Chemistry

Course summary

You might suspect that a lot of the things you are told at GCSE are untrue, and you would be right! The most acidic pH is not 0, since hydrochloric acid was used in the labs has a pH of lower than 0; metals and non-metals don’t always react to make ionic compounds, since aluminium chloride is covalent; the third electron shell doesn’t hold 8 electrons but 18. A Level of Chemistry is where you will find out how things are. There is a big jump from GCSE because we plunge straight into new and challenging concepts using powerful tools which we then apply to familiar topics such as electron structure, bonding and periodicity. This makes Chemistry both difficult - because there are a lot of new principles to understand and apply - and satisfying since it explains many familiar observations in a thought-provoking way. The syllabus followed is OCR. Although the the course contains a lot of factual material, the emphasis is on the recognition and appreciation of the interlinking patterns which form a distinctive feature of this subject; for this reason, it is highly regarded by non-related subjects at university and in a variety of careers. Students who intend to read Medicine, Veterinary Science or Dentistry at a university must take A Level Chemistry, and those intending to read paramedical subjects or biological sciences are strongly advised to take it.