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The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere: AQA GCSE Chemistry questions

Every AQA GCSE Chemistry exam question on 4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere, 2018–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.

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1,744 questions

  1. Q04.1

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Higher

    2 marks4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Higher, question 04.1: Explain how the percentage of nitrogen changed in the Earth’s early atmosphere. [2 marks]

  2. Q04.2

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Higher

    2 marks4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Higher, question 04.2: Table 4 shows the percentage (%) of carbon dioxide present in the Earth’s early atmosphere. Table 4 Time in billions of years ago Percentage (%) of carbon dioxi

  3. Q04.3

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Higher

    2 marks4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Higher, question 04.3: Complete Figure 3. You should: • plot the data in Table 4 • draw a line of best fit. [2 marks] Figure 3

  4. Q04.4

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Higher

    3 marks4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Higher, question 04.4: Table 5 shows information about the percentage (%) of carbon dioxide and of oxygen present in the Earth’s atmosphere over time. Table 5 Time in billions of year

  5. Q09.4

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Higher

    2 marks4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere4.10.4 The Haber process and the use of NPK fertilisers
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Higher, question 09.4: The nitrogen needed in the Haber process is obtained from air. Calculate the approximate volume of air required to obtain 50 dm3 of nitrogen. [2 marks] Volume ~

  6. Q06.1

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Foundation, question 06.1: Complete Figure 5. You should extend the line of best fit to the plotted point at 2.75 billions of years ago. [1 mark]

  7. Q06.2

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Foundation, question 06.2: What was the percentage (%) of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere 3.75 billions of years ago? Use Figure 5. [1 mark] %

  8. Q06.3

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Foundation, question 06.3: The percentage of carbon dioxide changed between 4.5 and 3.0 billion years ago. Which was a cause of this change? Use Figure 5. [1 mark] Tick () one box. Carbo

  9. Q06.4

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Foundation, question 06.4: The percentage of nitrogen changed between 4.5 and 2.5 billion years ago. Which was a cause of this change? Use Table 2. [1 mark] Tick () one box. Nitrogen was

  10. Q06.5

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Foundation, question 06.5: When did the percentage of nitrogen in the Earth’s atmosphere become similar to the percentage of nitrogen in the Earth’s atmosphere today? Use Table 2. [1 mark

  11. Q06.6

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Foundation

    2 marks4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Foundation, question 06.6: Which two gases may also have been present in the Earth’s early atmosphere? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Ammonia Chlorine Helium Hydrogen Methane

  12. Q06.7

    June 2025 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2025 Paper 2 Foundation, question 06.7: Name the process that started to produce oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere 2.7 billion years ago. [1 mark]

  13. Q05.4

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Higher

    3 marks4.3.5 Use of amount of substance in relation to volumes of gases4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Higher, question 05.4: Air is 20% oxygen. Calculate the volume of air needed to provide enough oxygen to react with 3.50 dm3 of hydrogen gas. The equation for the reaction is 2 H2 + O

  14. Q04.1

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Foundation

    3 marks4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Foundation, question 04.1: Figure 5 shows how the estimated percentage of nitrogen in the Earth’s atmosphere has changed since the Earth was formed. Figure 5 Describe the trends shown by

  15. Q04.2

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Foundation, question 04.2: What happened to the percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere when photosynthesis began? [1 mark] Tick () one box. The percentage of carbon dioxide decre

  16. Q04.3

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Foundation, question 04.3: The photosynthesis reaction takes in energy from the surroundings. Complete the sentence. Choose the answer from the box. [1 mark] carbon dioxide light water Th

  17. Q04.4

    June 2024 · Paper 2 Foundation

    2 marks4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2024 Paper 2 Foundation, question 04.4: Which two produce oxygen by photosynthesis? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Algae Animals Plants Viruses Yeast

  18. Q08.6

    June 2023 · Paper 2 Higher

    1 mark4.7.3 Synthetic and naturally occurring polymers4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2023 Paper 2 Higher, question 08.6: Draw a circle around the repeating unit in the polymer in Figure 6. [1 mark]

  19. Q01.1

    June 2023 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2023 Paper 2 Foundation, question 01.1: Which planet today has an atmosphere that is similar to the Earth’s early atmosphere? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Jupiter Mars Neptune Saturn

