IGCSE Chemistry 0620 Paper 1 Practice Paper (Multiple Choice Core, 40 marks)

2026-10-29

40 questions · 40 marks · 45 minutes

This is an original multiple-choice practice paper written for the IGCSE Chemistry 0620 syllabus (states of matter, atomic structure, bonding, stoichiometry, electrolysis, energetics, rates and equilibrium, acids and salts, the Periodic Table, metals, air and water, organic chemistry and practical techniques). Choose the best answer for each question. Each question carries 1 mark.

Download

Question paper PDF Answer key PDF

Questions

Question 1 (1 mark)
What is the relative molecular mass of carbon dioxide, CO2?

A. 44

B. 28

C. 12

D. 32

Question 2 (1 mark)
How many moles are there in 11 g of carbon dioxide?

A. 11 mol

B. 0.25 mol

C. 0.5 mol

D. 4 mol

Question 3 (1 mark)
At room temperature and pressure, what is the volume of 2 mol of any gas?

A. 12 dm3

B. 44 dm3

C. 48 dm3

D. 24 dm3

Question 4 (1 mark)
What is the mass of 0.5 mol of sodium chloride? (M(NaCl) = 58.5)

A. 58.5 g

B. 11.7 g

C. 29 g

D. 29.25 g

Question 5 (1 mark)
What is the percentage by mass of oxygen in water?

A. 88.9%

B. 11.1%

C. 50.0%

D. 80.0%

Question 6 (1 mark)
2.4 g of magnesium burns completely in oxygen. What mass of magnesium oxide forms? (Mg = 24, O = 16)

A. 1.6 g

B. 4.0 g

C. 2.4 g

D. 6.4 g

Question 7 (1 mark)
20 cm3 of hydrogen reacts completely with excess oxygen. What volume of oxygen is needed? (same temperature and pressure)

A. 40 cm3

B. 5 cm3

C. 10 cm3

D. 20 cm3

Question 8 (1 mark)
0.05 mol of solute is dissolved to make 250 cm3 of solution. What is the concentration?

A. 0.05 mol/dm3

B. 2.0 mol/dm3

C. 0.50 mol/dm3

D. 0.20 mol/dm3

Question 9 (1 mark)
25.0 cm3 of 0.100 mol/dm3 sodium hydroxide needs what volume of 0.100 mol/dm3 hydrochloric acid to be exactly neutralised?

A. 25.0 cm3

B. 50.0 cm3

C. 12.5 cm3

D. 100 cm3

Question 10 (1 mark)
10.0 g of calcium carbonate decomposes completely. How many moles of carbon dioxide form? (CaCO3 = 100)

A. 0.010 mol

B. 0.10 mol

C. 1.0 mol

D. 10 mol

Question 11 (1 mark)
What is the percentage by mass of water of crystallisation in CuSO4.5H2O? (M = 250)

A. 18%

B. 50%

C. 36%

D. 64%

Question 12 (1 mark)
A current of 0.5 A flows for 3600 s. What quantity of charge passes?

A. 180 C

B. 7200 C

C. 0.5 C

D. 1800 C

Question 13 (1 mark)
Marble chips react with dilute hydrochloric acid and 60 cm3 of gas is collected in 4 minutes. What is the average rate?

A. 15 cm3/min

B. 4 cm3/min

C. 60 cm3/min

D. 240 cm3/min

Question 14 (1 mark)
The theoretical yield of a reaction is 6.0 g but only 4.8 g is obtained. What is the percentage yield?

A. 60%

B. 80%

C. 48%

D. 120%

Question 15 (1 mark)
Burning 1 mol of methane releases 890 kJ. How much heat is released by burning 0.10 mol?

A. 8.9 kJ

B. 178 kJ

C. 89 kJ

D. 890 kJ

Question 16 (1 mark)
How many times greater is the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution of pH 2 than that of a solution of pH 5?

A. 3 times

B. 100 times

C. 10 times

D. 1000 times

Question 17 (1 mark)
How many electrons are in a copper ion, Cu2+? (proton number of copper = 29)

A. 27

B. 29

C. 31

D. 24

Question 18 (1 mark)
What is the electron arrangement of a chloride ion, Cl-? (proton number of chlorine = 17)

A. 2,8,6

B. 2,8,8

C. 2,8,7

D. 2,7,8

Question 19 (1 mark)
How many neutrons are there in an atom of Cl-37?

