National 5 Chemistry
From session 2026/27, National 5 Chemistry is a 2-hour, 80-mark exam plus a 20-mark assignment, 100 marks in total. The 2027 exam is on Friday 21 May, 13:00 to 15:00.
- Question paper13:00 to 15:00
What grade is my mark?
Type a total mark to see the grade it would have got.
How the A and C boundaries have moved
Boundaries as a share of the total marks. A lower line means the papers were judged harder that year. Qualifications Scotland publishes boundaries from 2022 in this format.
| Year | Out of | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 125 | 86 | 73 | 61 | 48 |
| 2025 | 125 | 89 | 75 | 62 | 48 |
| 2024 | 125 | 86 | 73 | 60 | 47 |
| 2023 | 100 | 69 | 57 | 46 | 34 |
| 2022 | 100 | 70 | 58 | 46 | 34 |
What changed for 2026/27
The question paper is shorter from this session. It drops from 100 marks to 80 and from 2 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours. Section 1 now has 20 multiple choice marks instead of 25. Section 2 has 60 marks instead of 75.
The assignment keeps its 20 marks but is no longer scaled. So the exam is 80% of the grade and the assignment 20%. No course content was removed.
The exam
Section 1 is an objective test. Section 2 mixes short structured questions, calculations and longer answers. Open-ended questions have no single correct answer, but your points must fit the situation in the question.
Older papers ran at the same pace. Their 100 marks in 2 hours 30 minutes also work out at 1.5 minutes a mark. So past papers remain good timing practice at their original length.
The assignment
You research a chemistry topic and carry out an experiment that gives real measurements. The report is then written under supervision in no more than 1 hour 30 minutes. It is marked by Qualifications Scotland, not your teacher.
Pick an experiment where you change one thing and measure another. Record actual initial and final readings as raw data.
Feedback on the 2025 exam
Candidates did well placing elements into groups from electron arrangements and spotting cycloalkanes. Rate of reaction from a graph and reading solubility trends also went well.
The report flagged these weaker areas:
- covalent bonding diagrams missing the correct pairs of bonding electrons
- unclear answers on which compound decolourises bromine
- predicting volumes when one acid replaces another in a reaction
- explaining the chemistry of fertilisers in an open-ended question
- assignments that did not explain the underlying chemistry or evaluate the procedure
It advised learning set routines for calculations, especially titrations. Show working, round correctly, and learn the definitions listed in the course specification. Know the tests for common gases.
Revising with past papers
Mark each paper with the marking instructions and look at the accepted wording. Chemistry marks often hinge on a precise term, such as reacting rather than dissolving. Build a short list of phrases you keep getting wrong.
Revision checklist
Tick topics as you revise. Ticks are saved on this device only.
- Learn the definitions in the course specification word for word.
- Practise mole, percentage composition and titration calculations until the routine is automatic.
- Draw dot and cross diagrams for common covalent molecules, showing every bonding pair.
- Learn the tests for hydrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide and the bromine test for alkenes.
- Name and draw the first eight members of the alkanes, alkenes and cycloalkanes.
- Calculate average rate from graphs, with units, in at least ten practice questions.
- Answer two open-ended questions a week, then compare with marking instructions.
- Choose an assignment experiment that produces real initial and final measurements.
- Prepare one or two evaluation points about your procedure before the report stage.
- Do Section 1 questions under time pressure, aiming for about a minute each.
Quick answers
- How long is the National 5 Chemistry exam in 2027?
2 hours, down from 2 hours 30 minutes. The paper is now worth 80 marks.
- Is the National 5 Chemistry assignment still scaled?
No. From session 2026/27 the assignment stays at 20 marks, making it 20% of the course.
- When is the National 5 Chemistry exam in 2027?
Friday 21 May 2027, 13:00 to 15:00.
- Are past papers from before 2027 still useful?
Yes. The content has not changed, only the length of the paper. Older papers are slightly longer.