Can you teach yourself A level chemistry?

I'm doing biology from home, I did buy a distance learning course but have stopped using it since I find it easier to learn from a combination of text books and revision guides.

I'd like to do chemistry as well, would the same technique work? I can take a written alternative to the practical assessment so I wouldn't actually need lab access, I'm just wondering how different/more difficult it is than biology to learn from books?

Also if there's any good books you can suggest that'd be great.

I'm doing biology from home, I did buy a distance learning course but have stopped using it since I find it easier to learn from a combination of text books and revision guides.

I'd like to do chemistry as well, would the same technique work? I can take a written alternative to the practical assessment so I wouldn't actually need lab access, I'm just wondering how different/more difficult it is than biology to learn from books?

Also if there's any good books you can suggest that'd be great.

You are going to find it hard. Most people find A-level Chemistry one of, if not THE hardest A-level, and that's with a half decent teacher. One of the reasons teachers exist is learning through the book is a much slower and hit-and-miss process than when it is explained by someone who fully understands it.

That said, if you are set on doing it for whatever reason then that indicates a large amount of commitment and self motivation that is often lacking in 6th form students. My strong recommendation is to consider carefully, in fact get some chemistry books BEFORE you decide and look through them first.

If you have finished GCSEs a while ago (like more than a year ago, based on the distance learning comment) i'd also recommend starting back with some GCSE Chemistry first, the big issues i've seen with 6th form Chemists is where their initial understanding of chemistry was deficient (moles, electronic shells and covalent/ionic/metallic bonding, endo/exothermic, rates of reaction, balancing equations, etc). It may just be a case of clearing the cobwebs out, but there may also be some areas you need to work on to have the right foundation there for A-level.

If you do decide to do it have someone you can talk to if you get really stuck on something. You will probably find yourself using these forums a lot!

If you go for it, all the best, i will expect to see you here again.

wow I didn't know you could do that ....I assumed that there must be some compulsory practical assessment in AS or A2. Which exam board are you taking biology and chemistry through?

but you would still have to submit written coursework through an exam centre, right?

Also, do you know if that could be done for physics as well?

Edexcel offer a practical alternative to all science A levels but it's only available to international centres. I know centres registered as international do exist in the UK, but wasn't able to find one so I take my exams at a centre in Paris.

There's no coursework, just 6 exams in total.

Yes, they offer practical/coursework free Physics, here. The only downside is you have to take ALL units at an international centre, not just the practical alternatives, so if you don't find a centre in the UK it can mean a lot of Eurostar tickets to buy.

But surely they won't let you do that if you're a student here. This option is only avaliable for foreign students, right?

Also on the bit about eurostar tickets, couldn't you just take all exams in one-go? (obviously they won;t all be on the same day, but you could stay in hotel?)