In a GCSE chemistry exam you are given a periodic table, but each exam board prints its own version. This page shows the GCSE periodic table as AQA and OCR set it out, with the same rounded relative atomic masses, so you can revise with the layout you will see on the day.
Periodixtable is an independent revision site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any exam board. In the exam, use the periodic table your board gives you.
AQA GCSE periodic table
Each tile reads, from top to bottom: relative atomic mass, atomic symbol, atomic (proton) number. Select an element to open its full page.
The values below are the ones printed for the elements that appear most often in exam questions, next to the standard atomic mass shown on our full periodic table.
Every tile carries two numbers. The atomic number (also called the proton number) is the number of protons in the atom, and it sets the order of the elements. The relative atomic mass is the average mass of the element’s atoms and is the number you use in mole and mass calculations.
The catch is that the two numbers are not in the same place on every board’s table. AQA prints the relative atomic mass above the symbol and the atomic number below it; OCR does the opposite. If you are ever unsure, the atomic number is the smaller of the two, and it goes up by one from each element to the next. Hydrogen is the one tile where both numbers are 1.
What you need to know for GCSE chemistry
You do not have to memorise the table, but you are expected to use it. Know that elements are arranged in order of atomic number, that the rows are periods and the columns are groups, and that elements in a group have the same number of outer-shell electrons and so react in similar ways. The groups examined most often are group 1 (the alkali metals), group 7 (the halogens) and group 0 (the noble gases), along with the transition metals in the middle.
You should also be able to explain how Mendeleev built the first table and why he left gaps in it for elements that had not been discovered. The discovery timeline shows those gaps being filled.
AQA and OCR GCSE tables compared
Both tables hold the same elements in the same positions. The differences are in the detail: AQA rounds almost every mass to a whole number, while OCR gives one decimal place; AQA numbers the main groups 1 to 7 and 0, while OCR prints the modern numbers 1 to 18 as well; and OCR adds the name of each element under its symbol. Always take relative atomic masses from your own board’s table, because the mark scheme is written with those values.
Edexcel, WJEC Eduqas and CCEA print their own periodic tables too. They are not shown here, so if you sit one of those, check the copy in your board’s past papers.
Print a periodic table for revision
For a paper copy with every element name, download our free periodic table PDF in colour or black and white. It is a full periodic table, not a copy of the exam sheet, so it is best for learning the elements; for exam practice use the table in your board’s past papers. You can also test yourself with the element quiz or check a formula mass with the molar mass calculator.
Do you get a periodic table in the GCSE chemistry exam?+
Yes. AQA gives you a periodic table insert with each chemistry and combined science paper, and OCR prints the periodic table on its data sheet. You do not need to memorise the table, but you do need to know how to read it.
Which number is the atomic number on the GCSE periodic table?+
It depends on the exam board. On the AQA GCSE periodic table the atomic (proton) number is the bottom number and the relative atomic mass is on top. On the OCR GCSE periodic table the atomic number is on top. In both cases the atomic number is the smaller of the two numbers.
Why is the relative atomic mass of chlorine 35.5?+
Chlorine is a mixture of two isotopes: about three quarters of its atoms are chlorine-35 and about one quarter are chlorine-37. The relative atomic mass is the average, which works out at 35.5, so rounding it to 35 or 36 would give wrong answers in calculations.
Do I need to memorise the periodic table for GCSE?+
No, because a copy is provided in the exam. It still helps to know the first 20 elements and their symbols, where the metals and non-metals are, and the names and properties of group 1, group 7 and group 0.
Is the GCSE periodic table the same as the full periodic table?+
It has the same elements in the same order, but it is simplified. Masses are rounded, and the lanthanides and actinides are either left out (AQA) or shown only as two labelled boxes (OCR). A full periodic table shows all 118 elements with more precise atomic masses.