Stage 2 Chemistry Subject Outline
School assessment contributes 70%: Investigations Folio 30% and Skills and Applications Tasks 40%. The external examination contributes 30% and lasts 130 minutes, with no separate reading period stated. The verified 2023–2025 papers contain structured written responses in Question booklet 1 and Question booklet 2, totalling 120 marks; the split between booklets varies. The original practice model follows the researched per-paper allocation. Multiple-choice practice drills are a platform learning format, not a reproduction of the Chemistry examination format.
Past papers on this subject span more than one subject outline. Papers written under an older one still work as practice, but the topics they test have changed — the index labels every paper with the subject outline it was set under.
Archived written papers — check current outline · 2023–2025
The topics, one by one
Each area below lists the concepts named in the subject outline, what the SACE Board exam asks of them, and the mistake that most often costs marks.
- Topic 1: Monitoring the environment
- Topic 2: Managing chemical processes
- Topic 3: Organic and biological chemistry
- Topic 4: Managing resources
- Science inquiry and science as a human endeavour
Area 1 of 5
Topic 1: Monitoring the environment
Connect greenhouse processes, ocean acidification and photochemical smog to chemical reactions. Use concentration, titration and chromatographic evidence to analyse environmental samples.
What the subject outline lists under this area · 5 points
- Subtopic 1.1: Global warming and climate change
- Subtopic 1.2: Photochemical smog
- Subtopic 1.3: Volumetric analysis
- Subtopic 1.4: Chromatography
- Subtopic 1.5: Atomic spectroscopy
What the exam asks
Balance relevant equations, calculate quantities and pH from supplied data, and interpret separation and analytical measurements.
Where marks go missing
A clear solution can still contain dissolved contaminants; a chromatographic match is evidence with limits, not automatic proof of a unique identity.
Area 2 of 5
Topic 2: Managing chemical processes
Explain reaction rates through collision theory, activation energy and catalysts, then use dynamic equilibrium to analyse changing industrial conditions.
What the subject outline lists under this area · 3 points
- Subtopic 2.1: Rates of reactions
- Subtopic 2.2: Equilibrium and yield
- Subtopic 2.3: Optimising production
What the exam asks
Interpret energy profiles and rate data, calculate equilibrium quantities and justify production choices using yield, rate, cost and environmental evidence.
Where marks go missing
A catalyst changes the rate of reaching equilibrium, not the equilibrium constant or composition at fixed temperature.
Area 3 of 5
Topic 3: Organic and biological chemistry
Identify and represent functional groups, their reactions and their effects on properties. Connect carbohydrates, triglycerides and proteins to the structures and reactions of their component molecules.
What the subject outline lists under this area · 10 points
- Subtopic 3.1: Introduction
- Subtopic 3.2: Alcohols
- Subtopic 3.3: Aldehydes and ketones
- Subtopic 3.4: Carbohydrates
- Subtopic 3.5: Carboxylic acids
- Subtopic 3.6: Amines
- Subtopic 3.7: Esters
- Subtopic 3.8: Amides
- Subtopic 3.9: Triglycerides
- Subtopic 3.10: Proteins
What the exam asks
Draw and interpret structural formulae, predict oxidation, condensation and hydrolysis products, and explain polarity, solubility, intermolecular interactions and protein function.
Where marks go missing
Preserve atoms and connectivity when constructing a link; denaturation does not necessarily hydrolyse a protein’s peptide backbone.
Area 4 of 5
Topic 4: Managing resources
Compare fuels and electricity generation, explain water treatment and soil nutrient exchange, and connect polymer structure and metal extraction to resource decisions.
What the subject outline lists under this area · 4 points
- Subtopic 4.1: Energy
- Subtopic 4.2: Water
- Subtopic 4.3: Soil
- Subtopic 4.4: Materials
What the exam asks
Use thermochemical and stoichiometric calculations, balanced redox half-equations, ion-exchange reasoning and evidence-based comparisons of production and recycling routes.
Where marks go missing
Renewable, biodegradable and recyclable describe different features. Water-only exhaust or softened water does not establish every relevant environmental or water-quality claim.
Area 5 of 5
Science inquiry and science as a human endeavour
Design investigations, define and control variables, represent data, assess uncertainty and connect chemical knowledge to its development and use in society.
What the exam asks
Apply both Investigation, Analysis, and Evaluation and Knowledge and Application criteria to the specific source, including unfamiliar and cross-topic contexts.
Where marks go missing
Repeating a biased method does not remove its systematic error. A generic benefit or limitation must be linked to the stated chemical process.
Common questions
Are the practice papers official past examinations?
No. They are original ATARMAxxing questions with worked explanations. Official SACE examination papers and Subject Assessment Advice are linked separately.
Why are there multiple-choice practice drills?
They support retrieval and checking of concepts. The verified Chemistry examinations use structured written responses, so the multiple-choice drills should not be treated as a replica of the paper.
How are the two booklets timed and marked?
The papers advise approximately 65 minutes per booklet within 130 minutes total. Both booklets together carry 120 marks in the verified papers, but their individual mark allocations vary by year. Follow the instructions on the particular paper.
What reference material is supplied?
The Chemistry data sheet and periodic table are supplied. Use the linked official calculator rules for permitted equipment; these resources do not invent additional formula-sheet or calculator permissions.
Can inquiry skills be assessed in the examination?
Yes. Both assessment design criteria may be assessed. Practise calculations, structural representations, investigation design, data analysis, procedure evaluation and communication using the actual source provided.