Trending Topics in the UK Chemistry Olympiad: What Should You Study?

So you’re thinking about taking on the UK Chemistry Olympiad? Brilliant! 🌟 Let me be straight with you, this is the ultimate test for A Level Chemistry students. It’s challenging, it’s exhilarating, and honestly, it looks incredible on your UCAS application (especially if you’re aiming for Oxbridge, Medicine, or anything remotely competitive).

But here’s the thing: the Olympiad isn’t some mystical, uncrackable puzzle. If you know what topics show up year after year, you can walk in prepared, confident, and ready to smash it. I’ve gone through the RSC past papers from 2020 to 2025, and I’m about to break down exactly what the examiners love to test, and what you need to revise.

Let’s dive in. ✨

What Even Is the UK Chemistry Olympiad?

The UK Chemistry Olympiad is run by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and it’s designed to push top students beyond the A Level syllabus. Round One is typically sat in January, and if you do well enough, you’ll get invited to Round Two (which is seriously hard, but also seriously fun if you’re a chemistry nerd like me).

The questions aren’t just harder versions of A Level problems. They’re real-world scenarios that require you to apply what you know in completely new contexts. Think rocket fuel calculations, vaccine stability, carbon nanotubes, and even the chemistry of Swiss cheese. Yes, really.

And the best part? You don’t need a perfect score. Even getting 20-30% right can land you a medal. So don’t be intimidated by the low average marks, every point counts.

2025 Highlights: The Most Recent Paper

Let’s start with the freshest data. The 2025 paper tested some absolute classics alongside a few curveballs:

• Dot and cross diagrams: Back to basics! You’d think this is GCSE stuff, but the Olympiad loves to test your understanding of bonding in weird molecules and ions.
• Epoxides: Organic chemistry with a twist. Know your ring-opening reactions and the mechanisms behind them.
• Carbon nanotubes: Material chemistry is huge right now. Understand structure, properties, and why carbon nanotubes are basically the rockstars of nanotechnology.
• Raman spectroscopy: This isn’t on the A Level spec, but the paper will give you enough info to apply it. Practice interpreting spectroscopic data quickly.

The 2025 paper showed that the Olympiad loves foundational concepts dressed up in advanced contexts. Don’t skip the basics!

2024 Highlights: Unit Cells and Real-World Chemistry

The 2024 paper was a goldmine for students who’d revised crystallography and applied chemistry:

• Unit cells: An absolute classic. If you don’t know how to calculate density from unit cell data, stop reading and go learn it. Seriously. It comes up all the time.
• Silver and bronze composition: Alloy chemistry! This tested stoichiometry, empirical formulae, and material properties.
• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): A brilliant example of how the Olympiad connects chemistry to medicine. Know your basics about nuclear spin and magnetic fields.
• Oxidation states: Another fundamental that gets tested in increasingly complex scenarios.

Key takeaway? The Olympiad will test A Level concepts, but in ways you’ve never seen before. You need to be flexible and confident with the basics.

2023 Highlights: Rocket Fuels and Swiss Cheese (No, Seriously)

This paper was particularly creative. The examiners clearly had fun:

• Rocket fuels: Thermodynamics, enthalpy of combustion, and fuel efficiency calculations. This is classic Olympiad territory, expect multi-step calculations that combine moles, energy, and real-world applications.
• Amino acid complexes: Transition metal chemistry meets biochemistry. You’ll need to understand coordination compounds and stereochemistry.
• The chemistry of Swiss cheese: I’m not joking. This question explored organic acids, fermentation, and gas production. It’s quirky, but it tests your ability to apply chemistry to everyday phenomena.

If there’s one thing 2023 taught us, it’s that the Olympiad loves current, topical, and sometimes just plain fun chemistry.

2022 Highlights: COVID, E10 Petrol, and Lateral Flow Tests

The 2022 paper was heavily influenced by the pandemic and environmental issues:

• Lateral flow test equilibria: A brilliant application of Le Chatelier’s principle and binding equilibria. This tested whether you could take classroom theory and apply it to real diagnostic technology.
• E10 petrol: Fuel chemistry again! Ethanol content, combustion, and environmental impact. Know your alkanes, alkenes, and how biofuels work.
• Vaccine stability calculations: Thermodynamics, kinetics, and pharmaceutical chemistry all rolled into one. This is where strong maths skills really help.

