Chemistry

The modern world uses many new and exciting forms of matter: non-stick surfaces, bullet-proof vests, tailor-made medicines and biodegradable polymers – Chemistry is at the heart of all of them.

Salters Chemistry builds on your experience of chemistry at GCSE. It is a very practical course and looks at a range of issues including the composition of fuels, how CFCs affect the ozone layer, the reaction of transition metals, different polymers and their properties, the acidification of oceans, the chemistry of colour and biochemical topics.

A-level Assessment (Exam Board – OCR)
Three exams at the end of Year 13:

• Fundamentals of Chemistry (Multiple choice and structured questions covering theory and practical skills)
• Scientific Literacy in Chemistry (Structured questions and extended response questions covering theory and practical skills and chemical literacy insert)
• Practical Skills in Chemistry (Structure questions and extended response questions with a focus on assessment of practical skills).  Question on a Practical Chemistry insert is also included in this paper.

Practical endorsement for Chemistry:  Students needs to complete a range of 12 different activities to demonstrate practical competence. This is teacher assessed and not examined on.

Entry Requirements:
7 Higher Grades

• GCSE Maths Grade 6 and  Combined Science Grade 6-6 or Chemistry Grade 6
• Grade 4 (or above) for English
• Grade 4 (or above) for other GCSE subjects
• 1 BTEC (or equivalent) at Merit or above may be included within the 7 grades