Chemistry

Course summary

A-level Chemistry is a rigorous, challenging and ultimately rewarding course that develops students' scientific skills and knowledge through theory and experimental tasks. Pick up a soft drink can and you'll find chemistry from the metal can you're holding, to the paint used to cover it and the liquid inside. As you're breathing in and out you're performing a chemical reaction, which is a little scary, but pretty great too. Chemists conduct experiments to study how chemicals interact in different conditions. The results can be groundbreaking, colourful or even explosive. Chemists use their experiments and knowledge to develop medicines, foods, fabrics and other materials including groundbreaking developments ranging from nanotechnology of posters which remove greenhouse gases giving a cleaner environment to targeted delivery of cancer treatments to name a few. The questioning and experimentation help you build a whole range of transferable skills. Chemistry helps you to develop research, problem-solving and analytical skills and it helps to challenge ideas and encourages problem-solving through logic and step-by-step reasoning. Chemistry often requires teamwork and communication skills too, which are great project management skills. Chemistry is sometimes known as the 'central science' because it helps to connect physical sciences, like Maths and Physics, with applied sciences, like Biology, Medicine and Engineering. Chemistry is an important subject for careers in medicine, environmental science, engineering, toxicology, metallurgy, space exploration, development of consumer products like perfumes, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, energy, teaching, science writing, software development and research.