How to answer Section 2 questions

Section 2 is worth 60 marks: restricted and extended response questions, many set around an experiment or a set of data. The command word and the marks tell you how much to write.

Marks	60
Questions	Restricted and extended response
Often includes	Experiments, data and calculations
Content	All seven sections

Answer to the command word

State or name: a short, exact answer, often a word or a formula.
Describe: what happens or what you would do, step by step.
Explain: the point and the reason for it, using because, so or which means.
Calculate: the working, the answer and its unit, to the significant figures the data justify.

Calculations

Write the balanced equation, convert to moles, use the mole ratio, then convert back. Change cm³ to litres before you use a concentration in mol l⁻¹, and the mass of water to kilograms before you use Eh = cmΔT. Give the unit, and do not quote far more figures than the data were given to.

Try 2 questions

Question 1

Titration results.
Titration	Titre / cm³
Rough	24.3
1	23.6
2	23.5
3	23.9

A pupil carries out a rough titration and then three more. The titres are shown in the table. Titres within 0.2 cm³ of each other are concordant. Which average titre should the pupil use to calculate the concentration?

Question 2

Voltages of four metals paired with copper
Metal paired with copper	Voltage (V)	Electron flow in the wires
W	1.1	W to copper
X	0.3	X to copper
Y	2.7	Y to copper
Z	0.5	copper to Z

Pupils join half-cells of four metals, W, X, Y and Z, in turn to a copper half-cell and record the voltage and the direction of electron flow in the wires. Which is the order of the metals in the electrochemical series, highest first?

Next step

Take the free test Start the neutralisation, titration and salts lesson

Questions people ask

How are written answers read here?

Mia reads each written answer against its mark points and says which points it shows and what to add next. She never shows a mark or writes the answer for you.

Do I need to show working in calculations?

Yes. Write each step so a marker can follow it, and finish with the value and its unit.