Chemistry A Level
Course Overview
Have you ever wondered how many atoms there are in a drop of water? Or how do different molecules interact with each other? Would you be interested to know what is inside the medicine you take?
Our A-Level Chemistry course will help you discover answers to questions like these and transform your appreciation of the world around you.
Our course will develop your understanding of unimaginably tiny particles like atoms, molecules and ions that you cannot directly experience whilst, at the same time, revealing how the structure and arrangement of these particles affects the properties of materials you actually can see. You will also learn how to describe and represent the structures and substances you encounter in a way that will allow effective communication with other chemists.
Practical work is integrated into every topic, and you will have plenty of opportunities to develop your experimental skills using extensive equipment and materials and collaborating with other students.
Chemistry is central to Science and highly valued by universities and employers because of the range of skills you develop. The course is essential for entry into many medical and veterinary-orientated courses and suitable for further study in Engineering, Biochemical Sciences and Pharmacy as well as many others.
Course Components
A Level Modules:
- Development of practical skills in Chemistry
- Foundations in Chemistry
- Periodic table and energy
- Core organic Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry and transition elements
- Organic Chemistry and analysis
Key Info
Minimum Entry Requirements
Five GCSEs at Grade 4 or above including:
- GCSE grade 6 in Chemistry
- Or one GCSE grade 6 in Combined Science
Assessment
- 100% Exam – 3 exams at the end of Year 13
- Exam Board: OCR A
Subject Lead
Mr P Silvester
Why Choose this Course?
You will enjoy this course if...
- You are curious about the nature of materials and how they interact
- If you like imagining extremely tiny particles and how this will affect macroscopic objects
- You are good at visualising objects in three dimensions
- If you enjoy collaborating with other students on practical tasks and analysing data obtained in experiments.
Skills You Gain
You will begin by developing your understanding of the fundamental concepts in Chemistry. This includes atomic structure, bonding, “counting” particles using moles and learning to draw and understand organic structures. You will also encounter many completely new ideas for the first time, such as the angles between bonds in small molecules and the information that can be determined about structures by analysis of their interaction with radiation. You will also gain significant experience at applying maths to solve chemical problems. Your practical skills will be developed throughout the course via a range of experimental work as well as data analysis and interpretation of observations. You will also learn how to describe and represent the structures and substances you encounter in a way that will allow effective communication with other chemists.
After Northgate
A Level Chemistry will be excellent preparation for university courses in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pharmacy and Engineering and a significant proportion of our students’ progress onto courses such as these. Chemistry is also an essential course for careers and university courses in Medicine and Veterinary Science. A Level Chemistry is also highly valued for entry onto other courses such as Law and Finance. There are also many non-university progression routes for example, apprenticeships or degree-apprenticeships in the pharmaceutical industry.
"Whilst Chemistry is challenging, the teachers are so supportive it makes it fun."