official table (staged entries that carry AS marks from an earlier series, or other special routes). See the official document.

Official documents: past papers, mark schemes and examiner report

June 2025

June tested exact recall of syllabus definitions (isotope, activation energy, Le Chatelier’s principle, lattice energy, buffer, entropy), explanations that connect bonding to properties, mole calculations with several steps, and organic mechanisms, synthesis and structure deduction. The report credits answers that were concise, used precise terms, worked with the data given and labelled each step. Weaker answers repeated memorised answers from older papers, rounded too soon, left equations unbalanced or without state symbols, relied on phrases such as “free electrons” or an unexplained “it”, skipped multi-step organic parts, and in the practicals wrote conclusions where observations were wanted.

Where marks were lost:

• Papers 21 to 24: definitions of isotope, activation energy, covalent bond and empirical formula missing key words; ionisation energy factors listed but not applied; shapes that ignore lone pairs.
• Papers 31, 33, 35 and 37: percentage purity worked from moles instead of mass; the dilution factor left out; evaluations about apparatus precision when gas loss or excess reagent was the real issue.
• Papers 41 and 43: carbonate stability explained by ionic bond strength instead of polarisation of the anion; Ksp expressions that include the solid; pseudo-first-order conditions claimed without saying which reagent is in excess.
• Paper 42: formulae and charges of complexes; the nitration mechanism losing arrows, the intermediate or the H+; polyamide repeat units; NMR proton totals.
• Paper 44: stock answers rehearsed from past papers; changes in Ecell called “lower” or “smaller” instead of more positive or more negative; entropy defined with the old “disorder” wording, which the report says will not be accepted in future.
• Paper 54: safety measures not matched to the hazard; the uncertainty from two readings; a salt bridge said to carry electrons.

Grade thresholds – June 2025

Full A Level, all papers in this series

Option	Components	Max	A*	A	B	C	D	E
AC	14, 24, 37, 44, 54	260	206	177	148	122	96	71
AX	11, 21, 31, 41, 51	260	202	176	150	122	95	68
AY	12, 22, 33, 42, 52	260	206	174	142	117	92	68
AW	12, 22, 33, 41, 52	260	202	175	148	122	96	71
AZ	13, 23, 35, 43, 53	260	204	179	154	126	98	70
HC	14, 24, 38, 44, 54	260	209	179	149	123	97	71
HX	11, 21, 32, 41, 51	260	201	175	149	121	94	67
HY	12, 22, 34, 42, 52	260	209	176	143	118	93	68
HW	12, 22, 34, 41, 52	260	205	177	149	123	97	71

AS Level only

Option	Components	Max	a	b	c	d	e
S1	11, 21, 31	130	87	73	59	46	33
S2	11, 21, 32	130	86	72	58	45	32
S3	12, 22, 33	130	83	68	57	46	35
S4	12, 22, 34	130	85	69	57	46	35
S5	13, 23, 35	130	90	77	63	49	35
S7	14, 24, 37	130	85	70	58	46	35
S8	14, 24, 38	130	87	71	59	47	35

Not shown: 22 further route(s) in the official table (staged entries that carry AS marks from an earlier series, or other special routes). See the official document.

Official documents: past papers, mark schemes and examiner report

March 2025

The March AS papers covered reacting-mass and rate calculations, Period 3 and Group 17 chemistry, halogenoalkane and carbonyl reactions, and practical work on water of crystallisation, redox titration and ion tests. The A Level paper tested lattice energy cycles, electrode potentials, kinetics, transition-element complexes, arenes, amines and NMR. Short answers with exact terms, visible working and no early rounding did well. Weaker answers misread the question, ran into long unfocused prose, used loose or non-standard words, started curly arrows in the wrong place, lost significant figures, and could not describe routine techniques such as heating under reflux or diluting a stock solution accurately.

Where marks were lost:

• Paper 12: reacting masses where one reagent is in excess; average rate from a gas volume without the mole ratio or the time units; the thermal decomposition of nitrates.
• Paper 22: metallic bonding with no electrostatic attraction; big jumps in ionisation energy not linked to a shell closer to the nucleus; chlorine isotope peaks confused with the M+1 peak; curly arrows drawn from H+.
• Paper 33: “weight” written for mass; water lost confused with the residue; masses not checked as constant after reheating; deduced formulae with unbalanced charges.
• Paper 42: the definition of a transition element; the Nernst equation with the wrong E° or electron count; Kc expressions containing water; the directing effect of –OH not stated.
• Paper 52: making a standard solution from a more concentrated one; non-concordant titres in the mean; reflux diagrams and anti-bumping aids; indicator choice not explained by its pH range.

