OxfordAQA International Specification 9620

OxfordAQA International AS & A-Level Chemistry Revision Hub

Notes, flashcards, and exam practice for every unit, to get you exam-ready.

  • 5 units
  • AS and A-level
  • Specification 9620
Explore units Grade BoundariesSpecification ChecklistAssessment Advice

Course Content

Select a unit to explore topics and deep-dive content.

Unit 1 50% AS | 20% A-Level

Inorganic 1 & Physical 1

Foundation physical principles and fundamental inorganic periodicity trends.

70 Marks 1 hour 30 mins 100 UMS
  • Atomic Structure & TOF Mass Spectrometry
  • Amount of Substance & Solution Calculations
  • Balanced Equations and Calculations
  • Chemical Bonding & VSEPR Molecular Shapes
  • Energetics, Calorimetry & Hess's Law
  • Redox: Oxidation, Reduction and Redox Equations
  • Periodicity & Trends Across Period 3
  • Group 2: The Alkaline Earth Metals
  • Group 7: Halogens & Halide Redox Behaviour
Open Unit 1 Notes
Unit 2 50% AS | 20% A-Level

Organic 1 & Physical 1

Kinetics, equilibria (Kc) and core organic chemistry: alkanes, halogenoalkanes, alkenes, alcohols and organic analysis.

70 Marks 1 hour 30 mins 100 UMS
  • Kinetics, Collision Theory & Catalysis
  • Equilibria & Equilibrium Constant Kc
  • Introduction to Organic Chemistry
  • Alkanes & Free-Radical Substitution
  • Halogenoalkanes & Nucleophilic Mechanisms
  • Alkenes & Electrophilic Addition
  • Epoxyethane
  • Alcohols: Oxidation, Elimination & Tests
  • Organic Analysis (Infrared & Mass Spectrometry)
Open Unit 2 Notes
Unit 3 21% A-Level (A2)

Inorganic 2 & Physical 2

Thermodynamics, electrode potentials, acids and bases, Period 3, transition metals and ions in solution.

80 Marks 1 hour 30 mins 105 UMS
  • Thermodynamics, Born-Haber Cycles & Entropy
  • Electrode Potentials & Electrochemical Cells
  • Acids, Bases, Buffer Systems & pH Curves
  • Period 3 Elements, Oxides & Chlorides
  • Transition Metals & Complex Ion Formation
  • Transition Metals: Variable Oxidation States and Catalysts
  • Reactions of Metal Ions in Aqueous Solution
Open Unit 3 Notes
Unit 4 21% A-Level (A2)

Organic 2 & Physical 2

Rate equations, Kp, optical isomerism, carbonyls, carboxylic acids, aromatics, amines, polymers, proteins, NMR and chromatography.

80 Marks 1 hour 30 mins 105 UMS
  • Rate Equations & the Arrhenius Equation
  • Equilibrium Constant Kp
  • Optical Isomerism & Chiral Enantiomers
  • Aldehydes, Ketones & Nucleophilic Addition
  • Carboxylic Acids, Esters & Acyl Chlorides
  • Aromatic Chemistry (Benzene and Methylbenzene)
  • Amines, Basic Strength & Synthesis
  • Polymers (Polyesters, Polyamides & Nylon)
  • Amino Acids, Proteins & Cisplatin
  • Organic Synthesis
  • NMR Spectroscopy
  • Chromatography
Open Unit 4 Notes
Unit 5 18% A-Level (A2 Capstone)

Practical & Synoptic Capstone

All content. Written paper: 30 marks on practical work and 30 marks of multiple-choice questions.

60 Marks 1 hour 25 mins 90 UMS
  • Experimental Design & Systematic Variable Control
  • Quickfit Apparatus Assembly (Reflux & Distillation)
  • Data Evaluation, Significant Figures & Graphing
  • Exact Percentage Uncertainty for Glassware & Balances
  • Synoptic Integration Across Units 1 to 4
  • Format: 30 marks practical + 30 marks multiple choice
Open Unit 5 Notes
Practicals: RP1 to RP10 Units 1 to 5

The 10 Required Practicals

Step-by-step laboratory procedures, Quickfit setups, hazard safety, and error formulas.

