Chemistry

Course Description

A Level Chemistry will give you an exciting insight into the contemporary world of chemistry. It covers the key concepts of chemistry and practical skills are integrated throughout the course. This combination of academic challenge and practical focus makes the prospect of studying A Level Chemistry highly appealing. You will learn about chemistry in a range of different contexts and the impact it has on industry and many aspects of everyday life. You will learn to investigate and solve problems in a range of contexts.

The course starts off with the foundations of Chemistry looking at everything from bonding to chemical calculations. This way we can ensure you are all on the same page regardless of your prior exam boards and schools. We then move into further study of the periodic table and its associated trends and patterns with a spotlight on period 3, group 2 and group 7. In these topics your attention to detail will be tested and you’ll learn to apply lots of the material you studied in the previous foundation topics. Following this we delve deeper into reaction rates, enthalpy changes and equilibria (all described as physical chemistry) to enhance your GCSE understanding in these areas and prepare you for the second year of the course. We close off year 1 with the start of our organic chemistry modules. These take a detailed look at the structures of substances used in the development of flavourings, fragrances and pharmaceuticals. Organic chemistry is a massive aspect of the course and lots of students consider this their favourite bit of the A-level. The transition into second year maintains this theme and we see how different types of modern spectroscopy can be used to analysis the structures following reactions or purifications. Finally, we finish up the course with another look at physical chemistry which includes buffers systems, electrochemical cells and a spotlight on the transition elements.

Throughout the A-level you will conduct a series of approximately 22 practicals, each of which contributes to your Practical Endorsement and are reported in a log book. Across these procedures you will learn a mixture of basic and advanced techniques to help you prepare for university study and see the pages of your notes come alive with each experiment. You’ll also conduct research assignments into aspirin and iron supplements.