Chemistry: should I choose it?

What will I learn?

How will I be assessed?

Progression and companion subjects

No complete companion or exclusion review is attached to this profile. Check the official course-entry conditions, language eligibility and your school’s sequence before enrolling. Links between resource hubs show related learning; they do not establish a compulsory prerequisite.

Will I find it hard?

Difficulty depends on your experience, interests, teaching and assessment. These are our reflection prompts, not an official difficulty rating.

• Look at how much data, calculation and graph interpretation appear in the sample for this particular science.
• Can you explain the ideas in your own words as well as recall the terminology?
• Do investigations and evaluating evidence interest you? Check the course’s practical requirements.

Does it scale up or down?

Use SATAC subject evidence. An aggregate-to-ATAR table is not a subject scaling table.

Scaling is not a measure of difficulty or a guaranteed bonus. Prioritise content you can engage with and required subjects for courses you are considering.

Try a little of the subject

Materials and their atoms

A material is chosen for a job because measurable properties suit the conditions. Electrical conductivity matters for a wire, thermal conductivity for a saucepan base, and low thermal conductivity for its handle. A useful solid must remain below its melting temperature during use; a liquid coolant must not boil unexpectedly. Solubility describes how much solute dissolves in a specified solvent under specified conditions. A water-resistant coating should have low water solubility. Nanomaterials contain particles with dimensions approximately 1–100 nm. Their large surface area relative to volume can alter reactivity and useful behaviour; bulk-material results cannot automatically establish nanoparticle safety. Mixture separation exploits physical differences. Filtration retains an insoluble solid while liquid and dissolved substances pass through. Evaporation removes volatile solvent to recover a non-volatile solute, but usually loses the solvent. Distillation vaporises and then condenses a component, allowing solvent recovery. Draw a distillation diagram with heated flask, vapour path, water-cooled condenser and receiving vessel; cooling water enters the lower condenser port. Never heat sealed apparatus. Dissolved salt does not become removable by ordinary filter paper. Worked example. Sand and salt water can first be filtered. Sand remains on the paper. Distilling the filtrate collects water and leaves concentrated salt solution; controlled evaporation recovers salt. Each step is justified by insolubility or volatility, not by particle colour. To investigate how temperature affects dissolving time, ask a testable question with a defined endpoint. Temperature is independent, time is dependent; control solute mass, grain size, solvent volume, vessel and stirring. Room dra

Original practice question: Recover sand and pure water from sand mixed with salt water. Which sequence works?

This is ATARMAxxing’s original sample learning material. It is not an official assessment task or a prediction of your school’s workload.

Explore the resources

Open the Chemistry subject hub and free preview (opens in a new tab)

• Chemistry — SACE Stage 2 (opens in a new tab)

Core subject information and planning are free. Full study resources are optional.