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IGCSE · Practice questions · Arrangement of the Periodic Table

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Six original Cambridge-style questions on the arrangement of the Periodic Table and what an element's position tells you.

Original questions All questions on this page are original work, written in the Cambridge IGCSE style. They are not from past papers. They test the same concepts and skills the syllabus rewards.
Keep these straight

Group = outer electrons, period = shells.

01
Recall
[2 marks]

State how the elements are arranged in the Periodic Table, and name the vertical columns and horizontal rows.

  • In order of increasing proton number. ✓
  • Columns are groups; rows are periods. ✓
02
Analysis
[3 marks]

Element Q has proton number 16. Give its electronic configuration, its group and its period.

  • 2,8,6. ✓
  • Group VI. ✓
  • Period 3. ✓
03
Recall
[2 marks]

Describe how the character of the elements changes across Period 3 from sodium to argon.

  • The elements change from metals (sodium, magnesium, aluminium) to non-metals (phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, argon). ✓
  • Silicon, in the middle, has properties between the two. ✓
04
Explain
[2 marks]

(Extended) Explain why elements in the same group have similar chemical properties.

  • They have the same number of electrons in their outer shell. ✓
  • Chemical reactions involve the outer electrons, so these elements react in similar ways. ✓
05
Analysis
[3 marks]

(Extended) Predict the formula of the ion formed by (a) calcium, Group II, (b) nitrogen, Group V, and (c) bromine, Group VII.

  • (a) Ca2+ ✓
  • (b) N3− ✓
  • (c) Br− ✓
06
Explain
[2 marks]

Element Z is in Group I and Period 4. Predict whether Z is a metal or a non-metal, and state the number of electrons in its outer shell.

  • A metal (Group I elements are metals; it is potassium). ✓
  • One outer-shell electron. ✓

Mark this once you have attempted all six and checked your working. It records a Practiced badge on the topic and adds a one-time bonus. Revealing the solutions alone does not count.