This exam tips covers Exam Tips for Polymers within Polymers for GCSE Chemistry. Revise Polymers in Bonding & Structure for GCSE Chemistry with 22 exam-style questions and 21 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 11 of 12 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
💡 Exam Tips for Polymers
🎯 Common Question Types:
- Draw the polymer from a given monomer structure (2 marks)
- Identify the monomer from a repeat unit (1-2 marks)
- Explain the low melting point of a polymer (2 marks)
- Name the type of polymerisation (1 mark)
- Explain why polymers are electrical insulators (2 marks)
📝 Key Command Words:
- Draw: Change double to single bond, add brackets, add n, show bonds at each end of repeat unit
- Identify: The monomer is the repeat unit with C=C restored (double bond added back)
- Explain: Reference weak intermolecular forces between chains for low MP
- Name: "Addition polymerisation" for monomer with C=C double bond
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid:
- Forgetting to draw the bonds coming out of the brackets in polymer repeat units
- Saying "the double bonds hold the chains together" — they're covalent bonds within the chain
- Saying "ionic bonds" hold polymer chains together — they're intermolecular forces
- Confusing the monomer with the repeat unit in diagrams (the monomer has a C=C double bond)
Practice questions for Polymers
In addition polymerisation, what feature of monomer molecules allows them to join together?
Explain why thermosetting polymers are rigid and do not melt when heated.
Quick recall flashcards
What is a polymer?
A large molecule made of many small repeating units (monomers) joined by covalent bonds
What is a monomer?
A small molecule that joins with others to form a polymer