What should I revise for AQA A Level chemistry Paper 2 (2026)?

How did Paper 1 go? Hopefully there weren’t too many nasty surprises – if it didn’t go to plan, the best thing is always to focus on moving forwards! In this post, we’ll look at the content you should revise for AQA A Level chemistry Paper 2, including the topics that almost always come up, predictions for 2026, and common areas that students find difficult.

You can purchase predicted papers and practice papers for AQA A Level chemistry using the link below.

If you want a complete revision package that’s designed to focus on exam technique and essential topics (especially if you are aiming for A-A* grade), my A Level chemistry Exam Prep Hub includes not only all the predicted papers for the last three years (with video walkthroughs) but also a large selection of practice assessments – all with video walkthroughs and unseen questions to give you a more realistic ‘exam feel’.

Because Paper 1 is over, the predicted papers, exam classes and recordings are all now on sale!

Topics included in A Level chemistry AQA Paper 2

Paper 2 focuses on physical and organic chemistry; You can get a comprehensive list of topics on the AQA website, but the topics that can be covered are:

• The rate equation and orders
• Temperature and rates of reaction (Arrhenius equation, Maxwell-Boltzman)
• Calculations and amount of substance
• ALL organic chemistry
• Relevant practical skills*

*The practical skills will be related most likely to organic techniques such as reflux, distillation, recrystallisation, as well as techniques used to monitor reaction rates.

What are the most common topics for AQA chemistry A level Paper 2?

There are certain topics and types of question that are VERY LIKELY to come up and you should know these well, including:

• Determining orders and the rate determining step
• Tests for organic functional groups
• Equilibrium calculations
• Spectroscopy, especially ¹H NMR
• Ideal gas and empirical formula calculations
• Electrophilic addition
• Shapes and intermolecular forces (usually linked to organic molecules)

Predictions for AQA chemistry A Level Paper 2 2026?

Looking through past papers, I have a few extra predictions that you should focus on for this year’s paper:

• Benzene – evidence for structure and bonding
• Alcohols and oxidation reactions
• Preparation of amines
• Paper / gas chromatography
• Elimination reactions
• Preparation of esters

The video below summarises my predictions for AQA A Level chemistry paper 2 for 2026 – remember these are just educated guesses, so make sure you revise thoroughly and check out the predicted papers and revision classes if you’d like some more support!