TPS Chemistry

Course Overview

The aims of the course are to develop your interest in chemistry, to appreciate how society makes decisions about scientific issues, to develop your skills, knowledge and understanding of how science works and to develop knowledge and understanding of different areas of chemistry and how they relate to each other.

Course Content

The course is split into six modules and combined with the Practical Endorsement, constitutes the full A Level qualification.

The modules can be summarised as:

• Development of practical skills

• Foundations in chemistry covering concepts required throughout the remaining modules including atoms, compounds, molecules and equations.

• Periodic table and energy

• Core organic chemistry

• Physical chemistry and transition elements

• Organic chemistry and analysis

Teaching of practical skills is integrated with theoretical topics and they are both assessed through the written exam papers. For the practical endorsement, your class teachers will assess your practical skills in lessons, with a minimum of 12 practical activities to be carried out over the 2 years. At the end of the course, this will be reported separately to the exam grade as a pass or fail.

A pass at A Level is essential for a chemistry degree as well as for medicine and veterinary qualifications. It can be taken as an only science, because although chemistry contributes well to other subjects, it does not rely on knowledge from other areas, although to do well, a candidate must have confidence in basic mathematical methods.

Course Entry Requirements

6 or above in GCSE Mathematics

6 or above in GCSE Chemistry or 7/6 or above in GCSE Combined Science

Course Specification

OCR H432

https://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/171720-specification-accredited-a-level-gce-chemistry-a-h432.pdf

Homework

At A Level, students are expected to complete a minimum of  5 hours of study a week on top of their allocated lesson time.