10 Standard Labs Illustrated Setups Safety Protocols
View All 10 Practicals

Assessment Windows & Certification Advice

How the OxfordAQA modular system works: assessment sessions, resit regulations, UMS conversion, and the specific criteria required to achieve an A* grade.

Bi-Annual Exam Windows

OxfordAQA examinations run in two discrete assessment windows each academic year:

  • January Series: All five units (Units 1 to 5) are available.
  • May/June Series: All five units (Units 1 to 5) are available.
  • Unit 5: available in January and May/June, like Units 3 and 4.

Resit & Cash-in Freedom

The modular framework provides extensive flexibility for candidate score optimization:

  • Unlimited Resits: Candidates may retake any unit. The highest raw mark and UMS achieved on each unit is banked automatically.
  • AS Cash-in (9621): Candidates may combine Unit 1 and Unit 2 to receive a standalone AS certificate.
  • A-Level Cash-in (9622): Aggregates the best marks across all five units for the final A-Level award.

The A* Qualification Rule

Achieving an overall A* requires meeting two strict mathematical thresholds:

  • Criterion 1: An overall Grade A award across the entire qualification (at least 400 out of 500 total UMS, or 80%).
  • Criterion 2: An aggregate of at least 90% across the three A2 units combined (at least 270 out of 300 UMS across Units 3, 4, and 5).
  • Individual Units: A* is not awarded on individual unit certificates; it is awarded solely on the final subject award.
Historical Reference Data

Longitudinal Grade Boundary Module

Raw mark boundaries from June 2026, January 2026, June 2025, January 2025, June 2024, January 2024, June 2023, January 2023 and June 2022, plus the UMS scale. Use them to plan your target marks.

June 2026 Raw Mark Boundaries

Unit Unit Title Max Mark A* conversion point A Mark (%) B Mark (%) C Mark (%) D Mark (%) E Mark (%)
CH01 Inorganic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 56 (80.0%) 50 (71.4%) 44 (62.9%) 38 (54.3%) 32 (45.7%)
CH02 Organic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 58 (82.9%) 50 (71.4%) 43 (61.4%) 36 (51.4%) 29 (41.4%)
CH03 Inorganic 2 & Physical 2 80 74 (92.5%) 69 (86.3%) 60 (75.0%) 51 (63.8%) 43 (53.8%) 35 (43.8%)
CH04 Organic 2 & Physical 2 80 72 (90.0%) 65 (81.3%) 57 (71.3%) 49 (61.3%) 41 (51.3%) 33 (41.3%)
CH05 Practical & Synoptic Capstone 60 55 (91.7%) 51 (85.0%) 45 (75.0%) 39 (65.0%) 34 (56.7%) 29 (48.3%)

A dash (-) means there is no A* conversion point for AS units. Unit A* conversion points are used to award A* on the full A-level; A* is not printed on unit results.

January 2026 Raw Mark Boundaries

Unit Unit Title Max Mark A* conversion point A Mark (%) B Mark (%) C Mark (%) D Mark (%) E Mark (%)
CH01 Inorganic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 55 (78.6%) 48 (68.6%) 42 (60.0%) 36 (51.4%) 30 (42.9%)
CH02 Organic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 57 (81.4%) 49 (70.0%) 42 (60.0%) 35 (50.0%) 28 (40.0%)
CH03 Inorganic 2 & Physical 2 80 73 (91.3%) 66 (82.5%) 58 (72.5%) 50 (62.5%) 42 (52.5%) 35 (43.8%)
CH04 Organic 2 & Physical 2 80 69 (86.3%) 61 (76.3%) 53 (66.3%) 45 (56.3%) 38 (47.5%) 31 (38.8%)
CH05 Practical & Synoptic Capstone 60 54 (90.0%) 49 (81.7%) 44 (73.3%) 39 (65.0%) 34 (56.7%) 30 (50.0%)

A dash (-) means there is no A* conversion point for AS units. Unit A* conversion points are used to award A* on the full A-level; A* is not printed on unit results.

