Fiducia TogetherRates of reaction
How fast a reaction goes, and the five things that change it.
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
Rate is the amount of reactant used or product formed per unit time. It is increased by higher concentration, higher temperature, greater surface area, higher pressure for gases, and a catalyst.
Where it applies
GCSE chemistry and combined science, with a required practical.
How it works
Collision theory explains all of it: reactions happen when particles collide with enough energy. More frequent collisions, or more energetic ones, means a faster rate.
A catalyst provides an alternative pathway with lower activation energy and is not used up.
How to use it in your work
Answer every rate question with collision theory. "More particles in the same volume, so more frequent collisions" — say frequent, not just more.
Temperature does two things: faster particles AND more collisions exceeding the activation energy. Say both.
From a graph, rate is the gradient; a tangent gives the rate at an instant.
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.