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CHEMISTRY-B-SALTERS-H033 · Cambridge OCR AS Level

CHEMISTRY-B-SALTERS-H033/21

Paper 2

Chemistry B Salters · June 2024 · Variant 1

Relative difficulty

Demanding · 3.8/5

Analysis source: OCR

Analysis aligned to the official syllabus and assessment design.

Relative difficulty

3.8 / 5

Total marks

140

Duration

180 min

Most tested topic

Inorganic Halogen Chemistry and Redox

Cohort performance

Session statistics from official examination reports

Total marks

140

Duration

180 min

Session difficulty

3.8 / 5

Key examiner messages

Top priorities from the principal examiner before you revise

1

High-scoring candidates demonstrated precision in fundamental chemical skills.

2

Marks were easily secured in the multiple-choice section of Paper 1 and on basic nomenclature.

3

However, many students dropped critical marks on the following:

Question difficulty map

How candidates performed on each question in this series

No data available in official reports

Assessment objectives

Skill and AO weighting from official examiner commentary

Mathematical & Calculation7
Practical & Experimental6
Conceptual Explanation4
Organic2
Mechanism1

Skill weighting

Shows the skill mix this paper tested most heavily.

Mathematical & CalculationMathematical &CalculationPractical & ExperimentalPractical &ExperimentalConceptual ExplanationConceptualExplanationOrganicOrganicMechanismMechanism
SkillWeightShare
  • Mathematical & Calculation

    Weight: 7100%
  • Practical & Experimental

    Weight: 686%
  • Conceptual Explanation

    Weight: 457%
  • Organic

    Weight: 229%
  • Mechanism

    Weight: 114%

Method marks watchlist

Where working, steps, or method marks were commonly lost

No data available in official reports

Recurring mistakes across years

Themes examiners flag in multiple recent sessions for this subject

No data available in official reports

Question choice intelligence

Mean scores and popularity for optional questions (HKDSE electives)

No data available in official reports

Level exemplars

What candidate scripts at each grade level looked like

No data available in official reports

Grade & admission context

How marks relate to grade thresholds and entry standards

Report type

Examiner report — national grade boundaries and question-level commentary

Level A

Approx. 66% of maximum mark

Level B

Approx. 56% of maximum mark

Level C

Approx. 46% of maximum mark

Level D

Approx. 36% of maximum mark

Level E

Approx. 27% of maximum mark

Deep insights

What top candidates did

Techniques and approaches examiners rewarded in this series

No data available in official reports

Command word playbook

How to match each command word to the expected response style

CalculateFrequency: 12

Show formula, substitution, and unit; method marks need visible working.

ExplainFrequency: 9

Give reasons and link mechanism to outcome; each point needs a because/so chain.

DescribeFrequency: 6

State features in sequence or list observable properties — do not explain causes unless asked.

DrawFrequency: 5

Match the expected response style for “Draw” questions.

IdentifyFrequency: 4

Name or point to the specific feature asked for — avoid extra explanation.

Time traps

Sections where candidates spent disproportionate time relative to marks

Paper 1 Section A (25m / 20 marks

Min per mark: 1.3

Paper 1 Section B (65m / 50 marks

Min per mark: 1.3

Syllabus traceability

Topics linked to questions and mark weighting in this session

Inorganic chemistry and the periodic table (Elements from the sea (ES))

14 marks this session

Equilibria (Elements from the sea (ES))

13 marks this session

Formulae, equations and amount of substance (Developing fuels (DF))

11 marks this session

MCQ trap analytics

Commonly chosen wrong options from examiner commentary

No data available in official reports

Topic heatmap across years

Mark concentration by topic and exam year for this subject

Mark intensity

LowHigh
Topic
2022
2023
2024
Σ

Inorganic chemistry and the periodic table (Elements from the sea (ES))

15
14
29

Energetics (Developing fuels (DF))

15
14
29

Formulae, equations and amount of substance (Elements of life (EL))

20
20

Bonding and structure (Developing fuels (DF))

14
14

Equilibria (Elements from the sea (ES))

13
13

Modern analytical techniques (What’s in a medicine? (WM))