June 2025 Raw Mark Boundaries

Unit Unit Title Max Mark A* conversion point A Mark (%) B Mark (%) C Mark (%) D Mark (%) E Mark (%)
CH01 Inorganic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 58 (82.9%) 51 (72.9%) 44 (62.9%) 38 (54.3%) 32 (45.7%)
CH02 Organic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 60 (85.7%) 53 (75.7%) 46 (65.7%) 39 (55.7%) 33 (47.1%)
CH03 Inorganic 2 & Physical 2 80 73 (91.3%) 67 (83.8%) 59 (73.8%) 51 (63.8%) 43 (53.8%) 35 (43.8%)
CH04 Organic 2 & Physical 2 80 67 (83.8%) 59 (73.8%) 51 (63.8%) 43 (53.8%) 35 (43.8%) 27 (33.8%)
CH05 Practical & Synoptic Capstone 60 47 (78.3%) 42 (70.0%) 37 (61.7%) 33 (55.0%) 29 (48.3%) 25 (41.7%)

A dash (-) means there is no A* conversion point for AS units. Unit A* conversion points are used to award A* on the full A-level; A* is not printed on unit results.

January 2025 Raw Mark Boundaries

Unit Unit Title Max Mark A* conversion point A Mark (%) B Mark (%) C Mark (%) D Mark (%) E Mark (%)
CH01 Inorganic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 54 (77.1%) 48 (68.6%) 42 (60.0%) 36 (51.4%) 30 (42.9%)
CH02 Organic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 53 (75.7%) 46 (65.7%) 39 (55.7%) 32 (45.7%) 26 (37.1%)
CH03 Inorganic 2 & Physical 2 80 68 (85.0%) 60 (75.0%) 52 (65.0%) 44 (55.0%) 36 (45.0%) 29 (36.3%)
CH04 Organic 2 & Physical 2 80 70 (87.5%) 62 (77.5%) 54 (67.5%) 47 (58.8%) 40 (50.0%) 33 (41.3%)
CH05 Practical & Synoptic Capstone 60 52 (86.7%) 46 (76.7%) 40 (66.7%) 34 (56.7%) 29 (48.3%) 24 (40.0%)

A dash (-) means there is no A* conversion point for AS units. Unit A* conversion points are used to award A* on the full A-level; A* is not printed on unit results.

June 2024 Raw Mark Boundaries

Unit Unit Title Max Mark A* conversion point A Mark (%) B Mark (%) C Mark (%) D Mark (%) E Mark (%)
CH01 Inorganic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 54 (77.1%) 48 (68.6%) 42 (60.0%) 36 (51.4%) 30 (42.9%)
CH02 Organic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 52 (74.3%) 45 (64.3%) 38 (54.3%) 31 (44.3%) 25 (35.7%)
CH03 Inorganic 2 & Physical 2 80 68 (85.0%) 60 (75.0%) 52 (65.0%) 44 (55.0%) 36 (45.0%) 29 (36.3%)
CH04 Organic 2 & Physical 2 80 70 (87.5%) 62 (77.5%) 54 (67.5%) 46 (57.5%) 38 (47.5%) 31 (38.8%)
CH05 Practical & Synoptic Capstone 60 52 (86.7%) 46 (76.7%) 40 (66.7%) 34 (56.7%) 29 (48.3%) 24 (40.0%)

A dash (-) means there is no A* conversion point for AS units. Unit A* conversion points are used to award A* on the full A-level; A* is not printed on unit results.

