# QCAA Chemistry 2025 v1.3 · official point location and taught limit

**Authority:** [QCAA Chemistry General senior syllabus 2025 v1.3](https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior-qce/syllabuses/snr_chemistry_25_syll.pdf), January 2026. The [official Chemistry landing page](https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/senior-subjects/syllabuses/sciences/chemistry) lists v1.3 for students completing 2026 or beyond; checked **29 September 2026**. QCAA's senior subject matter uses printed page headings and bullet points, **not Australian Curriculum v9 `AC9...` Year 11 codes**. The references below identify exact printed page, subheading and bullet position, while the prose here is independently written. This is not QCAA endorsement.

| Official syllabus location | What these Days 1–10 actually teach | Explicit limit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unit 1 *Chemical fundamentals — structure, properties and reactions*, printed p.19, objectives 1, 2, 4 and 5 | Describe/apply early atomic model and counts; interpret paper symbols and evaluate overclaims. | No unit-level objective achievement claim, experimental data analysis or investigation result. Objectives 3/6 require later work. |
| Unit 1 Topic 1 *Properties and structure of atoms*, printed p.20, **20 hours**, Science understanding → Atomic structure **bullet 1** | Day 1 represents nucleus and electrons in distinct energy levels and states ring-diagram limits. | No orbital shapes, electron trajectories, energy calculations or experimental validation. |
| Same printed p.20, Atomic structure **bullet 2** | Days 2–4/6–10 distinguish **Z atomic number, A mass number and isotopes** through selected integer-count cases. | No natural isotope abundance or relative atomic mass computation. A is not decimal standard atomic weight. |
| Same printed p.20, Atomic structure **bullet 3** | Days 6–8/10 read `^{A}_{Z}X` plus simple given monoatomic charges and derive p/n/e in atoms, ions and isotopes. | Selected C, O, Mg, Na, Cl, B, Ca, F cases only; no exhaustive element/ion fluency or chemical formation mechanism. |
| Same printed p.20, Isotopes **bullet 1** and **bullet 2** | Day 4 and Check A compare same Z, different neutrons/A; read isotope names and symbols in full words. | No isotope properties, radioactivity, mass spectroscopy or abundance claims. |
| Same printed p.21, Periodic table and trends **first bullet** (symbols) | C/O/Mg and other verified symbols are used and read. | Does not yet teach periodic-table structure, blocks, trends or the remaining bullets. |
| Same printed p.22, Science as a human endeavour **first bullet** (evidence changed atomic models) | Day 1/9 make a modest model-versus-observation distinction. | No history of Geiger–Marsden, Goeppert Mayer or evidence from real experiments is taught. |

**Still open within this 20-hour Topic 1:** most of the Atomic structure section (s/p/d energy, Aufbau/Hund/Pauli, configurations to Z36, Cr/Cu and ionisation-energy data); later isotope properties/relative atomic mass; mass spectrometry, line spectra, flame tests/AAS; periodic blocks/trends and bonding; all listed science inquiry. The pack is **4 hours 10 minutes** of short conceptual sessions, less than one quarter of notional Topic 1 time and a small fraction of Unit 1's **55 hours**. It does not cover Topics 2–3 or other units. It does **not** invent a periodic table data experiment or claim practical work occurred.

**School decisions and assessments:** Printed p.6 states that schools develop **at least two and no more than four** assessments across Units 1–2, with **at least one per unit** and each unit objective assessed at least once. These two public checks are **not school instruments** and cannot replace that school design. QCAA leaves contextualisation and sequencing to schools within syllabus requirements (printed p.5). A school must plan actual inquiry and risk controls for any later flame test, mass-spectrum simulation or other lab work. General Chemistry is an elective pathway, not a compulsory national Year 11 program.