CSCA Chemistry Syllabus 2026 — Every Topic That Can Appear

Who Needs CSCA Chemistry?

Chemistry is required for medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, chemical engineering, materials science and most life-science programmes. Many general engineering programmes ask for Physics instead, and business and liberal arts programmes do not require it at all — confirm against your target programme's admission brochure before you commit.

This guide covers every topic that can appear, the approximate weighting of each module, and the calculation types that decide most students' scores.

Paper Format

• 48 questions in 60 minutes — about 75 seconds per question.
• Marked out of 100, reported separately from your other subjects.
• Available in both Chinese and English.
• No calculator. Mole arithmetic has to be quick and clean by hand.

Module 1 — Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table (20–25%)

• The atom: protons, neutrons, electrons, atomic and mass number
• Isotopes and relative atomic mass calculations
• Electron shells and electron configuration
• Structure of the periodic table: groups, periods, blocks
• Periodic trends: atomic radius and ionisation energy
• Periodic trends: electronegativity and metallic character
• Group 1 alkali metals
• Group 17 halogens
• Group 18 noble gases
• Ions and the basics of ionic bonding
• Relative formula mass and an introduction to moles

Expect one or two calculation questions (isotopic relative atomic mass, formula mass, moles), one explanation question on periodic trends, and one on group properties. See the Atomic Structure module.

Module 2 — Chemical Reactions (25–30%)

The largest block, and the one with the most calculation.

• Writing and balancing chemical equations
• Types of reaction: synthesis, decomposition, displacement, combustion
• Acids, bases and the pH scale
• Reactions of acids with metals, bases and carbonates
• Exothermic and endothermic reactions
• Rates of reaction and collision theory
• Catalysts
• Electrolysis basics
• The reactivity series and extraction of metals
• Conservation of mass and reacting-mass calculations
• Oxidation and reduction (redox)

Equation balancing appears on essentially every paper, and rate questions almost always hinge on identifying the control variables in a fair test. See the Chemical Reactions module.

Module 3 — Organic Chemistry (20–25%)

• Introduction to organic chemistry and homologous series
• Alkanes
• Alkenes and the bromine water test
• Crude oil and fractional distillation
• Polymers and polymerisation
• Alcohols
• Carboxylic acids
• Isomers: chain, position and functional group isomerism
• Air quality and pollution
• The Earth's atmosphere
• Water treatment and purity

Naming, drawing repeat units and identifying isomer types are the recurring question forms. Note that oxidation products depend on the class of alcohol — primary alcohols give aldehydes then acids, secondary give ketones, tertiary resist oxidation. See the Organic Chemistry module.

Module 4 — Inorganic Chemistry and Quantitative Analysis (25–30%)

Bonding and mole calculations dominate here, and both appear year after year.

• Covalent bonding and dot-and-cross diagrams
• Giant covalent structures: diamond, graphite, silicon dioxide
• Metallic bonding
• Ionic bonding in detail and the properties it produces
• States of matter and changes of state
• Separation techniques: filtration, distillation, chromatography
• Chemical tests for gases and ions
• The mole and molar mass calculations
• Concentration and titration calculations
• Gas volume calculations, percentage yield and atom economy
• Electrolysis in detail

Comparing ionic, covalent and metallic bonding is close to a guaranteed question. See the Inorganic Chemistry module.

How the Marks Are Spread

Module	Share of the paper
Chemical Reactions	25–30%
Inorganic Chemistry and Quantitative Analysis	25–30%
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table	20–25%
Organic Chemistry	20–25%

These are estimates drawn from the pattern of past papers rather than a published specification, and the ranges overlap deliberately. Use them for prioritising revision, not for predicting a specific paper.

The Calculations That Decide Your Score

Chemistry rewards a small number of calculation routines practised until they are automatic:

1. Moles from mass: moles = mass divided by molar mass. Almost every quantitative question starts here.
2. Reacting masses: mass to moles, apply the equation ratio, moles back to mass.
3. Concentration and titration: moles = concentration times volume in cubic decimetres. Watch the conversion from cubic centimetres.
4. Gas volumes: one mole of any gas occupies 24 cubic decimetres at room temperature and pressure.
5. Percentage yield and atom economy: different denominators — yield compares actual with theoretical mass, atom economy compares the desired product with all products.

Where Marks Are Actually Lost

• Unbalanced equations feeding a calculation. Balance first, then compute — an unbalanced ratio makes every later step wrong.
• Volume units. Titration questions mix cubic centimetres and cubic decimetres, and the factor of 1000 is the most common single error on the paper.
• Confusing the tests. Limewater for carbon dioxide, glowing splint for oxygen, squeaky pop for hydrogen, damp litmus for chlorine.
• Describing rather than explaining. Trend questions want the reason — shielding, nuclear charge, atomic radius — not a restatement of the trend.

How to Prepare

Start with Atomic Structure, because bonding and the periodic table underpin everything else, then take Chemical Reactions, then Inorganic and Quantitative Analysis, then Organic. All four modules are free on CSCA.HELP, and the practice exams let you check your pace under the real 75-seconds-a-question constraint.