CHEMISTRY (Edexcel)

Cottingham, Hessle and Wolfreton Sixth Form College

Who is the course aimed at?     

This course is aimed at students who have demonstrated a sound understanding of chemistry during their GCSE studies and who are looking to extend their knowledge and understanding of the subject further. Students should have an ability to:

• Follow and develop practical instructions
• Record and interpret data in a range of formats
• Use a wide range of resources to consolidate concepts 
• Work in teams, employing different learning strategies 
• Work independently

What will you learn?     

This course will develop your skills and understanding to enable you to make decisions about the way chemistry affects your everyday life. The following topics are studied:

• Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table
• Bonding and Structure
• Redox I
• Inorganic Chemistry and the Periodic Table
• Formulae, Equations and Amounts of Substance
• Organic Chemistry I
• Modern Analytical Techniques I
• Energetics I
• Kinetics I
• Equilibrium I
• Equilibrium II
• Acid-base Equilibria
• Energetics II
• Redox II
• Transition Metals
• Kinetics II
• Organic Chemistry II
• Organic Chemistry III
• Modern Analytical Techniques II

Chemistry is a practical subject and the course provides lots of opportunities for developing your experimental and investigative skills.

How will you be assessed?         

• Advanced Inorganic and Physical Chemistry                                                          Written exam paper - 1 hour 45 minutes / 30% of A Level                                              Topics 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
• Advanced Organic and Physical Chemistry                                                                   Written exam paper - 1 hour 45 minutes / 30% of A Level                                               Topics 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 16, 17, 18, 19
• General and Practical Principals in Chemistry                                                               Written exam paper - 2 hours 30 minutes / 40% of A Level                                         All topics
• Practical endorsement                                                                                                                 in-house assessment of practical chemistry skills

How will you learn?       

Learning will take place through:

• Teacher led activities and interactive teaching introducing new material
• Practical experiments and modelling
• Regular homework tasks to consolidate new material and research new concepts
• The use of dedicated text books and revision guides 
• The use of past exam questions and mark schemes 
• Student centred activities
• Working in groups to solve problems and develop ideas
• Develop analytical skill in response to experimentation data

Enrichment activities and independent learning?           

There will be informal drop in / revision sessions available to support classroom learning and aid student progress throughout the course.

You will be expected to work more independently and take responsibility for your own learning as well as be prepared to work as part of a group, giving and receiving help

What and where next?

A Level Chemistry is a core academic qualification highly regarded by industry and commerce as it requires students to have demonstrated key skills and competences including written and mathematical processing, practical competences, problem solving, presentation skills and the ability to work within a team.

The course would enable you to study a wide range of subjects at university including medicine, forensic science, chemistry, biochemistry, engineering to name but a few.

The course would also enable you to get an apprenticeship in a science related subject such as pharmacy and engineering.

More information          

For more information about this course please see the specification below or contact the sixth form team.