A Level Chemistry Flashcards: 7 Powerful Tricks To Actually Remember The Content Before Exams – Stop Re-Reading Your Textbook And Start Studying Smarter

Why A Level Chemistry Feels So Hard (And How Flashcards Fix It)

A Level Chemistry is brutal because it’s memory + understanding + application all at once.

It’s not enough to “kind of” know things like enthalpy changes or nucleophilic substitution – you need them instantly in your brain when a weird exam question appears.

That’s where flashcards shine.

Used properly, they force your brain to actively recall information instead of just rereading and hoping it sticks.

And if you want to make A Level Chemistry flashcards without wasting hours formatting them, Flashrecall makes it stupidly easy:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

It turns your notes, photos, PDFs, and even YouTube videos into flashcards automatically, then uses spaced repetition and active recall to make sure you don’t forget them.

Let’s break down how to actually use flashcards for A Level Chemistry in a way that works (and doesn’t eat your entire evening).

1. What You Should Actually Put On A Level Chemistry Flashcards

The biggest mistake?

People try to put entire pages of notes on one card.

For A Level Chem, think:

Good flashcard topics for A Level Chemistry:

• Definitions
• Enthalpy change of formation
• First ionisation energy
• Standard conditions
• Key equations & constants
• Ideal gas equation
• pH = −log[H⁺]
• Rate equations
• Organic reactions
• Reagents and conditions
• Mechanisms
• Functional group tests
• Trends & explanations
• Period 3 trends in ionisation energy
• Group 2 solubility trends
• Group 7 oxidising/ reducing power
• Practical / required experiments
• Titration steps and reasons
• Recrystallisation steps
• How to improve accuracy / reliability

In Flashrecall, you can create these in a few ways:

• Type them manually if you like full control
• Snap a photo of your textbook/notes and let it auto-generate flashcards
• Import a PDF of your revision guide and pull cards from it
• Paste a YouTube link of a Chem video and turn key points into cards
• Record audio if you prefer talking through mechanisms out loud

All inside one app on your iPhone or iPad.

2. How To Write Chemistry Flashcards That Actually Stick

Don’t just write “Describe nucleophilic substitution” on the front and a mini-essay on the back.

Make cards specific and testable.

Example: Definitions

What is the first ionisation energy of an element?

The energy required to remove one mole of electrons from one mole of gaseous atoms to form one mole of gaseous 1+ ions.

Example: Organic Mechanisms

Draw and name the mechanism when chloroethane reacts with hydroxide ions in aqueous solution.

Nucleophilic substitution (SN1/SN2 depending on spec not needed at A level detail).

Then a simple diagram with lone pair on OH⁻ attacking C–Cl, arrow to C, arrow from C–Cl bond to Cl.

In Flashrecall, you can:

• Add images to the back of cards (perfect for mechanisms, apparatus, graphs)
• Use audio to explain tricky steps in your own words
• Chat with the card if you’re unsure (“Explain this mechanism again but simpler”)

That last one is huge when you’re stuck at 11pm and don’t want to open your textbook again.

3. Use Spaced Repetition So You Don’t Forget Everything Before The Exam

Revising A Level Chemistry the night before? Pain.

Revising a little bit across months? Way less painful.

Spaced repetition = review things just before you’re about to forget them.

Flashrecall has this built in automatically:

• You study your cards
• You mark how hard/easy each one felt
• The app schedules the next review at the perfect time
• You get study reminders so you don’t have to remember to revise (ironic, but helpful)

So instead of going through all your Chem flashcards every time, you’ll only see the ones your brain is about to lose.

That’s how you remember organic reactions in June that you learned in October.

4. How To Organise A Level Chemistry Flashcards (Without Chaos)

If you just throw every topic into one giant deck, you’ll hate your life.

Try organising like this:

Suggested Deck Structure

• Physical Chemistry
• Atomic structure & periodicity
• Bonding & shapes
• Energetics
• Kinetics
• Equilibria
• Redox
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Group 2
• Group 7
• Period 3 & periodicity
• Transition metals (if in your spec)
• Organic Chemistry
• Intro & isomerism
• Alkanes
• Alkenes
• Halogenoalkanes
• Alcohols
• Aldehydes & ketones
• Carboxylic acids & derivatives
• Aromatic chemistry (if in your spec)
• Practical & Techniques
• Titrations
• Chromatography
• Infrared spectroscopy
• Mass spectrometry
• Recrystallisation

In Flashrecall, you can create separate decks for each topic and even tag cards (e.g. “Mechanism”, “Definition”, “Practical”) so you can focus on your weak areas.

