Chemistry

Course summary

The course is designed so that chemical ideas are developed alongside practical work carried out in the laboratory. Many of the ideas first covered at GCSE will be revisited but with a greater emphasis on explaining rather than simply describing the behaviour of molecules. In addition, this course is designed to give you the skills and understanding to make decisions about the way chemistry affects your everyday life by applying concepts into contemporary areas of chemistry including climate change, green chemistry, pharmaceuticals and chemistry research. As you proceed through the course, you will discover how the various different topics are all linked by some unifying ideas. By the end of the course, you will have a detailed understanding of the structure, properties and uses of a whole range of chemical substances ranging from medical anaesthetics to carbon nanotubes. At the end of the course, armed with A-Level chemistry, you could go to university and follow one of a vast range of degree courses: chemistry, medicine, pharmacy, chemical engineering, environmental science, to name but a few. Furthermore, since chemistry has the central position in the sciences, a good grounding in chemistry will prove invaluable in areas such as biochemistry, molecular biology, geology, physics and astronomy. Even if you just want to take chemistry out of interest, you will find that all university departments will be impressed by a good result in this subject.