Chemistry - A Level
Exam Board: AQA
In a change from previous years, to complete the full A Level in Chemistry students must complete all six modules and be assessed on all six at the end of two years of study – i.e. in Year 13. The A Level is no longer formed of ‘AS’ plus ‘A2’. However, students can choose to study Chemistry for just one year (modules 1-4) and complete the relevant exams to attain an AS Level in Chemistry.
A Level Course Content
Year 12 Content
Physical Chemistry
The content of this module includes atomic structure, amount of substance, bonding, energetics, kinetics, chemical equilibrium and Le Chatelier’s principle.
Inorganic Chemistry
This module includes the study of: periodicity, group 2 alkaline earth metals and group 7 halogens.
Organic Chemistry
In this module, students learn about: introduction to organic chemistry, alkanes, halogen alkanes, alkenes, alcohols and organic analysis.
Year 13 Content
Physical Chemistry
The content of this module includes thermodynamics, rate equations, the equilibrium constant, electrode potentials and electrochemistry.
Inorganic Chemistry
This module includes the study of: properties of period 3 elements and their oxides, transition metals and reactions of ions in aqueous solutions.
Organic Chemistry
In this module, students learn about: optical isomerism, aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids and derivatives, aromatic chemistry, amines, polymers, amino acids, proteins and DNA, organic synthesis, NMR spectroscopy and chromatography.
Assessment
Students sit examinations in their A Level courses at the end of Year 13. All students will take internal end of year examinations at the end of year 12 to determine suitability to continue with the subject in Year 13. Students who do not meet the required pass grade in the Year 12 end of year examinations will not be permitted to progress into Year 13.
Students will complete three examination papers, each of which is 2 hours in length. Inorganic with relevant Physical Chemistry is assessed in one paper worth 35%, while Organic with relevant Physical Chemistry is assessed in the second paper worth 35%. Both papers contain a mixture of short and long answer questions. The third paper will assess all practical skills as well as all content; this is referred to as a ‘synoptic’ paper and is worth 30%. The final paper consists of questions on practical techniques and data analysis, content from across the specification and some multiple choice questions.