13
13

Formulae, equations and amount of substance (Developing fuels (DF))

11
11

Kinetics (Developing fuels (DF))

10
10

Paper comparison

Marks and duration breakdown across papers in this session

H033/01 Foundations of chemistry: H033/02 Chemistry in depth:

70 marks90 min

Marks you can still earn

Where valid approaches outside the mark scheme may still gain credit

No data available in official reports

Practise what examiners flagged

Target weak topics from this report inside the Revui app

Self-diagnostic checklist

Key actions before you sit this paper — copy and tick off as you revise

  • 1Message

    High-scoring candidates demonstrated precision in fundamental chemical skills.

  • 2Message

    Marks were easily secured in the multiple-choice section of Paper 1 and on basic nomenclature.

  • 3Message

    However, many students dropped critical marks on the following:

Teacher briefing pack

One-page session summary for tutors and classroom review

June 2024 2024

Chemistry B Salters

High-scoring candidates demonstrated precision in fundamental chemical skills. Marks were easily secured in the multiple-choice section of Paper 1 and on basic nomenclature. However, many students dropped critical marks on the following:

  • High-scoring candidates demonstrated precision in fundamental chemical skills.

  • Marks were easily secured in the multiple-choice section of Paper 1 and on basic nomenclature.

  • However, many students dropped critical marks on the following:

Total marks
140
Duration
180 min
Session difficulty
3.8 / 5

Session analysis

High-scoring candidates demonstrated precision in fundamental chemical skills. Marks were easily secured in the multiple-choice section of Paper 1 and on basic nomenclature. However, many students dropped critical marks on the following:

Updated Jun 14, 2026

Paper breakdown

H033/01 Foundations of chemistry: H033/02 Chemistry in depth:

70 marks90 min

Top chapters

Inorganic chemistry and the periodic table (Elements from the sea (ES))14 marks
Equilibria (Elements from the sea (ES))13 marks
Formulae, equations and amount of substance (Developing fuels (DF))11 marks

Exam structure insights

Marks by chapter

See where the marks were concentrated so revision time goes to the highest-value topics.

Atomic structure (Elements of l9 marks
Bonding and structure (Developi5 marks
Bonding and structure (Elements3 marks
Organic functional groups (Deve8 marks
Formulae, equations and amount11 marks
Inorganic chemistry and the per14 marks
Organic reactions (What’s in a1 marks
Modern analytical techniques (W8 marks

Mark accessibility

Estimate which marks were basic, mid-level, or high-difficulty.

79% within easy or medium reach

45
65
30
Easy: 45 marksMedium: 65 marksHard: 30 marks

Command word frequency

Spot common command words so answers match the expected response style.

Calculate12 times
Explain9 times
Describe6 times
Draw5 times
Identify4 times

Question type mix

Compare the mark share of each paper section and question type.

140Marks
  • Short Answer

    (SAQ)

    108·35·77%

  • Multiple Choice

    (MCQ)

    20·20·14%

  • Extended Response

    (LOR)

    12·2·9%

Study ROI

Bigger bubbles recur more often; higher bubbles carry more marks, helping you rank revision priorities.

DifficultyRecurrence %Inorganic chemistr…Formulae, equation…Inorganic chemistr…Equilibria (Elemen…Energetics (Develo…

Difficulty trend

Compare difficulty across recent years.

3.220223.820233.82024

Time vs marks

Compare marks with suggested time allocation to plan exam pacing.

MarksMinutesMarks / min

Paper 1 Section A (

0.80 m/min
20
25

Paper 1 Section B (

0.77 m/min
50
65

Total marks

70

Total time

90 min

Avg pace

0.78

Next-year prediction

Topics worth watching next year, with the reason shown directly below each bar.

Organic functional groups (What’s in a medicine? (WM))

85%

85%

Kinetics (The ozone story (OZ))

78%

78%

Analysis is paraphrased for study purposes. Always verify against the official examiner report and mark scheme.

CHEMISTRY-B-SALTERS-H033/21 — Cambridge OCR AS Level Chemistry B Salters (June 2024) | Revui