Higher exam guide
Higher Chemistry
Course code C813 76 · Specification Version 4.0, June 2026 · valid from 2026–27
Your 2027 exam
- Question paper
- – BST
Published national times, in UK local time. Confirm your personal timetable, room and any assessment arrangements with your school or college. Coursework deadlines are set by your centre.
- Results day
- National contingency day
Qualifications Scotland timetable · Version 02, August 2026 · checked .
What changed for 2027?
For 2027, there is one 100-mark question paper lasting 2 hours 30 minutes. The assignment is scaled to 25 marks, not 30. Older past papers use a different format.
How the exam is marked
125 course marks after scaling
Question paper
100 marks
80% of the course result
2 hours 30 minutes
Section 1: 20 objective-test marks. Section 2: 80 marks for restricted and extended responses. Both sections share one sitting.
Assignment
20 marks
Scaled to 25 course marks · 20% of the course result
8 hours (max 2 hours for the report)
Investigation and report, marked by Qualifications Scotland.
Course areas and revision checklist
Use this summary alongside the full official specification. ScotSpark practice covers selected skills, not every item below; your teacher can help you fill the gaps.
Chemical changes and structure
- Periodicity: covalent radius, ionisation energy, electronegativity
- Structure and bonding, including intermolecular forces
- Oxidising and reducing agents, ion-electron equations
Nature's chemistry
- Systematic carbon chemistry and isomers
- Alcohols
- Carboxylic acids
- Esters
- Fats and oils
- Soaps, detergents and emulsions
- Proteins
- Oxidation of food
- Fragrances
- Skin care
Chemistry in society
- Getting the most from reactants
- Controlling the rate
- Chemical energy
- Equilibria
- Chemical analysis
Researching chemistry
- Common chemical apparatus
- General practical techniques
- Reporting experimental work
Exam technique
- Explain trends using atomic size, nuclear charge and screening.
- Name the intermolecular force and compare its strength when explaining boiling points.
- Show every step in mole and percentage yield calculations.
Version 4.0, June 2026 · checked . Qualifications Scotland replaced SQA in February 2026; official documents may still use the SQA name. Check for later updates and confirm arrangements with your teacher.