A. 37

B. 18

C. 20

D. 17

Question 20 (1 mark)
The mass number of an atom is equal to:

A. the number of protons plus the number of electrons

B. the number of neutrons minus the number of electrons

C. the number of protons

D. the number of protons plus the number of neutrons

Question 21 (1 mark)
In chromatography a spot moves 4.0 cm while the solvent front moves 8.0 cm. What is the Rf value?

A. 0.50

B. 2.0

C. 0.40

D. 8.0

Question 22 (1 mark)
The most suitable way to recover solid sodium chloride from brine is:

A. chromatography

B. crystallisation by evaporation

C. filtration

D. fractional distillation

Question 23 (1 mark)
The simplest way to decide whether a solid is pure is to measure its:

A. mass

B. volume

C. melting point, which is sharp when pure

D. depth of colour

Question 24 (1 mark)
Which of these changes is a chemical change?

A. ice melting

B. sugar dissolving in water

C. water boiling

D. iron rusting

Question 25 (1 mark)
Why does graphite conduct electricity?

A. each carbon atom bonds to only three others, leaving the fourth electron free to move

B. graphite is a metal

C. graphite contains ions

D. the carbon atoms in graphite are not bonded

Question 26 (1 mark)
Under what conditions do ionic compounds conduct electricity?

A. only when compressed

B. when molten or dissolved in water

C. when solid

D. under all conditions

Question 27 (1 mark)
How does the reactivity of Group 1 metals change from lithium to potassium?

A. it stays the same

B. it rises then falls

C. it increases down the group

D. it decreases down the group

Question 28 (1 mark)
Chlorine is bubbled through sodium bromide solution. What happens?

A. bromine oxidises chloride ions to chlorine

B. nothing reacts

C. sodium chloride and hydrogen are formed

D. chlorine oxidises bromide ions to bromine

Question 29 (1 mark)
Which conditions are both needed for iron to rust?

A. oxygen and water

B. oxygen and carbon dioxide

C. nitrogen and water

D. light and heat

Question 30 (1 mark)
What is the function of a catalyst in a reaction?

A. it slows every reaction down

B. it speeds up the reaction and is unchanged in mass and chemical nature afterwards

C. it increases the yield of product

D. it changes the products formed

Question 31 (1 mark)
The temperature of the reaction mixture rises. This shows the reaction is:

A. a neutralisation

B. a redox reaction

C. exothermic

D. endothermic

Question 32 (1 mark)
Compared with the pure metal, an alloy is usually:

A. higher melting

B. a complete non-conductor

C. always less dense

D. harder

Question 33 (1 mark)
Which gas is present in the greatest amount in dry air?

A. nitrogen

B. oxygen

C. carbon dioxide

D. argon

Question 34 (1 mark)
Which of these gases is a major greenhouse gas?

A. argon

B. carbon dioxide

C. nitrogen

D. oxygen

Question 35 (1 mark)
On what property does the fractional distillation of crude oil depend?

A. the different colours of the fractions

B. the different flammability of the fractions

C. the different boiling points of the fractions

D. the different densities of the fractions

Question 36 (1 mark)
What is the general formula of the alkanes?

A. CnH2n

B. CnH2n-2

C. CnHn

D. CnH2n+2

Question 37 (1 mark)
An alkene is bubbled through bromine water. What is observed?

A. the orange-brown colour is decolourised

B. a white precipitate forms

C. hydrogen is given off

D. no change

Question 38 (1 mark)
Which monomer can undergo addition polymerisation?

A. a carboxylic acid containing a -COOH group

B. a molecule containing a C=C double bond

C. an alkane containing only C-C single bonds

D. an alcohol containing an -OH group

Question 39 (1 mark)
Dilute hydrochloric acid reacts with zinc. Which gas is produced?

A. carbon dioxide

B. chlorine

C. hydrogen

D. oxygen

Question 40 (1 mark)
To test for carbon dioxide, the gas is bubbled through:

A. distilled water

B. dilute hydrochloric acid

C. sodium hydroxide solution

D. limewater

Full answers and explanations are in the answer key PDF. Work without a calculator where possible, as in the real Paper 1.