GCSE Chemistry tutors
16 UK tutors who teach Chemistry at GCSE. £15–£150/hr · median £40
Chemistry spans GCSE (combined or triple), A-level and Pre-U, with the usual sticking points clustered around moles and stoichiometry, organic mechanisms, and the energetics/kinetics/equilibria block at A-level. Tutoring helps most with the conceptual bridges (why electrons go where they go, how to read a mechanism rather than memorise it) and with the long-mark structured questions where method marks are won or lost. AQA, OCR A, OCR B (Salters), Edexcel and CIE differ meaningfully on required practicals and synoptic style. For medicine and Oxbridge applicants, look for tutors comfortable taking problems past the syllabus.
GCSE chemistry splits into a part students can reason through and a part they simply have to know. Bonding, moles and rates reward understanding; the qualitative tests, the reactivity series and the required practicals reward recall, and students who are strong at the first half often lose marks on the second. Mathematical skills carry a 20 per cent assessment weighting, which mostly means moles, concentration and percentage yield. Required practicals are examined in the written papers rather than assessed in the lab. Tutoring at this level tends to divide the same way: untangling the mole concept, then building a memory routine for the recall-heavy topics.
GCSEs are sat in Year 11 (age 15-16), with most students taking 8-10 subjects. They're the main UK school qualification at 16: the 9-1 graded exams that drive sixth-form admission, apprenticeship eligibility, and (via maths and English at grade 4 or 5) university and many job prerequisites. Tutoring demand peaks here. The biggest grade gains tend to come from exam-paper technique rather than further content. Students often know more than they show. Boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, WJEC, CIE) diverge on content and assessment, so tutor familiarity with the specific spec is meaningful in most subjects.
92% got grade 4 or above in 2026 across the UK (JCQ). Exam boards, dates and past papers
Suzanne W.
Chemistry A-Level and GCSE tutor with over 35 years of teaching and tutoring experience. Principal Examiner for a leading Examination Board.
- Chemistry
Luke P.
Friendly GCSE Maths and Science tutor, 10+ years of experience. Experienced in helping students with neurodiversity and SEN, ADHD and ASD.
- Maths
- Combined Science
- Science
- +4 more
- SpLD
- Autism
- ADHD & EF
- +1 more
Joseph M.
Qualified teacher with a first class master's in physics from Cambridge University and eight years' experience as a classroom teacher.
- Physics
- Further Maths
- Maths
- +9 more
About the GCSE Chemistry exam
Which exam board?
Your child's school will know which board they sit.
AQA · 8462 Specification
Exam dates, summer 2027
- Monday, 17 May 2027 Paper 1, morning
- Tuesday, 15 June 2027 Paper 2, morning
Past papers, June 2025
Higher tier
- Paper 1 Question paper Mark scheme Examiners' report Insert
- Paper 2 Question paper Mark scheme Examiners' report Insert
Foundation tier
- Paper 1 Question paper Mark scheme Examiners' report Insert
- Paper 2 Question paper Mark scheme Examiners' report Insert
Grade boundaries, every series
Grade boundaries
| Series | Tier | Grade 4 | Grade 7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | Higher | 43/200 22% | 120/200 60% |
| June 2026 | Foundation | 110/200 55% | Not on this tier |
| June 2025 | Higher | 42/200 21% | 115/200 58% |
| June 2025 | Foundation | 109/200 55% | Not on this tier |
The total marks needed across all the papers. From AQA GCSE grade boundaries, June 2026 and AQA GCSE grade boundaries, June 2025.
How students do
Share of UK entries who got grade 4 or above, and who got grade 7 or above, all boards.
- 2019 90.1%·44.1%
- 2020 95.7%·53.3%
- 2021 94.4%·54.9%
- 2022 93%·50%
- 2023 89.8%·44%
- 2024 90.5%·44.9%
- 2025 91.5%·46.1%
- 2026 92%·47.1%
2020 and 2021 were teacher-assessed grades, which is why they run higher. All ages, including students resitting. From GCSE (full course) results summer, all UK candidates.
Read up before you book
Plain-English guides
About Chemistry
What Chemistry covers across UK levels, where tutoring usually helps, and what to look for in a tutor.
About GCSE
Year groups, exam timing, and how GCSE fits into the UK qualification ladder.
Exam boards
AQA, Edexcel, OCR, Eduqas, CCEA, SQA (now Qualifications Scotland) and Cambridge International: what each is known for.
Also explore