Grade thresholds – March 2025

Full A Level, all papers in this series

Option	Components	Max	A*	A	B	C	D	E
AY	12, 22, 33, 42, 52	260	197	175	153	128	104	80

AS Level only

Option	Components	Max	a	b	c	d	e
S3	12, 22, 33	130	91	81	69	57	46

Not shown: 5 further route(s) in the official table (staged entries that carry AS marks from an earlier series, or other special routes). See the official document.

Official documents: past papers, mark schemes and examiner report

November 2024

The AS papers showed weak definitions (relative atomic mass, stereoisomers, radicals, ground state) and a stubborn idea that melting or boiling breaks covalent bonds. Period 3 and Group 17 chemistry, sigma and pi bonding and organic mechanisms were tested heavily. At A Level the focus was lattice and hydration energetics, entropy and Gibbs free energy, Ksp and buffers, heterogeneous catalysis, complexes and NMR. Strong scripts knew definitions exactly, annotated their working and drew clear three-dimensional bonds. Weaker scripts gave imprecise observations, missed information in the question stem, rounded badly and showed little understanding of experimental error.

Where marks were lost:

• Papers 21 and 23: incomplete definitions of relative atomic mass, stereoisomers and free radicals; hydrogen halide stability put down to intermolecular forces instead of bond strength; curly arrows from a negative charge.
• Paper 22: ground state and relative isotopic mass confused with other terms; boiling-point trends explained by nuclear charge and shielding; sigma and pi overlap reversed.
• Papers 31 and 35: straight lines forced through clearly curved data; answers to one or two significant figures; percentage uncertainty not doubled.
• Paper 42: missing that two half-lives had passed; the hydration enthalpy of a compound instead of its ions; conjugate pairs that differ by more than H+.
• Paper 43: lattice energy defined as the energy needed to form the lattice; catalysis explained without adsorption and desorption; complex ions with the wrong charge.
• Papers 52 and 53: two answers given where one was asked; an instruction to draw the line through the origin ignored; reflux apparatus unfamiliar.

The report does not comment on Papers 41 and 51, as too few candidates sat them.

Grade thresholds – November 2024

Full A Level, all papers in this series

Option	Components	Max	A*	A	B	C	D	E
AX	11, 21, 31, 41, 51	260	206	179	152	126	101	76
AY	12, 22, 33, 42, 52	260	197	173	149	122	96	70
AZ	13, 23, 35, 43, 53	260	206	179	152	126	101	76
HY	12, 22, 34, 42, 52	260	200	176	152	125	99	73
HZ	13, 23, 36, 43, 53	260	209	181	153	127	101	76

AS Level only

Option	Components	Max	a	b	c	d	e
S1	11, 21, 31	130	86	71	61	51	41
S3	12, 22, 33	130	82	70	59	48	37
S4	12, 22, 34	130	85	73	62	51	40
S5	13, 23, 35	130	86	71	61	51	41
S6	13, 23, 36	130	88	72	61	51	41

Not shown: 14 further route(s) in the official table (staged entries that carry AS marks from an earlier series, or other special routes). See the official document.

Official documents: past papers, mark schemes and examiner report

June 2024

This series leaned on energetics (Hess cycles, q = mcΔT, Gibbs), equilibrium and rates, bonding theory (VSEPR, sigma and pi overlap, hybridisation), Group 2 and transition-metal chemistry, and multi-step organic synthesis with mechanisms. Exact definitions scored; loose paraphrases did not. Strong scripts annotated each step, kept full values until the end, drew clear structures and placed curly arrows exactly. Weaker scripts mixed up rate and yield, missed the reagent in excess, used 4.2 when a different value of c was given, wrote full equations where ionic ones were asked for and gave vague observations. In the practicals, back titrations and calculations on partly reacted solutions caused most trouble.

Where marks were lost:

• Paper 21: halogen volatility linked to electronegativity instead of instantaneous dipole forces; VSEPR shapes ignoring lone pairs; Le Chatelier’s principle confused with dynamic equilibrium; the wrong molar gas volume.
• Paper 22: giant covalent melting points explained with intermolecular forces; amounts used instead of concentrations in Kc; 3d electrons removed before 4s.
• Paper 23: a rate question answered in terms of yield; square brackets used in Kp; SN2 profiles drawn with a lower activation energy.
• Papers 32 and 34: the mass of the solid used in q = mcΔT; 273 added to ΔT; back-titration steps; spectator ions left in ionic equations.
• Papers 41 and 43: lattice energy explained without both charge and radius; high pH linked to “more OH−” rather than a higher concentration; the positive charge put on the sp3 carbon in electrophilic substitution.
• Paper 52: weighing by difference; a measuring cylinder used where a burette was needed; gradient points taken from the data instead of the line.