  20. Q01.2

    June 2023 · Paper 2 Foundation

    1 mark4.9.1 The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere
    The whole paper ↗
    June 2023 Paper 2 Foundation, question 01.2: Which is the approximate percentage of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere today? [1 mark] Tick () one box. 20% 50% 80% 100%
All 48 questions on The composition and evolution of the Earth's atmosphere, as a list
  1. June 2025, Paper 2 Higher, Q04.1 (2 marks): Explain how the percentage of nitrogen changed in the Earth’s early atmosphere. [2 marks]
  2. June 2025, Paper 2 Higher, Q04.2 (2 marks): Table 4 shows the percentage (%) of carbon dioxide present in the Earth’s early atmosphere. Table 4 Time in billions of years ago Percentage (%) of carbon dioxi
  3. June 2025, Paper 2 Higher, Q04.3 (2 marks): Complete Figure 3. You should: • plot the data in Table 4 • draw a line of best fit. [2 marks] Figure 3
  4. June 2025, Paper 2 Higher, Q04.4 (3 marks): Table 5 shows information about the percentage (%) of carbon dioxide and of oxygen present in the Earth’s atmosphere over time. Table 5 Time in billions of year
  5. June 2025, Paper 2 Higher, Q09.4 (2 marks): The nitrogen needed in the Haber process is obtained from air. Calculate the approximate volume of air required to obtain 50 dm3 of nitrogen. [2 marks] Volume ~
  6. June 2025, Paper 2 Foundation, Q06.1 (1 mark): Complete Figure 5. You should extend the line of best fit to the plotted point at 2.75 billions of years ago. [1 mark]
  7. June 2025, Paper 2 Foundation, Q06.2 (1 mark): What was the percentage (%) of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere 3.75 billions of years ago? Use Figure 5. [1 mark] %
  8. June 2025, Paper 2 Foundation, Q06.3 (1 mark): The percentage of carbon dioxide changed between 4.5 and 3.0 billion years ago. Which was a cause of this change? Use Figure 5. [1 mark] Tick () one box. Carbo
  9. June 2025, Paper 2 Foundation, Q06.4 (1 mark): The percentage of nitrogen changed between 4.5 and 2.5 billion years ago. Which was a cause of this change? Use Table 2. [1 mark] Tick () one box. Nitrogen was
  10. June 2025, Paper 2 Foundation, Q06.5 (1 mark): When did the percentage of nitrogen in the Earth’s atmosphere become similar to the percentage of nitrogen in the Earth’s atmosphere today? Use Table 2. [1 mark
  11. June 2025, Paper 2 Foundation, Q06.6 (2 marks): Which two gases may also have been present in the Earth’s early atmosphere? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Ammonia Chlorine Helium Hydrogen Methane
  12. June 2025, Paper 2 Foundation, Q06.7 (1 mark): Name the process that started to produce oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere 2.7 billion years ago. [1 mark]
  13. June 2024, Paper 2 Higher, Q05.4 (3 marks): Air is 20% oxygen. Calculate the volume of air needed to provide enough oxygen to react with 3.50 dm3 of hydrogen gas. The equation for the reaction is 2 H2 + O
  14. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.1 (3 marks): Figure 5 shows how the estimated percentage of nitrogen in the Earth’s atmosphere has changed since the Earth was formed. Figure 5 Describe the trends shown by
  15. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.2 (1 mark): What happened to the percentage of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere when photosynthesis began? [1 mark] Tick () one box. The percentage of carbon dioxide decre
  16. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.3 (1 mark): The photosynthesis reaction takes in energy from the surroundings. Complete the sentence. Choose the answer from the box. [1 mark] carbon dioxide light water Th
  17. June 2024, Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.4 (2 marks): Which two produce oxygen by photosynthesis? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Algae Animals Plants Viruses Yeast
  18. June 2023, Paper 2 Higher, Q08.6 (1 mark): Draw a circle around the repeating unit in the polymer in Figure 6. [1 mark]
  19. June 2023, Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.1 (1 mark): Which planet today has an atmosphere that is similar to the Earth’s early atmosphere? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Jupiter Mars Neptune Saturn
  20. June 2023, Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.2 (1 mark): Which is the approximate percentage of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere today? [1 mark] Tick () one box. 20% 50% 80% 100%
  21. June 2023, Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.3 (2 marks): Which two of the following increased the percentage of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Active volcanoes emitted gases Algae and
  22. June 2023, Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.4 (2 marks): Some scientists think that 1100 million years ago the Earth’s atmosphere contained: • 16% oxygen • 4% carbon dioxide. Complete Figure 1. You should: • complete
  23. June 2023, Paper 2 Foundation, Q05.5 (3 marks): Water vapour is a greenhouse gas. The percentage by mass of water vapour in the Earth’s atmosphere is 0.25%. Calculate the mass of water vapour in 350 kg of the
