Chemistry (ATAR): 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?

Chemistry, 2025. TISC’s mean scaled scores summarise all students with a scaled score in the published course. The mean describes a cohort and gives no individual raw-to-scaled conversion. A scaled mean alone cannot establish whether this subject scaled up or down. Historical cohort data cannot predict your result or a future scaling direction.

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

Scientific inquiry: chemical fundamentals

An investigation begins with a question that can be answered by observations, rather than a question about personal preference. “Which salt is best?” is too broad because best has no measured meaning. Refine it by identifying the material, independent variable, dependent variable and conditions. For example, ask how the mass of calcium chloride added to a fixed mass of water affects the maximum temperature increase. The independent variable is the deliberately changed salt mass; the dependent variable is the measured temperature change. Controls include the water mass, initial temperature, vessel, stirring method and timing. Research informs both the explanation and the method. Consult a chemical safety data sheet for hazards, an instrument manual for measurement limitations and a chemistry reference for relevant dissolution behaviour. Record authors, dates and sources so another reader can distinguish evidence from unsupported opinion. Evaluate whether a source concerns the same material and conditions. A manufacturer’s advertisement can suggest a question, but its commercial purpose means its claims need independent checking. Secondary data can answer questions that cannot safely or practically be investigated at school, provided the measurements and conditions are sufficiently documented. A hypothesis states an expected relationship and a scientific reason. A prediction describes an observable result if that hypothesis holds. Specify a useful range and repeats before collecting data. Five salt masses with three independent trials each provide fifteen trials and allow comparison of variation within each mass level. Use fresh water for each trial; adding successive portions to the same solution changes its composition and initial conditions. Choose a balance, temperatu

Original practice question: Which question can directly guide a controlled temperature investigation?

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 (ATAR) subject hub and free preview (opens in a new tab)

• Chemistry — WACE Year 12 ATAR (opens in a new tab)

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