Cambridge International AS & A Level Chemistry 9701 · exams in 2025, 2026 and 2027
The 9701 syllabus, topic by topic
The current Cambridge International AS & A Level Chemistry 9701 syllabus is for exams in 2025, 2026 and 2027. It is examined in 5 papers and lists 37 numbered topics. AS Level: Papers 1, 2 and 3 in the same series. A Level: All five papers — in one series, or Papers 1–3 first with Papers 4 and 5 in a later series.
Cambridge publishes the syllabus, not how often each topic is examined. Beside the topics below is what Quanta measured on 23 real 9701 papers (Paper 1): the share of the questions each topic carried. The biggest is An introduction to AS Level organic chemistry, at 11.3% of Paper 1.
Source: Cambridge AS & A Level Chemistry 9701 syllabus, 2025–2027 (PDF, version 1, published September 2022).
Updated 5 October 2026
The 9701 papers
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Multiple Choice40 multiple-choice questions on the AS content1 hour 15 minutes · 31% of AS · 15.5% of A Level | 1 hour 15 minutes | 40 | 31% of AS · 15.5% of A Level |
| Paper 2: AS Level Structured QuestionsStructured questions on the AS content1 hour 15 minutes · 46% of AS · 23% of A Level | 1 hour 15 minutes | 60 | 46% of AS · 23% of A Level |
| Paper 3: Advanced Practical SkillsPractical work and structured questions2 hours · 23% of AS · 11.5% of A Level | 2 hours | 40 | 23% of AS · 11.5% of A Level |
| Paper 4: A Level Structured QuestionsStructured questions on the A Level content2 hours · 38.5% of A Level | 2 hours | 100 | 38.5% of A Level |
| Paper 5: Planning, Analysis and EvaluationQuestions on planning, analysing and evaluating experiments1 hour 15 minutes · 11.5% of A Level | 1 hour 15 minutes | 30 | 11.5% of A Level |
- AS Level: Papers 1, 2 and 3 in the same series.
- A Level: All five papers — in one series, or Papers 1–3 first with Papers 4 and 5 in a later series.
AS Level is graded a to e; A Level A* to E. Exams run in the June and November series; schools in India can also enter in March. When each series’ papers come out →
AS Level topics (1–22)
“In past papers” is each topic’s share of all the questions on 23 Paper 1 sittings from 2023 to 2025, and how many of those sittings it appeared on. Each question is counted once, under the topic it mainly tests.
Physical chemistry
| # | Topic | In past papers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atomic structureAtomic structure guide | 6.3% · 58 qon 23/23 |
| 2 | Atoms, molecules and stoichiometryMoles and stoichiometry guide | 8.3% · 76 qon 23/23 |
| 3 | Chemical bondingChemical bonding guide | 6.4% · 59 qon 23/23 |
| 4 | States of matter | 4.8% · 44 qon 23/23 |
| 5 | Chemical energeticsChemical energetics guide | 5.1% · 47 qon 23/23 |
| 6 | ElectrochemistryRedox and oxidation numbers guide | 4.8% · 44 qon 22/23 |
| 7 | EquilibriaEquilibria guide | 5.3% · 49 qon 23/23 |
| 8 | Reaction kinetics | 4.7% · 43 qon 21/23 |
Inorganic chemistry
| # | Topic | In past papers |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | The Periodic Table: chemical periodicity | 4.3% · 40 qon 22/23 |
| 10 | Group 2Group 2 guide | 5.8% · 53 qon 23/23 |
| 11 | Group 17 | 3.9% · 36 qon 21/23 |
| 12 | Nitrogen and sulfur | 2.7% · 25 qon 17/23 |
Organic chemistry
| # | Topic | In past papers |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | An introduction to AS Level organic chemistryIntroduction to organic chemistry guide | 11.3% · 104 qon 23/23 |
| 14 | Hydrocarbons | 3.7% · 34 qon 19/23 |
| 15 | Halogen compounds | 3.3% · 30 qon 21/23 |
| 16 | Hydroxy compounds | 4% · 37 qon 18/23 |
| 17 | Carbonyl compounds | 3.9% · 36 qon 21/23 |
| 18 | Carboxylic acids and derivatives | 5.4% · 50 qon 23/23 |
| 19 | Nitrogen compounds | 1.3% · 12 qon 9/23 |
| 20 | Polymerisation | 2% · 18 qon 18/23 |
| 21 | Organic synthesis | 0.7% · 6 qon 6/23 |
Analysis
| # | Topic | In past papers |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Analytical techniques | 2.1% · 19 qon 17/23 |
A Level topics (23–37)
Quanta hasn’t mapped these papers, so the topics are listed without counts — the numbering and names are Cambridge’s.
