Chemistry

Who takes this course?

Students with a wide range of interests enjoy Chemistry. Whether you want a job in medicine or industry, chemistry is the solid platform upon which careers are built. If you enjoyed Chemistry at GCSE, you will love this A/AS level course. You will get a real in-depth knowledge of this fascinating subject, preparing you for further education or giving you the credentials to enhance your employment options. You will find out how chemists are real innovators, designing solutions to the problems that affect modern life.

Chemistry is a great choice of subject for people who want a career in health and clinical professions, such as medicine, nursing, biochemistry, denistry or forensic science. It will also equip you for a career in industry, for example in the petrochemical or pharmaceutical industries.

The course is designed to encourage students to:

• Gain hands on practical skills and data analysis skills

• Appreciate how science works and its relevance beyond the laboratory

• Develop an enthusiasm for Chemistry

• Demonstrate a synoptic understanding

• Study Chemistry in a contemporary context

At AS Level students are given a solid grounding in foundation Chemistry. The specification introduces the chemical reactiviity of atoms and molecules and provides an understanding of their structures. The development and use of periodic table is explained. The introduction of Practical Skills Assignments (PSA) allows teachers to credit students for work done in routine class practical. Assessment becomes linked to the work of the coruse and moves away from formulaic testing:

Unit 1 Foundation Chemistry

Unit 2 Chemistry in Action

Unit 3 Investigative and Practical Skills - internal assessment

A pass in year one is recognised with an AS Level. Half your marks are carried forward to the second year as a credit.

At A2 Level the specification develops the concepts of physical chemistry introduced at AS. Students study kinetics, equilibria, organic chemistry and spectroscopic techniques to determine the
molecular formulae and structures of organic compounds. Students continued to be assessed through PSA, gaining credit for work done in routine class practicals:

Unit 4 Kinetics, Equilibria and Organic Chemistry

Unit 5 Energetics, Redox and Inorganic Chemistry

Unit 6 Investigative and Practical Skills - internal assessment

Half your year two marks are added to half your year one marks and a pass is recognised with an A Level