Electrolysis — Interactive Lesson (Ages 14–16)

Use electricity to split compounds apart — the way aluminium is made and metals are plated. This 21-slide interactive lesson on electrolysis takes pupils from first ideas to exam-style explanations, with 13 self-marking activities and nothing to prepare beforehand.

Teaching Electrolysis in GCSE Chemistry

Pupils explain why electrolytes must be molten or dissolved, predict which ions move to the cathode and anode, and use OIL RIG to describe oxidation and reduction at the electrodes. They predict the products for molten compounds and for aqueous solutions such as brine and copper sulfate, and describe the extraction of aluminium from aluminium oxide dissolved in molten cryolite.

What Pupils Will Learn

• Explain what electrolysis is and why the electrolyte must be molten or dissolved.
• Predict which ions move to the cathode and the anode.
• Predict the products of electrolysing molten compounds.
• Predict the products of electrolysing aqueous solutions.
• Describe how aluminium is extracted by electrolysis.

What’s Included

• 21-slide interactive lesson on electrolysis
• 13 self-marking activities: multiple-choice questions, true-or-false checks, sorting tasks, drag-and-drop categorising and fill-in-the-gap questions
• Step-by-step teaching cards that reveal one point at a time
• A written explanation task with a model answer for self-assessment

Why Teachers Love It

• No prep — open it on an interactive whiteboard, laptop or tablet
• Instant feedback explains every answer, right or wrong
• Everyday examples make chemistry feel real
• Works for whole-class teaching, independent study or revision

Curriculum Alignment

Supports UK GCSE Chemistry and Combined Science (AQA, Edexcel and OCR) and the Nigerian Senior Secondary Chemistry curriculum (SS2), including WAEC and NECO exam preparation.

Love this? You’ll love…

• Rates of Reaction — Interactive Lesson (Ages 14–16)
• Ionic, Covalent and Metallic Bonding — Interactive Lesson (Ages 14–16)

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FAQ

What year groups is this for? Years 10–11 (ages 14–16), and SS2 in Nigeria.

Is it self-marking? Yes — all 13 activities give instant feedback.

Do pupils need to log in? No. The lesson runs in any modern web browser.

Can I use it for revision? Yes. Pupils can replay it as often as they like, and the results screen shows which questions to review before a test.