How to Use These Free TYS Chemistry Solutions
A study guide for A-Level H2 Chemistry and O Level Pure Chemistry students working through Paper 1 MCQs.
If you’ve landed here from Google searching for an A-Level Chemistry TYS solution or an O Level Pure Chem MCQ you can’t crack, you’re at the right place. We’ve put together video walkthroughs and written explanations for every Paper 1 MCQ from the last few years, completely free.
But solutions are only useful if you use them well. Here’s how to get the most out of them.
What’s inside the TYS library
Two free libraries, organised by syllabus:
- A-Level H2 Chemistry TYS Paper 1 solutions: 2021 to 2025, 30 MCQs per year (150 questions total)
- O Level Pure Chemistry TYS Paper 1 solutions: multiple years, 40 MCQs per year
Every question has:
- A video walkthrough where I solve the question on a digital whiteboard, talking through the reasoning step by step.
- A written explanation that states the answer up front, explains the chemistry, and explains why each of the three distractors is wrong, which is something that might even be missing from TYS guide books.
- Direct deep-links into our practice question bank (ChemBank) so you can immediately try similar questions on the same topic, closing the loop between “I understand this one” and “I can do it myself.”
The biggest mistake students make with TYS papers
Reading the solution before genuinely trying the question.
I know it’s tempting, especially when the answer to “is potassium iodide a reducing agent?” or “is barium oxide soluble in water?” doesn’t come to you in 10 seconds. But your brain learns chemistry by struggling, not by recognising. If you read the solution first, you’ll feel like you understand. Then you’ll meet the same question in your prelims and freeze.
How to actually use these solutions
Step 1 — Attempt the question cold.
Give yourself a strict 90 seconds per MCQ (Paper 1 timing). Pick an answer. Even if you’re guessing, commit to a letter.
Step 2 — Mark it.
Look only at the answer letter on the solution page, not the working yet. Did you get it right? (Even if you’ve gotten it right, the chemistry behind your reasoning might STILL be wrong!)
Step 3 — If wrong, diagnose BEFORE watching the video.
Look at the question again with the correct answer in mind. Can you now see why? Was it:
- A factual gap (e.g., you didn’t know all sulfates of Group 2 become less soluble down the group, or why chlorine displaces bromide and iodide from solution)?
- A misread (e.g., “least” vs “most”, “increases” vs “decreases”)?
- A calculation slip? (what exactly was the careless mistake? It might be the sequence you keyed in the numbers, find it and correct it)
Step 4 — Watch the video for the questions you got wrong.
The video is where most of the learning happens. I deliberately voice the thinking — the cues I’m looking for in the stem, the trap I’m avoiding, the framework I’m applying. That’s the part textbooks can’t teach you.
Step 5 — Read the written explanation.
The written version is shorter and reinforces the key idea. It’s also useful when you’re revising for prelims and want to skim 30 questions in 20 minutes.
Step 6 — Drill the topic on ChemBank.
Each H2 question page has a “Practice more on this topic” link that opens ChemBank pre-filtered to questions on the same concept. Do 5–10 fresh ones. If you can answer them confidently, the chemistry has actually transferred. If you can’t, watch the video again, there’s a gap you haven’t closed.
How to use TYS across a full revision cycle
3 months before the exam: do TYS papers chronologically (e.g., 2021 → 2022 → 2023). At this stage you’re learning the style of A-Level / O Level questions. Don’t time yourself yet, focus on understanding.
6 weeks before: do TYS papers topic-by-topic. Pick a topic you’re weak on (e.g., Group 2 chemistry, redox, electrochemistry), and do every MCQ on that topic across 5 years. Pattern recognition kicks in fast and you’ll notice the same trap (e.g., charge density decreases down Group 2 because volume increases faster than charge stays constant) coming up year after year.
2 weeks before: do whole TYS papers under exam timing. 1 hour for 30 H2 MCQs, or 45 minutes for 40 O Level MCQs. No solutions until you finish the full paper. Mark, diagnose, and re-do only the wrong ones.
Common topics where the TYS questions repeat year after year
If you’re short on time, prioritise these topics, they’re high-frequency in Paper 1 and the question style is highly predictable once you’ve seen 5 of them:
A-Level H2 Chemistry:
- Group 2 chemistry (thermal stability of carbonates, hydroxide solubility, reactivity with water, reducing agent strength down the group)
- Group 7 / halogens (oxidising power, displacement reactions, silver nitrate tests with halide ions)
- Redox reactions and oxidation states (acidified KMnO₄ tests, K₂Cr₂O₇ colour changes)
- Organic mechanisms (electrophilic addition, nucleophilic substitution SN1 vs SN2, free radical substitution)
- Energetics and Hess’s law calculations
O Level Pure Chemistry:
- Solubility rules and ionic precipitation (which compounds form a white precipitate, which are soluble in water)
- Acids, bases, and salts (preparing soluble vs insoluble salts)
- The mole concept and Mr calculations (relative molecular mass)
- Periodic Table trends (Group I, Group VII, transition metals)
- Organic chemistry basics (alcohols, carboxylic acids, esters)
Free study tools to use alongside the TYS solutions
ChemBank — Singapore’s largest free A-Level Chemistry MCQ bank.
Over 1600 MCQs (still increasing weekly!), fully searchable by topic, with detailed solutions. Free for every student, just sign up with the join code:
Join code:
CHEM2026
It also includes:
- Personal best tracking and topic mastery scores
- Interactive mechanism simulations (VSEPR, nucleophilic substitution, etc.)
- Daily streak counter to keep your practice consistent
- Most-improved-student leaderboard
It’s the closest thing to having a personal trainer for your A-Level Chemistry. And it’s free.
Want a faster path to distinction in chemistry?
If you’re working through the TYS solutions and finding that the same topics keep tripping you up — that’s a sign you need structured instruction, not just more questions.
Mr Khemistry runs JC1 and JC2 H2 Chemistry classes (live and recorded). The recorded JC2 package is what most students choose: full topical coverage, weekly worksheets, and access to every recording for the whole year. Students who switch to us mid-year typically improve by 1–2 grades within a single term.
See the JC1 & JC2 Chemistry classes →
(We also run Sec 3 / Sec 4 O Level Pure Chemistry classes — same approach, same results.)
Have a question about a TYS solution that’s still unclear? Drop me an email at eric@mrkhemistry.com or DM us on Instagram @mrkhemistry. I read every message.
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