Examination Board: Edexcel
Course Content
The course aims to develop:
- Students’ interest and enthusiasm, for chemistry, including developing an interest in further study and careers in chemistry.
- An appreciation of how society makes decisions about scientific issues and how the sciences contribute to the success of the economy and society.
- A deeper understanding of the skills, knowledge and understanding of How Science Works.
- Essential knowledge and of different areas of the subject and how they relate to each other.
AS
The course consists of three units:
Unit 1: provides opportunities for students to gain basic chemical skills. They study energetics, atomic structure, the Periodic Table and chemical bonding. Organic chemistry is also introduced.
Unit 2: develops the treatment of chemical bonding, and the chemistry of groups 2 and 7 is covered. Ideas about redox reactions are applied, and a qualitative understanding of kinetics is developed. The study of organic chemistry includes an introduction to mechanisms. Aspects of green chemistry and climate change are also studied.
Unit 3: involves practical assessments that cover Units 1 and 2.
Assessment: The Unit 1 test (40% of overall AS marks) is taken in June, lasts 1 hour 15 minutes and includes objective, short answer and extended answer questions. The Unit 2 test (40% of overall AS marks) is taken in June, lasts 1 hour 15 minutes and includes objective, short answer and extended answer questions together with contemporary context questions. Unit 3 (20% of overall AS marks) practical assessments: four separate activities testing laboratory skills in four different ways.
A2
The course consists of three units:
Unit 4: requires students to make a quantitative study of kinetics and to take further their study of organic reaction mechanisms. Entropy and chemical equilibria are introduced.
Unit 5: introduces electrode potentials, develops students’ knowledge of redox and covers some transition metal chemistry. The organic chemistry studied focuses on areas of nitrogen compounds.
Unit 6: involves practical assessments that cover units 4 and 5.
Assessments
The Unit 4 test (40% of overall A2 marks) is taken in June, lasts 1 hour 40 minutes and includes objective, short answer, extended answer and data questions. The Unit 5 test (40% of overall A2 marks) is taken in June, lasts 1 hour 40 minutes and includes objective, short answer and extended answer questions together with contemporary context questions.
Unit 6 (20% of overall A2 marks) practical assessments: four separate activities testing laboratory skills in four different ways including a multi-stage experiment.
Requirements
Students will be expected to have achieved at least BB in Double Award Science.
Costs
Between £50 and £100 for textbooks, laboratory overalls and safety googles.
Re-sits
It is possible to re-sit AS Papers in Year 13.
