Weakness and Remedies

The candidates’ weaknesses were evident in the following areas:

-   determination of the volume of acid used;
-   finding the average volume of acid used;
-   calculation of concentration of ions present in the given volume of solution in moldm-3;
-   finding the average volume of acid used, using the principle of concordance titres;
-   use of wrong units.
-   deducing correct inferences from the observations provided;
-   inability to identify organic functional groups;
-   inability to outline the techniques for the separation of a mixture of sugar and sand.

The following remedies were however suggested:

• teaching of volumetric analysis should not be limited to acid-base titration only, but be extended to redox titration;
• candidates should be familiar with the examination syllabus;
• candidates should improve on their study habit.