- Lessons
- Year 1
- Year 2
- Entry Requirements
- What's Next
- Skills
- Resources
- Other Subjects
- Suggested Reading
Lessons
What is Chemistry?
Chemistry is the study of materials based on the properties of atoms and the way that these atoms can be combined. Without chemistry, there could not have been any new drug development, new dyes, agrochemicals, plastics, computers or spacecraft. We would have a much poorer understanding of the world, from the way that our bodies work, to the effects on the environment of human activity. Chemistry is at the cutting edge of new technology.
Chemistry addresses a wide range of questions:
- Why do chemical reactions occur?
- How quickly do they occur? What factors affect their speed?
- How do electrons affect properties of materials?
- How can industrial processes be improved to give better yields or to occur faster?
- How do the properties of materials depend on the elements they contain?
- Why is carbon the basis of life?
- What is damaging the environment and what can be done?
In class you'll spend some time doing practical work. You will prepare and analyse various substances and learn how to take accurate observations and measurements. You will also have the opportunity to develop your deductive skills and your ability to draw appropriate conclusions from sometimes contradictory evidence. For the rest of the time, you will be working on exercises, taking part in discussions and preparing presentations of your own.
Year 1
Studying & Assessment - AS Level
At the end of Lower Sixth you'll take a number of exams to finalise your AS Level with short answer questions, comprehensive questions, extended response questions, structured questions, and critical analysis of experimental data given. These exams will also assess your experimental skills, including your ability to plan, implement, analyse evidence, draw conclusions and evaluate evidence and procedures.
At the same time you'll undertake practical activities throughout the year and will have to pass a Practical Endorsement in Chemistry. You'll need to maintain a record of the activities you carry our and your record will appear on your AS certificate as a separately reported result, alongside the overall grade for the qualification.
You'll learn material split across four teaching modules:
- Development of practical skills in chemistry
- Practical skills assessed in a written examination
- Foundations in chemistry
- Atoms, compounds, molecules and equations
- Amount of substance
- Acid–base and redox reactions
- Electrons, bonding and structure
- Periodic table and energy
- The periodic table and periodicity
- Group 2 and the halogens
- Qualitative analysis
- Enthalpy changes
- Reaction rates and equilibrium (qualitative)
- Core organic chemistry
- Basic concepts
- Hydrocarbons
- Alcohols and haloalkanes
- Organic synthesis
- Analytical techniques (IR and MS)
At the end of Lower Sixth you'll take two exams known as Breadth in Chemistry and Depth in Chemistry. Both of which are worth 50% of your final grade and examine all four teaching modules.
Your AS Chemistry focuses on three core components:
Physical chemistry
- Atomic structure
- Amount of substance
- Bonding
- Energetics
- Kinetics
- Chemical equilibria, Le Chatelier’s principle and Kc
- Oxidation, reduction and redox equations
Inorganic chemistry
- Periodicity
- Group 2, the alkaline earth metals
- Group 7(17), the halogens
Organic chemistry
- Introduction to organic chemistry
- Alkanes
- Halogenoalkanes
- Alkenes
- Alcohols
- Organic analysis
At the end of two years you'll be required to take two exams both of which are worth 50% of your final grade.
The Edexcel AS Chemistry focuses on:
- Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
- Bonding and Structure
- Redox
- Inorganic Chemistry and the Periodic Table
- Formulae, Equations and Amounts of Substance
- Bonding and Structure
- Formulae, Equations and Amounts of Substance
- Organic Chemistry
- Modern Analytical Techniques
- Energetics
- Kinetics
- Equilibrium
You'll be required to take two papers at the end of the year both of which are worth 50% of your final grade.
Year 2
Studying & Assessment - A Level
At the end of Upper Sixth you'll take a number of exams to finalise your A-Level with short answer questions, comprehensive questions, extended response questions, structured questions, critical analysis of experimental data given and essays. These exams will also assess your experimental skills, including your ability to plan, implement, analyse evidence, draw conclusions and evaluate evidence and procedures.
At the same time you'll undertake practical activities throughout the two years and will have to pass a Practical Endorsement in Chemistry. You'll need to maintain a record of the activities you carry our and your record will appear on your A-Level certificate as a separately reported result, alongside the overall grade for the qualification.
