Chemistry A Level
Chemistry A Level gives you the foundations you need for a wide range of science-based courses at University.
The critical thinking, data analysis and investigative skills you will learn here can be applied to almost all careers in the field. So, even if you’re not quite sure what industry you’d like to work in just yet, you can be positive you will have the skills and confidence to succeed!
Course
Information
A Level Chemistry attempts to answer the big question: ‘What is the world made of?’
It’s the search for this answer that makes this subject so fascinating!
From investigating how one substance can be changed drastically into another to researching a new wonder drug to save millions of lives, the opportunities that chemistry provides are endless.
The course lasts two years, with exams at the end of the second year.
Here’s what you’ll learn each year:
First year of A Level
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Physical chemistry including atomic structure, amount of substance, bonding, energetics, kinetics, chemical equilibria and Le Chatelier’s principle.
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Inorganic chemistry including periodicity, Group 2 the alkaline earth metals, Group 7(17) the halogens.
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Organic chemistry including introduction to organic chemistry, alkanes, halogenoalkanes, alkenes, alcohols, organic analysis.
Second year of A Level
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Physical chemistry Including thermodynamics, rate equations, the equilibrium constant Kp, electrode potentials and electrochemical cells.
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Inorganic chemistry Including properties of Period 3 elements and their oxides, transition metals, reactions of ions in aqueous solution.
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Organic chemistry Including optical isomerism, aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids and derivatives, aromatic chemistry, amines, polymers, amino acids, proteins and DNA, organic synthesis, NMR spectroscopy, chromatography.
Chemistry, like all sciences, is a practical subject, so expect to have plenty of opportunities to carry out practical activities, including:
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Measuring energy changes in chemical reactions.
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Tests for identifying different types of compounds.
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Different methods for measuring rates of reaction.
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Studying electrochemical cells.
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Preparation of organic solids and liquids.
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Advanced forms of chromatography for more accurate results.
There is no coursework for this course. However, your performance during practicals will be assessed.
There are three exams at the end of the two years, all of which are two hours long. At least 15% of the marks for A Level Chemistry are based on what you learned in your practicals.
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5 GCSEs grade 5 or above as well as grade 6 in Maths and Chemistry (or a 66 in Combined Science).
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The sky’s the limit – though it will all mostly depend on what your interests are.
How will I be assessed?
What are the entry requirements?
Where will this take me?
