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Ionic, covalent and metallic — and why the type explains the properties.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Ionic bonding transfers electrons between a metal and a non-metal, forming charged ions held in a lattice. Covalent bonding shares electrons between non-metals. Metallic bonding is positive ions in a sea of delocalised electrons.
Where it applies
GCSE chemistry and combined science.
How it works
Properties follow from structure. Ionic compounds have high melting points and conduct when molten or dissolved, because the ions are then free to move. Simple covalent molecules have low melting points because the forces BETWEEN molecules are weak, though the bonds within them are strong. Metals conduct and are malleable because of the delocalised electrons and layers that can slide.
How to use it in your work
The classic error: saying covalent bonds are weak. They are strong; the intermolecular forces are weak, and that is what melts.
Always explain a property by naming the particles that move or the forces that break. "Conducts because ions are free to move" is the mark.
Where to get help
Your teacher, your board's specification for the depth required at your tier, and Bitesize for the diagrams. The subject song runs the topics in order.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The Chemistry Song The GCSE chemistry specification, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.