Content is split into six teaching modules:
Development of practical skills in chemistry
- Practical skills assessed in a written examination
- Practical skills assessed in the practical endorsement
Foundations in chemistry
- Atoms, compounds, molecules and equations
- Amount of substance
- Acid–base and redox reactions
- Electrons, bonding and structure
Periodic table and energy
- The periodic table and periodicity
- Group 2 and the halogens
- Qualitative analysis
- Enthalpy changes
- Reaction rates and equilibrium (qualitative)
Core organic chemistry
- Basic concepts
- Hydrocarbons
- Alcohols and haloalkanes
- Organic synthesis
- Analytical techniques (IR and MS)
Physical chemistry and transition elements
- Reaction rates and equilibrium (quantitative)
- pH and buffers
- Enthalpy, entropy and free energy
- Redox and electrode potentials
- Transition elements
Organic chemistry and analysis
- Aromatic compounds
- Carbonyl compounds
- Carboxylic acids and esters
- Nitrogen compounds
- Polymers
- Organic synthesis
- Chromatography and spectroscopy (NMR)
At the end of Upper Sixth you'll be required to take three exams. Two - Periodic table, elements and physical chemistry and Synthesis and analytical techniques - are worth 37% each of your final grade, whilst Unified chemistry is worth 26% of your final grade. You'll also be required to undertake practicals throughout the year to pass your Practical Endorsement in Chemistry.
Physical chemistry
- Atomic structure
- Amount of substance
- Bonding
- Energetics
- Kinetics
- Chemical equilibria, Le Chatelier’s principle and Kc
- Oxidation, reduction and redox equations
- Thermodynamics
- Rate equations
- Equilibrium constant Kp for homogeneous systems
- Electrode potentials and electrochemical cells
- Acids and bases
Inorganic chemistry
- Periodicity
- Group 2, the alkaline earth metals
- Group 7(17), the halogens
- Properties of Period 3 elements and their oxides
- Transition metals
- Reactions of ions in aqueous solution
Organic chemistry
- Introduction to organic chemistry
- Alkanes
- Halogenoalkanes
- Alkenes
- Alcohols
- Organic analysis
- Optical isomerism
- Aldehydes and ketones
- Carboxylic acids and derivatives
- Aromatic chemistry
- Amines
- Polymers
- Amino acids, proteins and DNA
- Organic synthesis
- Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
- Chromatography
At the end of your two years you'll undertake three exams focusing on different elements of the course. Two are worth 35% of your final grade whilst the cross-content, synoptic exam is worth 30% of your final grade. You'll also be required to undertake practicals throughout the year to pass your Practical Endorsement in Chemistry.
In your two years you'll learn:
- Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
- Bonding and Structure
- Redox
- Inorganic Chemistry and the Periodic Table
- Formulae, Equations and Amounts of Substance
- Energetics
- Equilibrium
- Acid-base Equilibria
- Transition Metals
- Bonding and Structure
- Formulae, Equations and Amounts of Substance
You'll be assessed by three exams. Advanced Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, and Advanced Organic and Physical Chemistry are both worth 30% of your final grade. The third exam is worth 35% of your final grade and includes synoptic questions drawing on all your A-Level chemistry content.
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Depending on your college it's likely that you'll need a minimum of a grade BB in combined science or a grade B in chemistry GCSE. It's also likely that the college will ask for a grade 6 in GCSE mathematics and English language.
What's Next
Next Steps
An A-level in Chemistry offers you a range of skills highly valued by employers as well as university admissions tutors, such as numeracy, critical thinking and problem solving. You might be taking chemistry with a career in mind (many careers require chemistry A-level), for example pharmacy, the chemical industry or medicine, and there are lots of careers where chemistry is important. However, there's a whole range of careers and degrees you can choose from with a Chemistry A-Level.
Skills
Skills
You'll gain lots of skills as a chemistry student through both your lessons and your practical work. These include:
- Analysis
- Research
- Problem Solving
- Independent Learning
- Written Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Clear and logical thinking
- Attention to detail
- Teamwork
- Verbal Communication
Resources
Resources
Online Courses
- Biochemistry: The Molecules of Life
- Identifying Food Fraud
- Discovering Science: Atmospheric Chemistry
- Discovering Science: Chemical Products
- Discovering Science: Medicinal Chemistry
- Discovering Science: Global Challenges
- Exploring Everyday Chemistry
Websites and Blogs
Revision
Podcasts
Magazines/Journals
Other Subjects
What should I study Chemistry alongside?
Chemistry goes well with biology, physics or mathematics, especially if you are contemplating a career in science. If you wish to study medicine, dentistry or veterinary science, you must take chemistry. Chemistry also combines well with computing, economics, geography or modern languages, opening up a range of opportunities in many different areas.
You might also want to combine it with humanities or arts subjects to show people that you have another string to your bow and increase your problem solving skills and numeracy.
Suggested Reading
Suggested Reading
There are loads of great popular chemistry books out there and the best way to find them is to pop to your local bookshop and get browsing. If you wish to study chemistry or a chemistry-related subject at university we recommend highlighting or post-it noting pages which interest you so you have something to talk about in your interview and UCAS form.
Some top chemistry books include:
- Oliver Sacks - Uncle Tungsten
- The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York - Deborah Blum
- The Billion Dollar Molecule: One Company's Quest for the Perfect Drug - Barry Werth
- The Disappearing Spoon - Sam Kean
- Cathedrals of Science - Patrick Coffey
- Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World - Mark Miodownik
