FBISE SSC (Matric) Chemistry (IX-X): syllabus, papers and marking
The FBISE SSC-I Chemistry paper pairs sixty half-mark MCQs with six short and two extended answers. Papers follow that table of specifications and mark equations, moles and reasoning separately.
National Curriculum 2022-23, Inclusive Scheme of Studies 2024 (1200 marks); 50% MCQ and 50% descriptive pattern from Second Annual 2026 · First Annual and Second Annual series · grades A++ to U (IBCC scale)
FBISE SSC Chemistry: where the marks go
FBISE Chemistry at SSC is examined against the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) of the National Curriculum 2022-23, not against a textbook. Class IX is now a 75-mark paper: a 30-mark MCQ section of sixty half-mark questions (forty straight and twenty built on a situation), a 30-mark descriptive section of six 3-mark short answers and two 6-mark extended answers with internal choice, and 15 marks of practical-based assessment. Class X keeps the earlier 12-MCQ, 48-mark descriptive pattern until the 50% pattern reaches it. Marks are won on balanced equations, mole-based working and stating the reason behind a trend or property, not on naming facts.
AdmitPortfolio builds Chemistry papers to the FBISE assessment framework and table of specifications, so the MCQ and descriptive proportions, the 0.5-mark MCQ weighting and the SLO domains follow the board's own model paper. MCQ sections score automatically; descriptive answers are marked question by question as each rubric is released, and every lost mark is traced to the SLO behind it.
Paper structure and what we mark
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class IX: Section A — Multiple Choice | 1 h 20 min | 30 | 40% | 60 MCQs at half a mark each: 40 straight and 20 built on a situation or data |
| Class IX: Sections B and C — Short and Extended Response | 1 h 40 min | 30 | 40% | Section B: six short answers of 3 marks. Section C: two extended answers of 6 marks. Internal choice in every question |
| Class IX: Practical — Practical-Based Assessment | Separate | 15 | 20% | Practical-based assessment (PBA) from the list of practicals in the assessment framework |
| Class X: Section A — Multiple Choice | 20 min | 12 | 16% | 12 MCQs at one mark each (2024 model-paper pattern) |
| Class X: Sections B and C — Short and Extended Response | 2 h 40 min | 48 | 64% | Section B 30 marks of short answers, Section C 18 marks of extended answers (2024 model-paper pattern) |
| Class X: Practical — Practical-Based Assessment | Separate | 15 | 20% | Practical-based assessment (PBA) |
Syllabus outline
- Nature of science in chemistry and matter
- Atomic structure
- Chemical bonding
- Stoichiometry
- Electrochemistry and chemical energetics
- Chemical equilibrium
- Acids, bases and pH
- Periodic table and periodicity
- Group properties and elements
- Environmental chemistry: air
How each paper is marked here
- The sixty half-mark MCQs of Class IX Section A are scored automatically against the key, with the result split between straight and scenario items.
- Short and extended answers are marked against the SLO the question was written for, with the internal-choice option the candidate answered identified before marks are given.
- The 50% MCQ pattern applies to Class X candidates from the First Annual 2027 (if they sat Class IX in the Second Annual 2026 on the new pattern) and to everyone from the First Annual 2028. The Class X rows show the 2024 model-paper pattern still in force until then.
Where FBISE SSC Chemistry candidates lose marks
- Unbalanced equations and missing state symbols — Right formulae with wrong coefficients lose the mark, and every stoichiometry step that follows inherits the error.
- Mole calculations that skip the mole step — Going straight from mass to mass hides the method. Show n = m/M and the ratio taken from the equation.
- Trends stated with no reason — Periodic and bonding trends need the cause, such as nuclear charge, shielding or intermolecular forces, not just that a value increases down the group.
- Organic names and structures written loosely — Wrong chain length, missing locants or carbons drawn with the wrong number of bonds are marked wrong even inside an otherwise sound answer.
- Scenario-based MCQs answered from memory — Twenty of the sixty Section A items sit on a situation, table or diagram. Answering from recalled facts picks the distractor written for it.
Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for FBISE SSC Chemistry
See a real handwritten script marked by eight examiners at admitportfolio.com/examiners.
Questions teachers ask
- Is the paper still based on the textbook?
- No. FBISE states that these papers are set on the Student Learning Outcomes in the curriculum, and any NCC-reviewed or other reliable book may be used. Our papers are written to the SLO list, not to one publisher.
- Are equations and calculations marked step by step?
- Yes, once the descriptive rubric is released. The plan is to credit a balanced equation, the mole step and the final value separately, so a single slip does not wipe out the whole answer.
- When does the new pattern reach Class X?
- The 50% MCQ pattern applies to Class X candidates from the First Annual 2027 (if they sat Class IX in the Second Annual 2026 on the new pattern) and to everyone from the First Annual 2028. The Class X rows show the 2024 model-paper pattern still in force until then.
- Is this official FBISE marking?
- No. Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for FBISE SSC Chemistry. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
- Do you reproduce past-paper questions?
- No. Every IX-X paper here is original and written to the national curriculum 2022-23, inclusive scheme of studies 2024 (1200 marks); 50% mcq and 50% descriptive pattern from second annual 2026, in the same structure as the real papers shown above.
- Which papers are marked?
- None yet are marked question by question; Class IX: Section A, Class X: Section A are scored instantly. Practical exams sat at the centre are not marked here.
- How is the next paper chosen?
- From the marks a student lost: the concepts behind them are ranked by marks dropped, and the new paper weights those topics. It is the same syllabus and structure, with new questions.
- When are the exams?
- First Annual and Second Annual series. Grades A++ to U (IBCC scale).