  24. June 2022, Paper 2 Higher, Q06.1 (2 marks): Explain the change in the percentage of gas in the region labelled A on Figure 3. [2 marks]
  25. June 2022, Paper 2 Higher, Q06.2 (2 marks): Explain the change in the percentage of gas in the region labelled B on Figure 3. [2 marks]
  26. June 2022, Paper 2 Higher, Q06.3 (2 marks): Compare the changes in the percentages of gases in the region labelled C on Figure 3. [2 marks]
  27. June 2022, Paper 2 Higher, Q06.4 (1 mark): What process caused the changes in the percentages of gases in the region labelled C on Figure 3? [1 mark]
  28. June 2022, Paper 2 Higher, Q06.5 (3 marks): Natural gas is a fossil fuel. Describe how deposits of natural gas were formed. [3 marks]
  29. June 2022, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.1 (1 mark): Calculate value X in Table 5. [1 mark] X = %
  30. June 2022, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.2 (2 marks): Which two other gases may have been in the Earth’s early atmosphere? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Ammonia Coal Limestone Methane Poly(ethene)
  31. June 2022, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.3 (1 mark): Which process in algae and plants increased the percentage of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Fermentation Photosynthesis Rusting S
  32. June 2022, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.4 (2 marks): Which two other processes decreased the percentage of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Burning fossil fuels Dissolving ca
  33. June 2022, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.5 (1 mark): When was the percentage of oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere 8%? Use Figure 3. [1 mark] millions of years ago
  34. June 2022, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.6 (1 mark): When did the percentage of nitrogen in the Earth’s atmosphere become constant? Use Figure 3. [1 mark] millions of years ago
  35. June 2022, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.7 (1 mark): Crude oil was formed from an ancient biomass as the Earth’s atmosphere evolved. What did this ancient biomass mainly consist of? [1 mark] Tick () one box. Lime
  36. June 2022, Paper 2 Foundation, Q03.8 (1 mark): Most of the percentages of the gases in Figure 3 are estimated values. Why have scientists used estimated values for the percentages of the gases in Figure 3? [
  37. June 2022, Paper 2 Foundation, Q04.6 (3 marks): The ethanol in E5 and E10 is produced from sugar. Sugar is produced from plants. Explain why the production of E10 removes more carbon dioxide from the atmosphe
  38. November 2021, Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.1 (1 mark): How long ago was the Earth formed? [1 mark] Tick () one box. 4.6 billion years ago 4.6 million years ago 4.6 thousand years ago Table 1 shows the percentages o
  39. November 2021, Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.2 (1 mark): Calculate the percentage X of other gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. Use Table 1. [1 mark] X = %
  40. November 2021, Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.3 (2 marks): Draw one line from each gas to the change in the percentage of that gas. Use Table 1. [2 marks] Gas Change in percentage of gas Nitrogen Oxygen Increased by abo
  41. November 2021, Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.4 (2 marks): The percentage of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s early atmosphere decreased. Which two processes caused this decrease? [2 marks] Tick () two boxes. Carbon dioxi
  42. November 2021, Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.5 (2 marks): Photosynthesis also decreased the percentage of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s early atmosphere. Photosynthesis increased the percentage of another gas. Complete
  43. November 2021, Paper 2 Foundation, Q01.6 (1 mark): Complete the sentence. [1 mark] Scientists are not certain about the percentages of gases in the Earth’s early atmosphere because there is a lack of .
  44. November 2020, Paper 2 Higher, Q09.1 (2 marks): Describe a test that would identify the gas collected. Give the result of the test. [2 marks] Test Result
  45. November 2020, Paper 2 Higher, Q09.5 (2 marks): Scientists think that algae may have used gases in Earth’s early atmosphere. Algae need an element to produce the molecule in Figure 6 which is not present in w
  46. June 2018, Paper 2 Higher, Q03.4 (6 marks): The percentages of carbon dioxide and oxygen have changed from Earth’s early atmosphere to Earth’s atmosphere today. Explain the processes that led to these cha
  47. June 2018, Paper 2 Higher, Q03.5 (1 mark): Why are scientists not certain about the percentage of each gas in the Earth’s early atmosphere? [1 mark]
  48. Specimen, Paper 2 Foundation, Q06.6 (3 marks): Wine contains ethanol. A bottle of wine was left open in air. After a few days, the wine tasted of vinegar. Vinegar is a solution of ethanoic acid in water. Exp

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