2025 WAEC CHEMISTRY PRACTICAL SPECIMEN

1. Great care should be taken to ensure that the information given in items 2 and 3 below does not reach the candidates either directly or indirectly before the examination.

2. In addition to the fittings and reagents normally contained in a Chemistry laboratory, the following apparatus and materials will be required by each candidate:

(a) One burette of 50.0 cm³ capacity:
(b) One pipette, either 20.0 cm³ or 25.0 cm³. (All candidates at one centre must use pipettes of the same volume. These should be clean and free from grease.
(c) The usual apparatus for titration:
(d) the usual apparatus and reagents for qualitative work, including the following, with all reagents appropriately labelled:
(i) dilute sodium hydroxide solution:
(ii) dilute hydrochloric acid:
(iii) dilute trioxonitrate (V) acid:
(iv) silver trioxonitrate (V) solution:
(v) aqueous barium chloride:
(vi) aqueous ammonia:
(vii) lime water:
(viii) red and blue litmus papers:
(ix) dilute tetraoxosulphate (VI) acid:
(x) Fehling’s solution A & B:
(e) spatula:
(f) filtration apparatus:
(g) One beaker:
(h) One boiling tube:
(i) four test tubes:
(j) methyl orange indicator:
(k) glass rod:
(l) wash bottle containing distilled/deionized water:
(m) burning splint:
(n) watch glass:
(o) Bunsen burner/source of heat:
(p) droppers:
(q) mathematical table/calculator:
(r) phenolphthalein indicator:

3. Each candidate should be supplied with the following, where n is the candidate’s serial number.

(a) 150 cm³ of a solution of HCl, in a corked flask or bottle, labelled ‘An’. These should all be the same, containing 8.6 cm³ of concentrated HCl per dm³ of solution.

(b) 150 cm³ of NaHCO₃ solution in a corked flask or bottle labelled ‘Bn’. These should all be the same, containing 8.0 g of NaHCO₃ per dm³ of solution.

(c) One spatulaful of 1:1 uniform mixture of copper (II) tetraoxosulphate (VI) and glucose in a specimen bottle labelled ‘Cn’. This must be the same for all candidates.

4. In all cases, more materials may be issued if required.

5. The actual concentrations of A and B must be stated on the Supervisor’s Report Form. The candidates will assume that the concentrations are exactly as stated in the question paper.

6. It should be noted that schools are not allowed to amend the information provided on the question paper or substitute any substance/solution for those specified in these instructions.

Arrangement and Serial Numbers of Candidates

7. The laboratory places should be numbered serially, and the candidates should be allotted these places strictly in the order of their index numbers. The number of every specimen supplied to each candidate should be the same as his or her serial number.

8. If a candidate is absent, his or her serial number should not be allotted to another candidate.

9. If the candidates are divided into a number of sets, the serial numbers should be continued through the sets, so that no serial number is repeated.

10. At the beginning of the examination, it should be ensured that the candidates record their serial numbers as well as the index numbers on the front pages of their answer booklets, as they will be marked according to their serial numbers.

Supervisor’s Report

11. Supervisor’s Report Forms are provided separately. You must enclose a completed Report Form in each envelope of scripts.

12. The chemistry teacher should carry out the titrations required of the candidates in Question 1. The titration figures should be to at least one decimal place and should be carefully verified. Unless this is done at the same time as the candidates’ own titrations, wide variations could set in, and the candidates may be unavoidably penalized.

13. Any particular difficulties experienced by any candidate should be reported, especially if the Examiner would be unable to discover these from the scripts.

Caution Statement on the Toxicity of Chemicals

14. It is important that you remind candidates that chemicals could be dangerous when they are not handled properly.

Before the practical examination starts, read out the following statements to the candidates:

“Even though care has been taken to select the chemicals you will work with, you are being reminded that chemicals could be dangerous. It is therefore important that you handle them carefully.

Call the attention of your invigilator as soon as you start having any unusual sensation. Wash your mouth thoroughly with plenty of water, in case any chemical gets into it. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly as soon as you finish handling the chemicals.”

15. It is, however, expected that you will put the appropriate arrangements in place to prevent the occurrence of any accident.