AP Chemistry Ends and IB and SAT Chemistry Begin: 2020 Answers and Lessons with Chadwick, KMLA, NLCS, US, and China Students

AP Chemistry is finally over. Phew—it was really exhausting.

I hope every student who took my lessons gets a 5.

I think they will all get at least 4. The students include those from NLCS, schools in China and the US, BIS and IS in Vietnam, the Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, and Chadwick.

I told them they should all get at least 4. There are a few for whom a 5 looks less certain, but with some luck it is possible. I really hope

they all get 5s.

These two months were exhausting. I taught almost all day: students in the US in the morning, China during the day, and Korea, Vietnam, and Jakarta in the evening, including IB lessons.

I normally don't dream much, but I even had nightmares. I often thought this was too much for a person to keep doing. But the difficult stretch is over.

There's something I particularly want to show in this post.

Many students send me their answers, and I mark them.

This student got almost all the 2020 sample questions right and also wrote neatly, so I'm posting the work.

The sample answers are only a reference. They don't mean you must write exactly this way. I shared them partly because the handwriting was so neat.

Actually, content matters more than handwriting. A correct answer is correct; if the answer doesn't address the question correctly, accurate-looking surrounding material won't rescue it.

I'm including the final page of answers too.

Here is the last video from this student's lessons. I realized it was our final lesson and decided to record it.

It was hard work, but rewarding too.

I'll show a little of what online lessons look like.

I teach many more lessons online than these, but recording them isn't easy.

This was a private AP Chemistry lesson with a Korean Minjok Leadership Academy student. It was removed at the student's request.

https://tv.naver.com/v/13656075

Next are GSIS students studying IB Chemistry.

The connection looks a little slow; this was before I changed my internet service.

https://tv.naver.com/v/13596704

This is a lesson with a student attending NLCS Jeju. The subject is SAT Chemistry.

https://tv.naver.com/v/13673204

BIS international school. We mainly study IB.

https://tv.naver.com/v/13684937

Now I need to get going again with IB Chemistry and SAT Chemistry.

My lessons mainly revolve around solving questions. Even the basics begin with questions. The examples above are AP Chemistry past-paper questions.

AP Chemistry also requires plenty of past-paper practice. I think that's the method that leaves students with the most useful skills. However much theory you study, if you never solve a question,

your ability won't develop properly. Of course, there are exceptionally gifted students who are exceptions.

But after covering the basics broadly, completing past papers and FRQs—more than 30 sets altogether—students generally reach a 5 in my experience.

I think it's one of the best ways to improve exam performance quickly when a student needs practical experience in a short time.

The questions above are from a 2019 SAT Chemistry paper. But SAT questions were often reused.

If you ask whether this was a new type of question, the answer is no.

It was essentially a question that had appeared before.

In that situation, a book such as Barron's isn't necessarily the most important resource.

If students know the kinds of questions to expect and practice extensively, an 800 often follows.

What about IB Chemistry?

Again, I regard extensive question practice as one of the most important approaches.

This is my IB question collection.

It's about 2,000 pages, with an enormous number of questions.

Some students complete it before entering the IB years.

Other students would find it difficult to catch up with that preparation.

Of course, relatively few prepare that way. Most choose to secure AP and SAT results first.

Some unusually strong students already have around eight AP scores of 5 and SAT results too.

They're remarkable.

Oh dear, this post is becoming long.

Thank you.

I've posted many examples of lessons. I also have more recordings privately and can show suitable examples on request.

The AP Chemistry exam has just finished. Here are the answers I've prepared.

I'll share student reactions, starting with disappointed reactions, then positive ones, then those somewhere in between.

This one really hurt to read. Several of my students had problems on the AP side of the process.

This student felt positive.

And this is a reaction from someone who felt the exam went neither particularly well nor particularly badly.

I'll be waiting for good news from everyone.

Email: wope12@gmail.com.