IB Chemistry SL & HL

Intent of the Programme:

Chemistry has two key roles in the curriculum. Firstly, it is a subject worthy of study in its own right and,

secondly, it is a prerequisite for many other courses such as medicine, biological and environmental sciences

and physical sciences such as engineering.

Areas of Study:

The syllabus content for the two year IB Chemistry programme is split into two parts: the Standard Level

material (SL), the additional Higher Level material (HL).

The course is organised under two main concept areas, structure and reactivity, with students’ skills

development as an overall aim.

Structure refers to the nature of matter, from simple to more complex forms:

Structure 1: Models of the particulate nature of matter, observations of the particulate nature of matter lead to

the study of atoms as the defining unit of elements.

Structure 2: Models of bonding and structure, understanding that atoms have different attractions for electrons

leads to an exploration of different types of bonds.

Structure 3: Classification of matter, terminology and notation are introduced, based on both the periodic table

and the IUPAC system of nomenclature.

Reactivity refers to how and why chemical reactions do or do not occur:

Reactivity 1: What drives chemical reactions?, investigating temperature changes during reactions leads to an

understanding of the direction of energy transfer.

Reactivity 2: How much, how fast and how far?, an understanding of the factors that influence the rate and

extent of reactions is developed.

Reactivity 3: What are the mechanisms of chemical change?, the focus is on exploration of how reactions

happen at the molecular level, and their mechanisms.