The 2022 paper proved that the Olympiad is completely plugged into the real world. If it’s in the news, it might be in the exam.

2021 Highlights: Carbon Capture and Drug Synthesis

In 2021, the focus shifted slightly toward environmental chemistry and pharmaceuticals:

• Carbon capture: Climate chemistry! Understand the chemistry of CO₂ absorption, equilibria, and why carbon capture is such a big deal.
• Newman projections: Organic stereochemistry. If you’ve never drawn a Newman projection, now’s the time to learn.
• Hydroxychloroquine synthesis: Another topical question (thanks, COVID). Multi-step organic synthesis with real-world relevance.

By now, you’re probably spotting the pattern: thermodynamics, organic synthesis, and real-world applications dominate.

2020 Highlights: Hydrogen Fuel and Exotic Compounds

The 2020 paper was a beautiful mix of physical and organic chemistry:

• Hydrogen fuel thermodynamics: Enthalpy calculations, Hess’s Law, and fuel cell chemistry. Master this, and you’ll ace half the Olympiad.
• Silicon oxides: Inorganic chemistry and structure. Know your giant covalent structures and oxidation states.
• Ladderanoic acid: A weird, ladder-shaped organic molecule. This tested structure determination, spectroscopy, and your ability to think creatively.

The 2020 paper reminded us that even exotic, unfamiliar compounds can be tackled if you know your fundamentals.

The Olympiad Core: What Always Comes Up

Right, let’s summarize. After analyzing six years of papers, here’s what I call the “Olympiad Core”, topics that appear year after year:

1. Thermodynamics (Especially Fuels)

Hess’s Law, enthalpy of combustion, entropy, Gibbs free energy. If you’re weak here, you’re in trouble. Fuel chemistry is basically guaranteed.

2. Kinetics

Rate equations, integrated rate laws, and sometimes even steady-state approximations in Round Two. Practice, practice, practice.

3. Organic Synthesis

Often featuring topical drugs or materials (like hydroxychloroquine, vaccine components, or carbon nanotubes). Know your mechanisms, reagents (LiAlH₄, SOCl₂, etc.), and aromatic chemistry inside out.

4. Physical Chemistry Calculations

Unit cells, equilibria, spectroscopy (NMR, IR, mass spec). These require strong maths skills and the ability to interpret data quickly.

5. Real-World Applications

Climate change, medicine, technology. The Olympiad loves to test chemistry in meaningful, contemporary contexts.

Don’t Be Scared by the “Low” Marks

Here’s something that always shocks students: the average mark on the UK Chemistry Olympiad is usually around 20-30%. And guess what? That can still get you a Bronze or even Silver medal! 🥈

The Olympiad isn’t designed for you to get 90%. It’s designed to stretch your brain and reward creativity, resilience, and problem-solving. So if you’re sitting there thinking “I’ll never get this,” remember: every single mark counts, and even a modest score can be seriously impressive.

How Expert Tuition Helps You Bridge the Gap

Look, I’ll be honest with you, the Olympiad is tough. It asks you to think like a university chemist, not just memorize A Level content. And that’s a big leap.

This is where expert tuition makes all the difference. Whether you’re in London or looking for an online Chemistry tutor in Dubai, having someone who can guide you through Olympiad-level thinking is invaluable. We work on:

✅ Bridging the gap between A Level and Olympiad content
✅ Tackling unfamiliar questions with confidence
✅ Mastering multi-step calculations under time pressure
✅ Interpreting data and spectroscopy like a pro

If you’re serious about the Olympiad, or just want to push your Chemistry to the next level, I’d love to help. Check out my MedAspire programme to see how we can get you competition-ready. 🚀

Your Next Steps

Right, so here’s what you need to do:

1. Download past papers from the RSC website (they’re free!).
2. Focus on the Olympiad Core: thermodynamics, organic synthesis, kinetics, and calculations.
3. Practice unfamiliar questions. Don’t just stick to A Level: push yourself.
4. Get expert help if you’re stuck. The Olympiad rewards smart preparation.

And remember: the UK Chemistry Olympiad isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being brave, curious, and willing to tackle the unknown. You’ve got this. 💪

Don’t forget to check the “Blog Posts” tab to review and publish this when you’re ready, Chloe!