STPM Chemistry Tuition Online (962)
STPM Chemistry by semester: general and inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, then organic chemistry, with practical work worth a fifth of the grade.
Founder & Head of School, Afterkelas
Afterkelas teaches STPM Chemistry online to Form 6 students across all three semesters. University tutors run live classes, 1-to-1 or in small groups, in English or Bahasa Melayu, from atomic structure and the transition elements to equilibria, kinetics and organic reactions.
What STPM Chemistry covers
The 21 topics of the current syllabus, numbered as MPM numbers them, by semester.
Semester 1: General and inorganic chemistry
8 topics- Atoms, molecules and stoichiometry
- Electronic structure of atoms
- Chemical bonding
- Periodic table: periodicity
- Group 2
- Group 14
- Group 17
- Transition elements
Semester 2: Physical chemistry
5 topics- States of matter
- Equilibria
- Reaction kinetics
- Chemical energetics
- Electrochemistry
Semester 3: Organic chemistry
8 topics- Introduction to organic chemistry
- Hydrocarbons
- Haloalkanes
- Hydroxy compounds
- Carbonyl compounds
- Carboxylic acids and derivatives
- Amines and amino acids
- Polymers
Three different kinds of chemistry
The semesters split the subject cleanly. Semester 1 is general and inorganic chemistry: the mole, electron configurations, bonding and the shapes of molecules, then trends across the periodic table and the chemistry of Groups 2, 14 and 17 and the transition elements. Semester 2 is physical chemistry, the most mathematical part, with equilibria, kinetics, energetics and electrochemistry. Semester 3 is organic chemistry, which runs on reaction mechanisms and the conditions for each reaction.
Because each semester is so different, a student can be strong in one and weak in the next. Tutors plan each semester on its own terms: calculation practice for Semester 2, and reaction maps and mechanism drills for Semester 3.
Where marks are lost
Physical chemistry questions lose marks to units, significant figures and approximations that are used but never justified. A weak-acid pH calculation that assumes the acid barely dissociates should say so and then check it, as the worked question below does.
Organic chemistry loses marks to reagents and conditions. Naming the reagent earns little if the conditions are missing or wrong, and mechanisms need curly arrows drawn from the right place. Students keep one reaction map for the semester and practise using it to plan conversions of two or three steps.
Practical work
Form 6 students in government schools and approved private schools complete 15 experiments across the three semesters, assessed by their teachers and worth 20 percent of the grade; private candidates sit a written practical paper instead. Tutors can explain the chemistry behind a titration or a rate experiment and how to treat the results, but the practical work itself is done under the teacher's supervision.
A question, worked through
A Semester 2 question on ionic equilibria, part of topic 10. The approximation is where the marks are won or lost.
Question
Ethanoic acid has Ka = 1.8 × 10⁻⁵ mol dm⁻³ at 25 °C. Calculate the pH of a 0.10 mol dm⁻³ solution of ethanoic acid.
- Write the equilibrium: CH₃COOH ⇌ CH₃COO⁻ + H⁺, so Ka = [CH₃COO⁻][H⁺] ÷ [CH₃COOH].
- Each molecule that dissociates gives one H⁺ and one CH₃COO⁻, so [CH₃COO⁻] = [H⁺]. Ethanoic acid is weak, so assume [CH₃COOH] stays at about 0.10 mol dm⁻³.
- Then [H⁺]² = Ka × 0.10 = 1.8 × 10⁻⁶, so [H⁺] = 1.34 × 10⁻³ mol dm⁻³.
- Check the assumption: 1.34 × 10⁻³ is 1.3% of 0.10, small enough to ignore.
- pH = −log(1.34 × 10⁻³) = 2.87.
Answer pH = 2.87.
Frequently asked questions
Is STPM Chemistry taught in English or Bahasa Melayu?
Either. The papers are printed in both languages and a student may answer in either, so classes use the language and the terms the student will write in.
Which semester of STPM Chemistry is hardest?
It depends on the student. Semester 2 is the most mathematical, with equilibrium, kinetics and electrochemistry calculations, and Semester 3 asks the most of memory, with reactions, reagents and conditions. A tutor starts with whichever semester is coming up and repairs any SPM gap it depends on.
When should STPM Chemistry tuition start?
At the start of Semester 1, since the paper comes within months and a retake is only possible at the end of Semester 3. Students who start later work on the current semester first.
How much does STPM Chemistry tuition cost?
The fee depends on the format (1-to-1 or a small group), how many classes a week and the tutor, so there is no single figure. Send an academic advisor the current semester, the college and any semester results so far on WhatsApp, and you will get the current packages and a quote, usually within one working day.