5. Turn Your Class Notes And Past Papers Into Flashcards (Fast)

You don’t have time to rewrite your entire folder into cards. So let the app do the heavy lifting.

Here’s how to speed-run it with Flashrecall:

From Notes / Textbook

1. Take a clear photo of a page on, say, Group 2 trends

2. Flashrecall extracts the text and suggests potential flashcards

3. You quickly tweak/edit them

4. Done – you’ve just turned half a chapter into cards in minutes

From PDFs

Got a PDF revision guide or teacher notes?

• Import the PDF into Flashrecall
• Highlight key definitions, equations, and explanations
• Convert them straight into flashcards without copy-paste hell

From YouTube

Watching a video on electrophilic addition?

• Paste the YouTube link into Flashrecall
• Pull out key points as cards
• Add images of mechanisms if needed

This is how you build a big, high-quality deck without spending your entire weekend typing.

6. How To Study Chemistry Flashcards The Right Way

Just flipping through cards isn’t enough. You need to struggle a bit – that’s where learning happens.

Use Active Recall Properly

When a card shows:

• Look away from the answer
• Try to say it out loud or write it down
• Only then flip/check

Flashrecall is built around active recall by design – you always see the question first, then rate how well you remembered it. No passive scrolling.

Mix Topics (Like The Exam Does)

Once you’re confident with a topic, don’t just study it in isolation.

In Flashrecall, you can:

• Study multiple decks together (e.g. Kinetics + Equilibria + Energetics)
• Shuffle cards so you don’t get used to patterns

Real exam questions jump across topics, so your revision should too.

7. Using Flashcards For A Level Chemistry Calculations

People often think flashcards are only for definitions.

They’re great for calculations as well.

Example: pH Calculations

Calculate the pH of a 0.010 mol dm⁻³ HCl solution.

[H⁺] = 0.010 mol dm⁻³

pH = −log(0.010) = 2.00

You can:

• Put the question on the front
• Work it out on paper
• Flip the card and check your steps
• In Flashrecall, even add a short explanation like “strong acid so [H⁺] = concentration”

Same for:

• Kc/Kp questions
• Gas law calculations
• Enthalpy change calculations
• Titration volumes

You’re training your brain to recognise patterns and recall the steps fast.

8. Why Use Flashrecall Over Plain Paper Cards?

Paper flashcards are fine… until:

• You lose the stack
• You can’t bring them everywhere
• You can’t easily reorder or search them
• Spaced repetition becomes a mess

With Flashrecall:

• Works on iPhone and iPad
• Offline mode – perfect for revising on the bus or in school with bad Wi‑Fi
• Built-in spaced repetition and study reminders
• Turns images, text, audio, PDFs, and YouTube links into flashcards
• You can chat with your flashcards to get explanations when you forget the “why” behind an answer
• Fast, modern, and free to start

Link again so you don’t have to scroll back:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

9. Simple A Level Chemistry Flashcard Routine (You Can Actually Stick To)

Here’s a realistic plan:

• 10–15 minutes: Review due flashcards in Flashrecall (spaced repetition)
• 5–10 minutes: Add 3–5 new cards from that day’s lessons

• One longer review session
• Add cards from past papers you’ve done (especially every question you got wrong)

Over a few weeks, you’ll build a huge, personalised deck that covers your entire spec, with the hardest bits appearing more often until they finally stick.

Final Thoughts

A Level Chemistry is absolutely learnable – it just punishes passive revision.

If you turn your syllabus, notes, and past paper mistakes into smart flashcards and let spaced repetition do its thing, you’ll walk into the exam feeling way more prepared.

Flashrecall just makes that process quicker and less painful:

• Auto-creates cards from your existing materials
• Reminds you what to study and when
• Helps you understand tricky topics by chatting with your cards

Try building a small deck today for just one topic – say Enthalpy Changes – and see how it feels over a week.

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

Your future self in the exam hall will be very, very grateful.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the fastest way to create flashcards?

Manually typing cards works but takes time. Many students now use AI generators that turn notes into flashcards instantly. Flashrecall does this automatically from text, images, or PDFs.

Is there a free flashcard app?

Yes. Flashrecall is free and lets you create flashcards from images, text, prompts, audio, PDFs, and YouTube videos.

How do I start spaced repetition?

You can manually schedule your reviews, but most people use apps that automate this. Flashrecall uses built-in spaced repetition so you review cards at the perfect time.

How can I study more effectively for exams?

Effective exam prep combines active recall, spaced repetition, and regular practice. Flashrecall helps by automatically generating flashcards from your study materials and using spaced repetition to ensure you remember everything when exam day arrives.

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