The best apps and tools for A-level chemistry revision
Dr Lavan Ganeshkumar, PhD · updated 4 October 2026
There is no single best A-level chemistry revision app, because revising chemistry is four different jobs and no tool does all four equally well. Understanding a topic, memorising the facts, practising exam questions and learning how the mark scheme words things are separate skills, and the apps below are each good at one or two of them.
Being on a C at A-level chemistry is very recoverable. The usual cause is revising it like a memory subject: reading notes and highlighting. Chemistry is marked on whether you can apply an idea to an unfamiliar situation, so the fix is understanding first, then recall, then a lot of exam questions.
Job 1: understanding the topic
If you cannot explain why something happens, nothing else will stick. This is where most students on a C are actually stuck, and it needs explanation, not more flashcards.
- Video and course platforms such as Seneca (free A-level courses by exam board), Cognito and SnapRevise explain topics in short chunks with questions afterwards.
- ClearConcept offers interactive tools for topics such as bonding, energetics, rates and equilibrium.
- BBC Bitesize is fine for a plain explanation of a concept, though it is lighter than the A-level specification in places.
- Trayna teaches each topic in a short video tutorial from Dr Lavan Ganeshkumar, a chemistry PhD with over ten years of teaching A-level, then makes you answer questions on it straight away.
Job 2: remembering it
Chemistry has a lot to retain: definitions, reagents and conditions, mechanisms, trends. The method that works is retrieving it from memory at increasing gaps, which is called spaced repetition.
- Anki and Brainscape are flashcard apps built for spaced repetition, and you make or download the cards.
- Quizlet is good for quick testing of definitions and reaction conditions, but its scheduling is looser.
- StudySmarter combines flashcards, quizzes and a study planner, and lets you upload your own notes.
- Trayna schedules the recall for you: topics you have learned come back at spaced intervals without you building a deck.
Job 3: practising exam questions
Past-paper practice is the single biggest lever on the grade, and the part students put off. Do it by topic first, then in full timed papers.
- Physics & Maths Tutor (PMT) is free and has topic-by-topic questions and past papers, and despite the name its chemistry section is widely used.
- Save My Exams has notes, topic questions, past papers and flashcards organised by exam board.
- Gojimo offers quick-fire exam questions for the days when you only have ten or fifteen minutes.
- Trayna marks questions against the mark-scheme wording and re-serves the ones you got wrong.
Job 4: learning what the mark scheme rewards
This is the job most revision tools skip, and it is where a B becomes an A. Chemistry mark schemes award specific wording. In rates, "more collisions" scores nothing, while "a greater proportion of molecules exceed the activation energy" scores the mark, though both describe the same fact.
Whatever tool you use, mark your answers against the official scheme, not against whether you followed the idea. Write down the exact phrase each time you lose a mark and add it to your recall.
A routine if you are on a C
Do not download six apps; that is another way to procrastinate. Pick one tool per job and run a short loop each day.
- 20 minutes: learn one small topic from a video or course.
- 20 minutes: close it and answer exam questions on it without notes.
- 5 to 10 minutes: mark against the mark scheme and write down every lost mark.
- Next day: five minutes of recall on yesterday, then the next topic.
Where Trayna fits, and where it does not
Trayna is a 24/7 online tutor in your pocket, on your tablet and on the web, for students who cannot afford 1-to-1 tutoring and want something that acts like it. Dr Lavan teaches you the topics in the app any time, anywhere, and an adaptive plan reinforces them each day from now to your exam. That covers the first three jobs, with the fourth built into how questions are marked. It is A-level only, for Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Biology, on iPad, phone and the web. Maths follows Edexcel; Chemistry, Physics and Biology follow AQA.
It is for both Year 12 and Year 13; Year 13 students already use it, and Year 13 topics are being added as current students need them while Year 12 is the most complete, so check your topics in the app before you pay. If you only want free past papers, PMT does that better than we do, and we would rather you used it.
Common questions
What is the best app for A-level chemistry revision?
It depends on the job. Seneca, Cognito or SnapRevise are good for understanding a topic, Anki or Brainscape for memorising, Physics & Maths Tutor and Save My Exams for exam questions, and Trayna for a single daily plan that combines video tutorials, spaced recall and marked questions for A-level chemistry.
I am on a C in A-level chemistry. How do I revise for it?
Stop re-reading notes. Learn one small topic until you can explain why it happens, close the notes and write everything you remember, then answer five to ten exam questions on it and mark them against the mark scheme. Repeat daily, and revisit each topic a few days later.
Are there free apps for A-level chemistry revision?
Yes. Physics & Maths Tutor is free for questions and past papers, Seneca has free A-level courses, Anki is free on most platforms, and BBC Bitesize is free. Trayna has a 14-day free trial, then costs from 9.99 pounds a month.
Do I need more than one app?
Usually one tool per job is enough, and fewer is better. Two or three that cover understanding, recall and exam questions beats ten. Trayna is designed to cover all three in one plan.
Which exam board does Trayna chemistry follow?
AQA for Chemistry, Physics and Biology, and Edexcel for Maths. If you sit a different board, check the topic list in the app first.
Trayna does this automatically. You enter your subjects, your exam dates and how long you have each day, and it builds the route from today to those exams, then adapts it as you go. Maths follows Edexcel; Chemistry, Physics and Biology follow AQA.
Get Trayna on the App Store · on Google Play
Free for 14 days, then from £9.99 a month. Cancel any time.