A Level Chemistry
COURSE oVERVIEW
A Level Chemistry is the study of the world around us; whilst developing many transferable skills including problem-solving, numeracy, and a range of laboratory skills, it will provide answers to questions such as “Why is water a liquid at room temperature?” and “Why are highlighter pens so bright?”.
EXAMINATION BOARD: AQA
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:
Grade 5 in GCSE Maths plus grade 6 and 5 from GCSE Combined Science (higher tier), or grade 6 in GCSE Chemistry. We strongly advise you to take another science or maths with A Level Chemistry.
Why study A LEVEL CHEMISTRY at Blackpool Sixth?
Excellent teaching and learning. You will have the opportunity to enter competitions run by the Royal Society of Chemistry and Cambridge University, and you may get the opportunity to represent the college at one of the Schools analyst competitions run throughout the UK. Chemistry is a very highly respected A level; it forms the foundation of a wide range of sciences you can study at university, and is compulsory for anyone wishing to pursue medicine, dentistry and veterinary science courses.
How will I be taught?
You will be provided with online booklets for each topic. In addition to this you will be asked to: complete individual and group work activities to enable you to develop your understanding.
Teacher expertise
Your teaching team comprises of very experienced A Level teachers who have research experience and are current examiners or verifiers.
What skills will I develop?
In addition to developing your skills in chemistry, as part of the learning you will also develop the following skills:
- Time management
- Team working
- Organisation
- Listening
- Communication
- Numeracy
- Research
How will I be assessed?
You will complete exercises to develop your understanding further and train you to answer the examination questions using past exam paper questions in your homework. You will have regular in class tests and key assessments to ensure you have understood a topic and attend support sessions to help in your learning. Carry out practical chemistry tasks to meet the endorsement and prepare you fully for the written examinations.
What will you study and other information about A Level chemistry
- What will I study?
- Physical chemistry
- Atomic structure
- Amount of substance
- Bonding energetics
- Chemical equilibria
- Oxidation, reduction, and redox equations
- Thermodynamics
- Rate equations
- Organic chemistry
- Alkanes
- Halogenoalkanes
- Alkenes
- Alcohols
- Aldehydes and ketones
- Carboxylic acids and derivatives
- Aromatic chemistry
- Amines, amino acids, proteins and DNA
- Polymers
- Organic synthesis and analysis
- Inorganic chemistry
- Periodicity
- Group 2 and Group 7
- Period 3
- Transition metals
- Ions in aqueous solution
- Equipment and Financial contributions
The science department runs several trips and educational visits throughout the year to enhance the experience of studying science. There may be other non-essential educational visits that students can access during the two-year course, such as visits to zoos and museums.
Students will be provided with resources/sources of information to support the course.
The recommended textbooks are available for this course via our e-resources, therefore it is not a requirement to purchase a textbook, if hard copies are preferred the information is detailed below:
- AQA A Level Chemistry by Alyn G. McFarland, Nora Henry and Teresa Quigg, approximately £40, ISBN 9781510469839.
- “AQA A-level Chemistry Student Guide: Practical Chemistry” approximately £10, ISBN 1471885143.
Students must have a scientific calculator, we strongly recommend the Casio fx-85G, approximately £8 – £10 (if studying maths or further maths, the upgraded calculator you buy for these courses will be suitable).
As we complete most of the course online, it is recommended that you write directly into PDF documents. This may be by using an iPad or tablet or by purchasing a graphics tablet which will enable you to annotate PDFs with handwriting, drawing, and typed text. This is not essential as documents can be printed out and filled in by hand, but it will help to keep you organised and enable you to submit work more easily. We recommend any graphics tablet with the functionality described above and we have identified some below that previous students have used:
One by Wacom pen tablet which costs approximately £30
XP-PEN G640 6×4 inch Drawing Tablet approximately £30 - Field trips, projects and employability opportunities
There is a Christmas lecture to end the year with a bang. Many students chose to apply for the Science Club or Medical Society. We maintain good links with University chemistry departments and trips are run to allow students to experience working in university laboratories.
Where does it lead?
Chemistry students progress to a wide range of courses, including medicine, dentistry and veterinary studies. Many students chose to study chemistry and have gone on to prestigious universities.
