Overview
The world around us is filled with materials that have been discovered, developed and tested by chemists: medicines, foods, fuels, plastics, fertilisers and fabrics. This AQA A-level Chemistry course will teach you to see the world differently.
In this fascinating A-level Chemistry course, you'll arm yourself with skills needed for a competitive job market, including data analysis and evaluation, creative thinking and problem-solving. It's a perfect choice for anyone considering a career in health and clinical professions, teaching and research, or wishing to study a science subject at university.
What you'll learn
In this unit of A-level Chemistry, you’ll build an understanding of how the model of atomic structure has evolved over time, along with the ways in which advances in science and technology have provided evidence for these models.
Next, you’ll learn the definitions of key terms such as relative atomic mass and relative molecular mass, as well as build an understanding of why the mole is a useful quantity to use in chemistry when measuring out amounts of substances.
In unit three, you’ll learn about collision theory and how to use this to explain the ways in which changes in conditions, such as temperature and pressure, can affect the speed of a chemical reaction. You’ll also have the opportunity to develop your knowledge and understanding of practical techniques used to investigate the effect of temperature changes on the rate of reaction.
Moving on, you’ll study the factors which influence how far a reaction will proceed. You’ll learn how Le Chatelier’s principle can be used to predict the effects of changes in temperature, pressure and concentration on the position of equilibrium and the yield of a reversible reaction. You will also consider the importance of this to the industry.
Next in this A-level Chemistry online course, you’ll cover the changes that occur during redox reactions as electrons are transferred from the reducing agent to the oxidising agent, as well as how to use changes in the oxidation state of an element to deduce whether oxidation or reduction has occurred. Finally, you will learn how to construct half-equations for the oxidation and reduction processed and how to combine these to produce an overall equation for any redox reaction.
Moving on, you’ll discover how elements are classified according to their position in the periodic table, develop an understanding of the trends in atomic radius and how to explain these trends in terms of atomic structure. Finally, you’ll learn how to explain the melting points of the elements in period three in terms of the structure and bonding present in each element.
In unit seven of this Chemistry A-level course, you’ll be introduced to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) system for naming organic compounds and learn about the different ways in which the structure or formula of these compounds can be represented. You’ll also discover how to explain the reactions of organic compounds and learn the correct convention for outlining these mechanisms and representing the movement of electrons during the reactions. Finally, you will learn about some of the different types of isomerism and how the isomers can be represented and explained.
In the final unit of your A-level Chemistry course, you’ll take a look at optical isomerism, aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids and derivatives and aromatic chemistry. Moving on, you’ll study amines and polymers, amino acids, organic synthesis, chromatography and more.
Extra info
Awarding Body
AQA qualifications are internationally recognised and taught in 30 countries around the world, highly valued by employers and universities and enable young people to progress to the next stage of their lives. AQA qualifications suit a range of abilities and include GCSE courses, IGCSE courses and A-level courses.
Recognised through UCAS
This course carries UCAS points. This means that it can be used to gain direct access to University courses and other Higher Education, through the UCAS system.
Course Outcome
Upon successful completion of this A-level Chemistry distance learning UK course, you will receive the qualification: A-level Chemistry, issued by AQA. Your certificate is identical to those issued to students at any other school, college or university.
Entry requirements
GCSE Science (double award) or GCSE Chemistry (minimum grade 4 – the equivalent to a grade C) and GCSE Maths or equivalent are recommended for this Chemistry A-level course. It is a difficulty level three: the equivalent difficulty of an A-level or BTEC, usually suitable for most learners of all ages.
How is this course assessed or examined?
You can enrol now for A-level Chemistry examinations for Summer 2024.
You'll be required to complete three standard AQA A-level Chemistry written exams:
- Paper 1: 2 hours, 35% of A-level, 105 marks.
- Paper 2: 2 hours, 35% of A-level, 105 marks.
- Paper 3: 2 hours, 30% of A-level, 90 marks.
These exams contain a mixture of short and long answer questions and extended response questions.
