Chemistry - AS/A2 AQA
Why choose Chemistry?
You will get a real in depth knowledge of the subject preparing you for higher education or giving you the credentials to enhance your job opportunities straight away. It also allows you to enter a huge number of professions like medicine and dentistry but also areas like banking and law.
What can I expect to learn?
In the first year there are three learning units.
Unit 1 covers foundation chemistry and includes topics such as periodicity, bonding, shapes of molecules, introduction to organic chemistry and amount of substance.
Unit 2 is Chemistry in action where you will learn about kinetics, equlibria and redox. Organic chemistry is extended and you will learn about alcohols, haloalkanes, alkanes and alkenes.
Unit 3 is an investigative and practical skills assignment which is an assessment based on practical work. During A2 there are also three units.
Unit 4 extends the ideas introduced in unit 2 on organic chemistry, kinetics and equilibria and you will study acids and bases, aldehydes, ketones and esters and amino acids as well as spectroscopic techniques.
In unit 5 you will study thermodynamics, redox, transition metal chemistry and further periodicity.
Unit 6 again comprises of practical and investigative assignments.
How will I learn?
You will learn through a mixture of ICT, written and practical work. You will be required to solve problems and think analytically.
How will I be assessed?
Units 1, 2, 4 and 5 are assessed by examination. Units 3 and 6 comprise of an investigative skills assignment (ISA) and a practical skills assignment (PSA). The ISA requires you to undertake practical work, collect and process data and use it to answer questions in a written test. The PSA is assessed through practical work on the 3 main areas of chemistry -physical, organic and inorganic.
What subjects combine well with Chemistry?
Maths, physics and biology combine well, but chemistry can be taken independently. However it would be a real advantage to study Maths at Advanced level if you are considering studying chemistry at university.
Where does this lead? What can I do next?
Chemistry is a great choice of subject for people who want a career in health and clinical professions such as medicine, nursing, biochemistry, dentistry or forensic science. It will also allow entry into industry and professions like banking or law.
What background, skills and achievements do I need?
Grade B in GCSE Chemistry or BB in GCSE Science, core and additional. You will also need a grade B in Mathematics.
"Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity."
Louis Pasteur
