SPM Science 2026: the safest questions are the everyday ones
We counted 480 Science Paper 1 questions from 12 trial papers of 2026 and matched them to the 21 KSSM chapters. Nutrition and Food Technology comes up most, and subtopics like alcohol, satellites, GPS and CPR appear in almost every paper.
Cerdek Team7 min read
Summarise with AI
Opens your favourite AI with the question already written.
Contents
SPM Science has 21 chapters covering biology, chemistry and physics all at once, and a lot of students don't know where to start. We took 12 Science trial papers from 2026 (11 states, plus MRSM and school papers) and matched every one of the 480 Paper 1 questions to its KSSM chapter and subtopic.
One thing stood out. The subtopics that come up most reliably aren't the hardest theory. They're the everyday ones: alcohol, satellites and GPS, CPR, isotopes in medicine, the hydraulic jack.
The short answer
- 9 chapters cover 52% of the questions. The full list is in the table below.
- Nutrition and Food Technology (F5) is the biggest: 8.1% of questions, about 3 per paper.
- Carbon Compounds (F5) is second: 7.1%, then Cell Division and Genetics (F4) at 6.5%.
- Alcohol (F5 5.3) appeared in 9 papers out of 10. Ten more subtopics appeared in 8 out of 10.
- Form 4 and Form 5 are almost even: 54% against 46%.
If you don't have much time left
A week left? Work down the table from the top. The first nine chapters are half the paper, and every chapter after that is still 1.3 to 2 questions per paper, so don't drop any.
Three days left? Make a one-page sheet of the 11 "8 to 9 in 10" subtopics below. Most of it is learnable fact: numbers, names and steps.
The night before? Go over the facts with numbers in them: the CPR steps, satellite orbit heights, what each isotope is used for, and Pascal's formula. These are easy marks if you remember them and easy to lose if you don't.
Every chapter, ranked (2026 trial papers)
"Qs/paper" is the average number of questions from that chapter in one 40-question paper.
| # | Chapter | % of Qs | Qs/paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F5 Ch. 2 Nutrition and Food Technology | 8.1% | 3.2 |
| 2 | F5 Ch. 5 Carbon Compounds | 7.1% | 2.8 |
| 3 | F4 Ch. 5 Cell Division and Genetics | 6.5% | 2.6 |
| 4 | F4 Ch. 11 Motion | 5.2% | 2.1 |
| 5 | F4 Ch. 8 Matter, the Periodic Table and Isotopes | 5.2% | 2.1 |
| 6 | F5 Ch. 3 Environmental Sustainability | 5.0% | 2.0 |
| 7 | F5 Ch. 4 Rate of Reaction | 5.0% | 2.0 |
| 8 | F5 Ch. 1 Microorganisms | 5.0% | 2.0 |
| 9 | F4 Ch. 1 Scientific Methodology | 4.6% | 1.8 |
| 10 | F4 Ch. 9 Materials in Industry | 4.6% | 1.8 |
| 11 | F4 Ch. 4 Green Technology in Environmental Sustainability | 4.4% | 1.8 |
| 12 | F5 Ch. 7 Light and Optics | 4.4% | 1.8 |
| 13 | F5 Ch. 9 Space Exploration | 4.4% | 1.8 |
| 14 | F4 Ch. 10 Medicines and Health | 4.3% | 1.7 |
| 15 | F4 Ch. 3 Physiology of the Human Body | 4.2% | 1.7 |
| 16 | F4 Ch. 6 Support, Movement and Growth | 4.2% | 1.7 |
| 17 | F4 Ch. 7 Coordination | 4.0% | 1.6 |
| 18 | F5 Ch. 6 Electrochemistry | 3.8% | 1.5 |
| 19 | F4 Ch. 12 Nuclear Energy | 3.5% | 1.4 |
| 20 | F5 Ch. 8 Pressure in Fluids | 3.5% | 1.4 |
| 21 | F4 Ch. 2 Emergency Aid | 3.1% | 1.2 |
Science is more even than Chemistry or Physics. After the top three, most chapters sit between 4% and 5%, which is about 2 questions per paper.
Subtopics that turn up in almost every paper
The count below is how many papers (out of every 10) had at least one question from that subtopic.