January 2024 Raw Mark Boundaries

Unit Unit Title Max Mark A* conversion point A Mark (%) B Mark (%) C Mark (%) D Mark (%) E Mark (%)
CH01 Inorganic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 54 (77.1%) 46 (65.7%) 39 (55.7%) 32 (45.7%) 25 (35.7%)
CH02 Organic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 52 (74.3%) 44 (62.9%) 36 (51.4%) 28 (40.0%) 21 (30.0%)
CH03 Inorganic 2 & Physical 2 80 68 (85.0%) 60 (75.0%) 52 (65.0%) 44 (55.0%) 36 (45.0%) 29 (36.3%)
CH04 Organic 2 & Physical 2 80 68 (85.0%) 59 (73.8%) 50 (62.5%) 42 (52.5%) 34 (42.5%) 26 (32.5%)
CH05 Practical & Synoptic Capstone 60 52 (86.7%) 46 (76.7%) 40 (66.7%) 34 (56.7%) 29 (48.3%) 24 (40.0%)

A dash (-) means there is no A* conversion point for AS units. Unit A* conversion points are used to award A* on the full A-level; A* is not printed on unit results.

June 2023 Raw Mark Boundaries

Unit Unit Title Max Mark A* conversion point A Mark (%) B Mark (%) C Mark (%) D Mark (%) E Mark (%)
CH01 Inorganic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 54 (77.1%) 47 (67.1%) 41 (58.6%) 35 (50.0%) 29 (41.4%)
CH02 Organic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 52 (74.3%) 44 (62.9%) 36 (51.4%) 28 (40.0%) 21 (30.0%)
CH03 Inorganic 2 & Physical 2 80 68 (85.0%) 60 (75.0%) 52 (65.0%) 44 (55.0%) 36 (45.0%) 29 (36.3%)
CH04 Organic 2 & Physical 2 80 71 (88.8%) 63 (78.8%) 55 (68.8%) 47 (58.8%) 39 (48.8%) 31 (38.8%)
CH05 Practical & Synoptic Capstone 60 52 (86.7%) 46 (76.7%) 40 (66.7%) 34 (56.7%) 29 (48.3%) 24 (40.0%)

A dash (-) means there is no A* conversion point for AS units. Unit A* conversion points are used to award A* on the full A-level; A* is not printed on unit results.

January 2023 Raw Mark Boundaries

Unit Unit Title Max Mark A* conversion point A Mark (%) B Mark (%) C Mark (%) D Mark (%) E Mark (%)
CH01 Inorganic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 52 (74.3%) 45 (64.3%) 38 (54.3%) 32 (45.7%) 26 (37.1%)
CH02 Organic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 52 (74.3%) 45 (64.3%) 38 (54.3%) 32 (45.7%) 26 (37.1%)
CH03 Inorganic 2 & Physical 2 80 64 (80.0%) 56 (70.0%) 48 (60.0%) 40 (50.0%) 33 (41.3%) 26 (32.5%)
CH04 Organic 2 & Physical 2 80 63 (78.8%) 55 (68.8%) 47 (58.8%) 39 (48.8%) 31 (38.8%) 24 (30.0%)
CH05 Practical & Synoptic Capstone 60 48 (80.0%) 43 (71.7%) 38 (63.3%) 33 (55.0%) 28 (46.7%) 23 (38.3%)

A dash (-) means there is no A* conversion point for AS units. Unit A* conversion points are used to award A* on the full A-level; A* is not printed on unit results.

June 2022 Raw Mark Boundaries

Unit Unit Title Max Mark A* conversion point A Mark (%) B Mark (%) C Mark (%) D Mark (%) E Mark (%)
CH01 Inorganic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 52 (74.3%) 45 (64.3%) 38 (54.3%) 32 (45.7%) 26 (37.1%)
CH02 Organic 1 & Physical 1 70 - 52 (74.3%) 45 (64.3%) 38 (54.3%) 32 (45.7%) 26 (37.1%)
CH03 Inorganic 2 & Physical 2 80 64 (80.0%) 56 (70.0%) 48 (60.0%) 40 (50.0%) 33 (41.3%) 26 (32.5%)
CH04 Organic 2 & Physical 2 80 63 (78.8%) 55 (68.8%) 47 (58.8%) 39 (48.8%) 31 (38.8%) 23 (28.8%)
CH05 Practical & Synoptic Capstone 60 49 (81.7%) 43 (71.7%) 37 (61.7%) 32 (53.3%) 27 (45.0%) 22 (36.7%)

A dash (-) means there is no A* conversion point for AS units. Unit A* conversion points are used to award A* on the full A-level; A* is not printed on unit results.

