From the moment you are born, and throughout your life, you are surrounded by chemistry – the air you breathe, the food you eat and the clothes you wear – they’re all chemistry. Chemistry is the study of substances: what they are made of, how they interact with each other and the role they play in living things. Whether you want to care for penguin colonies in Antarctica or work in a dynamic business environment, Chemistry can help you achieve your goals. Chemistry is an experimental science that combines academic study with the acquisition of practical and investigational skills. It is often called the central science, as chemical principles underpin both the physical environment in which we live and all biological systems. A diverse range of activities will be carried out in lessons: practical procedures to learn new laboratory skills, the discussion of theoretical concepts and calculations to quantify our observations. You will have the opportunity to participate in a range of enrichment opportunities, including the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge and Chemistry Olympiad, enabling you to develop your understanding beyond the examined material. In school, there are also clubs to get involved in, such as the Science club. The A Level course starts with a revision of the key skills developed at GCSE. Calculations are developed to include more challenging examples and theoretical models are extended to include more detailed ideas about atomic structure and bonding. The foundations of organic chemistry laid at GCSE will be extended by examining functional groups, and our understanding of their chemical behaviour, through the examination of reaction mechanisms. Analytical techniques are used to identify unknown organic compounds. The reactivity of metals is examined in Inorganic Chemistry and the study of Redox will enable students to explain why these reactions happen. Physical chemistry will cover key ideas about rates of reaction and equilibrium, met briefly at GCSE, and further calculations investigating the energy changes during reactions.
For popular courses such as Economics, English Literature, History, Medicine, or Psychology, all of the competitive universities require at least grade AAA at A Level or, usually, a score of 37-39 IB points; the most competitive require A*AA (or even occasionally A*A*A) or 7 points in one or more HL subject. Universities such as Bath, Bristol, Durham, Imperial, Manchester, UCL and Warwick may also require A*AA or 7 points in an HL subject for courses in Sciences, Engineering or Mathematics; a few of these courses will require IB students to have 7 points in a specific HL Science or Mathematics and A Level students to have A* in a specific Science or Mathematics. Cambridge currently requires a minimum of A Level grades of A*AA for all Arts courses and Psychological and Behavioural Sciences, and A*A*A for all Science courses, Computer Science and Economics. Irrespective of course, the standard IB requirement is 40-42 points, including 776 in the three Higher Level subjects. In practice, however, higher (or lower) offers are sometimes made to both A Level and IB students; these are decided on an individual basis. Oxford currently requires A Level grades of AAA for all Arts courses and for Human Sciences, A*AA for most Science courses, Economics and Management, Geography, and Psychology, Philosophy & Linguistics, and A*A*A for Chemistry, Engineering and Mathematics courses. Irrespective of course, the standard IB requirement is 38-40 points with 666-776 in the three Higher Level subjects. Unlike at Cambridge, these entry requirements are standardised across the university and are rarely raised or lowered.
There is no coursework in the A Level. Whilst practical work is used to support the teaching of theoretical ideas, there are compulsory 'core practicals' of which every student must complete a minimum of 12 over the two years. These practicals are used to demonstrate different skills and you will be assessed by your teacher. If you successfully demonstrate competency in each skill, you will achieve a Science Practical Endorsement certificate; this will not count towards your final grade. Universities expect all students to have passed the practical endorsement and will specify this when making admission offers. Paper 1 will assess physical and inorganic chemistry and relevant practical skills; Paper 2 will assess physical and organic chemistry and relevant practical skills; Paper 3 contains synoptic questions that may draw on material from any topic. In addition, this paper will include questions that assess conceptual and theoretical understanding of experimental methods that will draw on students’ experiences of the core practicals.
About Education Provider
| Region | London |
| Local Authority | Hammersmith and Fulham |
| Ofsted Rating | |
| Gender Type | Girls |
| ISI Report | View Report |
| Boarding Fee | Unknown |
| Sixth Form Fee | £26,831 |
| Address | Iffley Road, Hammersmith, London, W6 0PG |
From the moment you are born, and throughout your life, you are surrounded by chemistry – the air you breathe, the food you eat and the clothes you wear – they’re all chemistry. Chemistry is the study of substances: what they are made of, how they interact with each other and the role they play in living things. Whether you want to care for penguin colonies in Antarctica or work in a dynamic business environment, Chemistry can help you achieve your goals. Chemistry is an experimental science that combines academic study with the acquisition of practical and investigational skills. It is often called the central science, as chemical principles underpin both the physical environment in which we live and all biological systems. A diverse range of activities will be carried out in lessons: practical procedures to learn new laboratory skills, the discussion of theoretical concepts and calculations to quantify our observations. You will have the opportunity to participate in a range of enrichment opportunities, including the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge and Chemistry Olympiad, enabling you to develop your understanding beyond the examined material. In school, there are also clubs to get involved in, such as the Science club. The A Level course starts with a revision of the key skills developed at GCSE. Calculations are developed to include more challenging examples and theoretical models are extended to include more detailed ideas about atomic structure and bonding. The foundations of organic chemistry laid at GCSE will be extended by examining functional groups, and our understanding of their chemical behaviour, through the examination of reaction mechanisms. Analytical techniques are used to identify unknown organic compounds. The reactivity of metals is examined in Inorganic Chemistry and the study of Redox will enable students to explain why these reactions happen. Physical chemistry will cover key ideas about rates of reaction and equilibrium, met briefly at GCSE, and further calculations investigating the energy changes during reactions.
For popular courses such as Economics, English Literature, History, Medicine, or Psychology, all of the competitive universities require at least grade AAA at A Level or, usually, a score of 37-39 IB points; the most competitive require A*AA (or even occasionally A*A*A) or 7 points in one or more HL subject. Universities such as Bath, Bristol, Durham, Imperial, Manchester, UCL and Warwick may also require A*AA or 7 points in an HL subject for courses in Sciences, Engineering or Mathematics; a few of these courses will require IB students to have 7 points in a specific HL Science or Mathematics and A Level students to have A* in a specific Science or Mathematics. Cambridge currently requires a minimum of A Level grades of A*AA for all Arts courses and Psychological and Behavioural Sciences, and A*A*A for all Science courses, Computer Science and Economics. Irrespective of course, the standard IB requirement is 40-42 points, including 776 in the three Higher Level subjects. In practice, however, higher (or lower) offers are sometimes made to both A Level and IB students; these are decided on an individual basis. Oxford currently requires A Level grades of AAA for all Arts courses and for Human Sciences, A*AA for most Science courses, Economics and Management, Geography, and Psychology, Philosophy & Linguistics, and A*A*A for Chemistry, Engineering and Mathematics courses. Irrespective of course, the standard IB requirement is 38-40 points with 666-776 in the three Higher Level subjects. Unlike at Cambridge, these entry requirements are standardised across the university and are rarely raised or lowered.
There is no coursework in the A Level. Whilst practical work is used to support the teaching of theoretical ideas, there are compulsory 'core practicals' of which every student must complete a minimum of 12 over the two years. These practicals are used to demonstrate different skills and you will be assessed by your teacher. If you successfully demonstrate competency in each skill, you will achieve a Science Practical Endorsement certificate; this will not count towards your final grade. Universities expect all students to have passed the practical endorsement and will specify this when making admission offers. Paper 1 will assess physical and inorganic chemistry and relevant practical skills; Paper 2 will assess physical and organic chemistry and relevant practical skills; Paper 3 contains synoptic questions that may draw on material from any topic. In addition, this paper will include questions that assess conceptual and theoretical understanding of experimental methods that will draw on students’ experiences of the core practicals.