Grade thresholds – June 2024

Full A Level, all papers in this series

Option	Components	Max	A*	A	B	C	D	E
AX	11, 21, 31, 41, 51	260	191	166	141	114	87	61
AY	12, 22, 33, 42, 52	260	200	167	134	109	84	59
AZ	13, 23, 35, 43, 53	260	200	169	138	112	86	61
HX	11, 21, 32, 41, 51	260	193	167	141	114	87	61
HY	12, 22, 34, 42, 52	260	197	165	133	108	83	58

AS Level only

Option	Components	Max	a	b	c	d	e
S1	11, 21, 31	130	83	72	58	45	32
S2	11, 21, 32	130	84	72	58	45	32
S3	12, 22, 33	130	84	66	54	42	30
S4	12, 22, 34	130	82	65	53	41	29
S5	13, 23, 35	130	86	69	56	44	32

Not shown: 13 further route(s) in the official table (staged entries that carry AS marks from an earlier series, or other special routes). See the official document.

Official documents: past papers, mark schemes and examiner report

March 2024

Candidates handled definitions and routine recall well but lost ground when they had to apply or explain an idea. The main testing grounds were energetics (Hess cycles, entropy, Gibbs), rate compared with equilibrium, bonding and hybridisation, transition-metal complexes and organic reactions with mechanisms. Strong scripts gave a reason with each fact, balanced equations for atoms and charge, placed curly arrows precisely and kept full precision through long calculations. Weaker scripts rounded early, dropped scaling factors in titrations, wrote about yield when rate was asked, contradicted themselves and gave vague observations. Practical graphing and knowledge of procedure improved, but readings were still not always recorded to the right precision.

Where marks were lost:

• Paper 12: enthalpies of formation not scaled to the moles in the equation; cis/trans isomerism about a C=C in a ring; which compounds give a positive tri-iodomethane test.
• Paper 22: metallic bonding diagrams without labelled particles or delocalised electrons; titration calculations without the scale-up factors; polymer repeat units that keep the C=C.
• Paper 33: q = mcΔT with the wrong mass or a value of c not given in the paper; precipitates called cloudy solutions; extra tests carried out despite the instruction not to.
• Paper 42: solubility trends explained through lattice and hydration energy instead of entropy; aqueous electrolysis treated as molten; charges placed outside the brackets in stability-constant expressions; HCl shown as a product instead of H+.
• Paper 52: weighing by difference misunderstood; all titres averaged instead of the concordant ones; percentage error not doubled for two readings; a straight line forced through curved data.

Grade thresholds – March 2024

Full A Level, all papers in this series

Option	Components	Max	A*	A	B	C	D	E
AY	12, 22, 33, 42, 52	260	195	174	153	128	103	78

AS Level only

Option	Components	Max	a	b	c	d	e
S3	12, 22, 33	130	92	80	68	56	44

Not shown: 5 further route(s) in the official table (staged entries that carry AS marks from an earlier series, or other special routes). See the official document.

Official documents: past papers, mark schemes and examiner report

How to use this page

1. Find your weak topics first. Take the free A Level diagnostic or AS Level diagnostic (all our diagnostics are listed on the diagnostics page), and tick off what you know on the 9701 checklist.
2. Sit a full paper under timed conditions. Get it from Cambridge’s past-papers page, with its mark scheme and examiner report. Look up any command word you are unsure of on our command words page.
3. Mark it strictly with the mark scheme. Credit only the points it lists, then compare your raw total with that series’ grade thresholds above.
4. Read the notes for that series on this page, then the examiner report itself for the questions you dropped marks on.
5. Fix the topic. Use the study guides on the 9701 Chemistry hub and practise with the 9701 self-check question bank.
6. Re-test a week later on a different paper from another series, and check the June 2026 figures for our main syllabuses on the grade thresholds page.
7. Plan the run-up with the exam calendar. If you want a teacher to go through your answers, request a free trial class.

About these notes

The thresholds on this page are copied from Cambridge’s grade-threshold tables, and the notes summarise Cambridge’s Principal Examiner Reports for Teachers for March, June and November 2024 and March, June and November 2025, written in our own words. Thresholds change every series and must never be used to predict future ones. If you spot an error, please report a correction.