Uniform Mark Scale (UMS) Conversion Framework

Raw marks are converted into UMS to account for differences in paper difficulty across examination series.

Component / Award Max UMS A* UMS A UMS (80%) B UMS (70%) C UMS (60%) D UMS (50%) E UMS (40%)
CH01 100 - 80 70 60 50 40
CH02 100 - 80 70 60 50 40
CH03 105 - 84 74 63 53 42
CH04 105 - 84 74 63 53 42
CH05 90 - 72 63 54 45 36
International AS (9621) 200 - 160 140 120 100 80
International A-Level (9622) 500 400 + 270 A2 400 350 300 250 200

To qualify for A*, candidates must achieve an overall total of at least 400 UMS (Grade A) plus an aggregate of at least 270 UMS out of 300 across the three A2 units: Unit 3 (105 UMS) + Unit 4 (105 UMS) + Unit 5 (90 UMS).

Strategic Alert: Unit 5 High A* Volatility

Historical grade boundaries reveal that Unit 5 is the single most sensitive component for A* attainment. Because Unit 5 carries a maximum total of only 60 marks, every single lost mark reduces your raw percentage by 1.67%. In June 2023 and June 2024 the Unit 5 A* conversion point was 52 (86.7%); in June 2026 it was 55 (91.7%).

Candidates dropping just 9 marks fall below the component A* standard. To maintain the mandatory 90% A2 aggregate threshold, any mark deficiency on Unit 5 forces a student to score upwards of 92% to 94% on Unit 3 and Unit 4. Complete mastery of the required practicals and percentage error mathematics is the decisive factor for an A*.

Unit 5 Max Marks 60
Mark Sensitivity 1.67% / mark
June 2024 A* Boundary 52 / 60 (86.7%)
Allowable Mark Loss for A* 8 Marks Only

Interactive Candidate Benchmark Estimator

Enter your target or trial raw marks across each unit to calculate your projected UMS, determine your overall grade, and verify your eligibility for the A* dual criteria hurdle (Total UMS >= 400 and A2 UMS >= 270).

303 / 360
Total Raw Score (84.2%)
435 / 500 UMS
Total UMS (87.0%)
270 / 300 UMS
A2 UMS (90.0%)
Grade A*
Qualifies for A* (Total UMS >= 400 and A2 UMS >= 270 hurdle cleared)

Based on June 2024 boundaries. Boundaries change every series.

High-Yield Examiner Differentiators

Direct insights from OxfordAQA examiner reports to secure maximum marks in modular papers.

Curly Arrow Precision

Curly arrows indicate the precise movement of a pair of electrons. In organic mechanisms:

  • Origin: Must start strictly from a lone pair of electrons or the center of a covalent bond.
  • Destination: Must point directly to the specific atom forming the new bond.
  • Zero Tolerance: Arrows starting from charge signs or floating in empty space lose marks immediately.

Zero Intermediate Rounding

Vertical quantitative chemistry links Units 1, 3, and 5:

  • Full Registers: Store intermediate numbers in calculator memory across all titration, gas law, and enthalpy steps.
  • Premature Rounding: Rounding midway causes compounded errors that forfeit the final accuracy mark.
  • Significant Figures: Match final answers to the least precise piece of experimental data given.

Quickfit Joint Setup

Unit 5 demands technical understanding of laboratory apparatus:

  • Reflux Condenser: Must remain open at the top. Sealing the top creates a closed vessel that can fracture under pressure.
  • Water Direction: Water must enter the condenser jacket at the bottom and exit at the top to prevent air pockets.
  • Thermometer Bulb: In distillation, the bulb must align precisely with the condenser side-arm entrance.
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