This page gives you a route through SPM Chemistry revision: a checklist of can-do statements and a four-stage loop to use on each topic. It is a revision aid, not the official syllabus.
For the syllabus and paper details, check the Lembaga Peperiksaan website (lp.moe.gov.my) and the BPK website (bpk.moe.gov.my). Return to the SPM Chemistry guide for all topics.
What is the four-stage loop?
Use the same loop on every topic, so that revision becomes a habit.
- Recall: write what you remember from a blank page, then check it.
- Practise: do original questions on the topic with full working.
- Explain: write the explanation answers in full sentences and compare them with a model.
- Repeat: return to the gaps after two or three days.
Topic checklist
Tick each statement only when you can do it from a blank page.
| Topic | Can-do statements |
|---|---|
| Matter and atomic structure | Describe the particles of matter and draw an atom’s structure |
| Moles, formulae and equations | Balance an equation and calculate moles, mass and volume |
| Periodic table | Link position in the table to electron arrangement and properties |
| Chemical bonding | Draw ionic and covalent bonding and link structure to properties |
| Acids, bases and salts | Explain acidity and describe the preparation of salts |
| Rate of reaction | Calculate rates from graphs and explain factors with collision theory |
| Manufactured materials | Explain a material’s use from its composition and properties |
| Redox equilibrium | Assign oxidation numbers, write half-equations and explain cells |
| Carbon compounds | Name compounds, write equations and explain reactions |
| Thermochemistry | Distinguish exothermic and endothermic changes and calculate heat change |
| Polymers | Describe how polymers form and explain their uses |
How should you set the order?
Count the boxes you could not tick for each topic. Revise the topics with the most gaps first, but place moles, formulae and equations early, since its calculations appear throughout the other topics.
Practice questions are available for some topics, for example the rate of reaction practice set and the redox practice set.
Which tools help you schedule it?
- The realistic revision planner spreads your chemistry topics across the weeks before your exam.
- The spaced recall planner schedules the repeat stage.
- The skill evidence tracker records which statements you can demonstrate.
When might a teacher help?
If the same statements stay unticked after two rounds, the gap may be a basic skill underneath the topic. A teacher can find it quickly and work on it with you. See online one-to-one Chemistry tuition.