Physical chemistry
| # | Topic |
|---|---|
| 23 | Chemical energetics |
| 24 | Electrochemistry |
| 25 | Equilibria |
| 26 | Reaction kinetics |
Inorganic chemistry
| # | Topic |
|---|---|
| 27 | Group 2 |
| 28 | Chemistry of transition elements |
Organic chemistry
| # | Topic |
|---|---|
| 29 | An introduction to A Level organic chemistry |
| 30 | Hydrocarbons |
| 31 | Halogen compounds |
| 32 | Hydroxy compounds |
| 33 | Carboxylic acids and derivatives |
| 34 | Nitrogen compounds |
| 35 | Polymerisation |
| 36 | Organic synthesis |
Analysis
| # | Topic |
|---|---|
| 37 | Analytical techniques |
What changed in this syllabus
This is version 1, published September 2022, for exams in 2025, 2026 and 2027.
- The only content change Cambridge lists is an update to the reagents in 15.1(c) and 16.2(b).
- Textbooks endorsed for exams from 2022 are still suitable.
Revising for 9701
- 9701 grade boundaries — the raw mark every paper needed for each grade, all 11 series since 2023.
- Most common topics in 9701 — every topic ranked by what it carried across 23 real papers.
- 9701 topical past papers — every question filed under the syllabus topic it tests, with its paper and marks.
- All 23 mapped 9701 past papers — each with its code, filename and its own topic breakdown.
- How Cambridge paper codes work — what 0580/42/O/N/25 and 9709_s25_qp_12 each mean.
- How to revise from mark schemes and how to find your weak topics.
- Source: Cambridge AS & A Level Chemistry 9701 syllabus, 2025–2027 (PDF, Cambridge International).
Practise Chemistry against real mark schemes
Quanta has real Cambridge AS Chemistry 9701 past-paper questions, with every answer explained after you commit to it and each question tied to the syllabus topic it tests — and it tracks which skills you’re missing. Free for individual students.
Start practising freeCommon questions
What topics are in A Level Chemistry 9701?
37 numbered topics: AS Level topics (22), A Level topics (15). The full list is above in Cambridge’s numbering, with the share of the questions each one has carried on the papers Quanta has mapped.
How many papers are there in 9701?
5: Paper 1 (Multiple Choice, 40 marks), Paper 2 (AS Level Structured Questions, 60 marks), Paper 3 (Advanced Practical Skills, 40 marks), Paper 4 (A Level Structured Questions, 100 marks), Paper 5 (Planning, Analysis and Evaluation, 30 marks). AS Level: Papers 1, 2 and 3 in the same series. A Level: All five papers — in one series, or Papers 1–3 first with Papers 4 and 5 in a later series.
Which 9701 topic comes up most?
On the 23 Paper 1 papers Quanta has mapped, An introduction to AS Level organic chemistry (13) carried the most: 11.3% of the questions, appearing on 23 of them. The full ranking →
Is the 9701 syllabus changing?
This syllabus covers exams in 2025, 2026 and 2027. The only content change Cambridge lists is an update to the reagents in 15.1(c) and 16.2(b). For later years, check the syllabus page for 9701 on Cambridge International’s website — Cambridge publishes the next syllabus well before it is first examined.