'A' Level Chemistry

Course details

Exam board: AQA.
Length of course: 2 years
Exams: 2 exams to be sat at the end of year 12 and three at the end of year 13
Content: Physical, organic and inorganic Chemistry
Assessment: Purely assessed by exams. Throughout the course, you will complete 12 required practical tasks and record your findings in a lab book. These will be assessed in the exams.

What do I need to study ‘A’ level Chemistry?

To be able to study A-level Chemistry you will need to achieve at least a grade 6-6 in combined Science higher tier. If you sat the separate Science papers you must achieve at least a grade 6 in Chemistry.

Practical Endorsement

As well as completing the 12 required practical tasks to answer questions on your exam papers, you will also be assessed by your teacher on these.
As well as receiving your grade for your A Level, you will also be awarded a “Pass” or a “Fail” for your practical endorsement. If you fail your practical endorsement, it does not change your final A Level grade.
This does get reported to Universities.

Practical Endorsement Assessment

You will be expected to fully understand how the practical is run, what equipment and techniques are used and why and the expected results.
You will be assessed on five strands known as CPACs.
Before you begin a required practical, your teacher will identify the CPACs that you will be assessed on for that particular task.
Each time you are assessed on a CPAC you can either be awarded mastery, part-met or not met.
You must consistently show mastery or part-met in each strand to pass the practical endorsement.

Subject Content

3.1 Physical chemistry

3.1.1 Atomic structure

3.1.2 Amount of substance

3.1.3 Bonding

3.1.4 Energetics

3.1.5 Kinetics

3.1.6 Chemical equilibria, Le Chatelier’s principle and K _c

3.1.7 Oxidation, reduction and redox equations

3.1.8 Thermodynamics (A -level only)

3.1.9 Rate equations (A -level only)

3.1.10 Equilibrium constant K _p for homogeneous systems (A -level only)