- F5 5.3 Alcohol · 9 in 10 papers. Making ethanol by yeast fermentation of glucose, the properties of ethanol, and the health effects of drinking too much (for example, liver cirrhosis).
- F5 9.1a Satellites: Types of Orbits · 8 in 10 papers. LEO (180 to 2,000 km), MEO, and GEO (about 35,780 km, moving with the Earth's rotation). Usually you get a height or a use and name the orbit.
- F5 9.2 Global Positioning System (GPS) · 8 in 10 papers. Three segments: space (satellites), control (ground stations) and user (receivers like phones). A position needs at least four satellites.
- F4 2.1 Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) · 8 in 10 papers. For an adult: 30 chest compressions to 2 breaths, about 5 to 6 cm deep, at 100 to 120 compressions a minute.
- F4 5.3 Mutation · 8 in 10 papers. Gene versus chromosome mutation, mutagens (radiation, chemicals) and examples such as Down syndrome.
- F4 8.3 Isotopes · 8 in 10 papers. Uses: cobalt-60 (cancer treatment, sterilisation), iodine-131 (thyroid), carbon-14 (dating), sodium-24 (finding pipe leaks).
- F4 9.3 Polymers · 8 in 10 papers. Natural polymers (rubber, starch) and synthetic ones (plastics), and polymerisation.
- F4 6.1 Support, Movement and Growth in Animals · 8 in 10 papers. Exoskeleton, endoskeleton and hydrostatic skeleton, with an animal example for each.
- F4 7.1 Human Endocrine System · 8 in 10 papers. Glands and their hormones: pancreas (insulin), adrenal (adrenaline), thyroid (thyroxine), pituitary.
- F5 6.2 Chemical Cell · 8 in 10 papers. Two different metals in an electrolyte. The more electropositive metal is the negative terminal.
- F5 8.1a Pascal's Principle and the Hydraulic System · 8 in 10 papers. F₁/A₁ = F₂/A₂. Pressure is passed on equally, so the large piston gives the larger force.
Mistakes we keep seeing
- Orbit heights. GEO is about 35,780 km. A satellite a few hundred kilometres up is LEO, even though it moves very fast.
- Chemical cell versus electrolysis. A chemical cell turns chemical energy into electrical energy. Electrolysis does the opposite.
- Pascal's formula upside down. Small force on the small piston, big force on the big one. Check that your answer makes sense.
- Fermentation versus aerobic respiration. Fermentation needs no oxygen and, in yeast, gives ethanol and CO₂.
- Somatic versus genetic effects of radiation. Somatic effects happen to the person exposed (cataracts, hair loss). Genetic effects are passed on to children.
How we counted, and what it can't tell you
The data comes from 12 Science Paper 1 trial papers from 2026 (state, MRSM and school papers) in Cerdek's question bank: 480 objective questions in all. Each question was matched to a subtopic of the KSSM Form 4 and 5 Science textbooks. A question touching two subtopics counts as half for each.
The limits:
- These are trial papers, not real SPM papers. They follow the SPM format, but this isn't a prediction of the questions.
- Paper 1 (objective) only.
- With 12 papers, a small gap between two chapters means nothing.
You can see the same analysis, by year and by form, in the Topic Insights feature of the Cerdek app.
Frequently asked questions
Which Science chapter came up most in the 2026 SPM trial papers?
Nutrition and Food Technology (Form 5, Chapter 2) with 8.1% of questions, about 3 per Paper 1. Next were Form 5 Carbon Compounds (7.1%) and Form 4 Cell Division and Genetics (6.5%). Based on 480 questions from 12 trial papers of 2026.
How many Science chapters cover half the questions?
Nine of the 21 chapters covered about 52% of the questions in the 2026 trial papers. Every other chapter still gave about 1.3 to 2 questions per paper, so dropping them isn't recommended.
Which Science subtopics are almost certain to come up?
Alcohol (F5 5.3) appeared in 9 out of 10 trial papers of 2026. Types of satellite orbit, GPS, CPR, mutation, isotopes, polymers, the endocrine system, chemical cells and Pascal's principle each appeared in about 8 out of 10.
Is this the same as the real SPM questions?
No. It is based on state and school trial papers written in the SPM format. Use it to plan your revision order, not to guess questions.
Was this article helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!