This paper discusses the significance of model-based teaching on the topic of ionic and metallic bonding in Year 12 Chemistry in a New Zealand secondary school. Based on the conceptualization of the sub-macro level understanding of the bonding structure and properties of ionic and metallic compounds, models and drawings were used as an effective visual aid tool to support students' learning. Based on performances during four sequential classes and the results obtained from a pre-test and post-test, a vast improvement was seen in students' understanding of the concepts of ionic and metallic bonding. The results in the post-test also show that the concept of ionic bonding was easier to grasp compared to metallic bonding. This is attributed to the misconceptions developed by the students while learning metallic bonding without the use of visual strategies. This paper argues that teaching Chemistry concepts, such as metallic and ionic bonding, without the use of visual strategies results in students' inability to clearly grasp the topic. The research demonstrates that models and drawings have many advantages while teaching such abstract concepts in Year 12 Chemistry. The students in this research were non-native speakers of English, therefore, this may have further impacted upon their inability to grasp the concepts when taught without concrete visual strategies.