Chemistry A-level advice (Just got my GCSE's results)
I LOVE chemistry
[In double science (Chem A*, bio A, phy A, course work A) overall = A
And I got a B overall in core (Bio:C, Phy: D, Chem: B Course work A*)]
Is it hard?
I got a B in maths... I LOVE maths but I do make a LOT of "silly mistakes"
What advice can you give, those that are already taking the course?
Is it as intriguing as Additional chem? (I didn't find Core science fun at all
-___-)
I want to be a dentist, and got 5 A-C's.
Tell me everything about A-Level chemistry please!
[In double science (Chem A*, bio A, phy A, course work A) overall = A
And I got a B overall in core (Bio:C, Phy: D, Chem: B Course work A*)]
Is it hard?
I got a B in maths... I LOVE maths but I do make a LOT of "silly mistakes"
What advice can you give, those that are already taking the course?
Is it as intriguing as Additional chem? (I didn't find Core science fun at all
-___-)
I want to be a dentist, and got 5 A-C's.
Tell me everything about A-Level chemistry please!
Unfortunately I didn't do A-Level Chemistry myself, but I have close friends who did so hopefully I can help you as much as I can! I've heard that the course is VERY hard and can differ to GSCE level Chemistry, however the majority of people I know who took the course chose it purely because they were good at it at GSCE level, not because they particularly enjoyed it. If you love Chemistry and take a real interest in it as you seem to, then I'm sure you'll be more determined to do well and you should do alright! Just be prepared for hard work, though that goes for any A-Levels really!
Congrats on your results
Congrats on your results
Original post by BewareTomato
I LOVE chemistry
[In double science (Chem A*, bio A, phy A, course work A) overall = A
And I got a B overall in core (Bio:C, Phy: D, Chem: B Course work A*)]
Is it hard?
I got a B in maths... I LOVE maths but I do make a LOT of "silly mistakes"
What advice can you give, those that are already taking the course?
Is it as intriguing as Additional chem? (I didn't find Core science fun at all
-___-)
I want to be a dentist, and got 5 A-C's.
Tell me everything about A-Level chemistry please!
[In double science (Chem A*, bio A, phy A, course work A) overall = A
And I got a B overall in core (Bio:C, Phy: D, Chem: B Course work A*)]
Is it hard?
I got a B in maths... I LOVE maths but I do make a LOT of "silly mistakes"
What advice can you give, those that are already taking the course?
Is it as intriguing as Additional chem? (I didn't find Core science fun at all
-___-)
I want to be a dentist, and got 5 A-C's.
Tell me everything about A-Level chemistry please!
Chemistry is a fascinating subject, some aspects are boring but that's to be e pelted, to take it you need to be good at maths there's alot of maths based work.
Your grades seem fine, I would advise taking maths at A level.
However it's not a subject where you'll see your free periods much, alot of my friends do media and whilst there relaxing in there frees I'm studying.
It's a worthwhile subject but if you want results you'll need to work hard for it.
I would say that Chemistry at A-level is more enjoyable, I personally didn't find the workload that bad. Some of my friends did however, if I were you I'd give it a go for the first couple of week and see how it goes.
As for the maths content there really is that much, all you need to be able to do is rearrange formulas, use standard form and be able to use a calculator.
As for the maths content there really is that much, all you need to be able to do is rearrange formulas, use standard form and be able to use a calculator.
As you want to become a dentist, you should normally take Chemistry as an A Levels subject, because it is required by most dental schools.
You should be fine with the mathematical aspects of chemistry A Levels with GCSE maths, but I would suggest you only take Maths with caution. You need to take subjects in which you predict yourself to get AAA at A Levels.
If you put in the effort, you will certainly obtain fruitful results. Your GCSE grades are also fine, but don't forget that many dental schools require a set number of A*/A grades. Dental admissions are also harder than medical admissions.
You should be fine with the mathematical aspects of chemistry A Levels with GCSE maths, but I would suggest you only take Maths with caution. You need to take subjects in which you predict yourself to get AAA at A Levels.
If you put in the effort, you will certainly obtain fruitful results. Your GCSE grades are also fine, but don't forget that many dental schools require a set number of A*/A grades. Dental admissions are also harder than medical admissions.
Chemistry isn't that hard, intact it's easy compared to physics as long as you put the work in and get the basic ideas into your head (electro/nucleophilic reaction mechanisms take a bit of time to get the properly embedded). However I got 281/300 (94%) this year at AS so I can safely say if you put the work in you'll reap the rewards.
Also take the ISA's/EMPA's seriously, I know people who flunked them and lost their A's.
Also take the ISA's/EMPA's seriously, I know people who flunked them and lost their A's.
Original post by joe1545
Chemistry is a fascinating subject, some aspects are boring but that's to be e pelted, to take it you need to be good at maths there's alot of maths based work.
Your grades seem fine, I would advise taking maths at A level.
However it's not a subject where you'll see your free periods much, alot of my friends do media and whilst there relaxing in there frees I'm studying.
It's a worthwhile subject but if you want results you'll need to work hard for it.
Your grades seem fine, I would advise taking maths at A level.
However it's not a subject where you'll see your free periods much, alot of my friends do media and whilst there relaxing in there frees I'm studying.
It's a worthwhile subject but if you want results you'll need to work hard for it.
I completely disagree with this part all there is in AS is rearranging formulas and using a calculator really, in A2 it is more a process you need to know the actual maths is not that difficult and a calculator does most of the work for you imo
Original post by BewareTomato
I LOVE chemistry
[In double science (Chem A*, bio A, phy A, course work A) overall = A
And I got a B overall in core (Bio:C, Phy: D, Chem: B Course work A*)]
Is it hard?
I got a B in maths... I LOVE maths but I do make a LOT of "silly mistakes"
What advice can you give, those that are already taking the course?
Is it as intriguing as Additional chem? (I didn't find Core science fun at all
-___-)
I want to be a dentist, and got 5 A-C's.
Tell me everything about A-Level chemistry please!
[In double science (Chem A*, bio A, phy A, course work A) overall = A
And I got a B overall in core (Bio:C, Phy: D, Chem: B Course work A*)]
Is it hard?
I got a B in maths... I LOVE maths but I do make a LOT of "silly mistakes"
What advice can you give, those that are already taking the course?
Is it as intriguing as Additional chem? (I didn't find Core science fun at all
-___-)
I want to be a dentist, and got 5 A-C's.
Tell me everything about A-Level chemistry please!
I love Chemistry too so I took it for A Level after I got an A in triple science for GCSE. If you do AQA (not sure about other boards) it is a lot different, like, so different that everything you learn at GCSE is a lie. Ok, well not a lie but is massively simplified. In CHEM1 you learn about foundation chemistry, so things like bond angles, fractional distillation, mass spectrometry, ionisation energies, trends in the periodic table and different theories like Hund's Rule etc. Section B of CHEM1 is all maths; it's like, half the paper. It consists of utilising equations and being able to rearrange them to suit the question and you also learn about the Ideal Gas Equation and empirical formulae etc. Don't worry though, I got a B for maths in GCSE and I coped fine with the maths in CHEM1.
CHEM2 is a lot different: you're introduced to organic and inorganic chemistry, redox equations and more trends and on top of that, mechanisms (using curly arrows to show the movement of electrons in a reaction - there's quite a few mechanisms to have to learn and you have to be able to distinguish between them), balancing unknown equations, learning lots of conditions for certain reactions to take place, kinetics and equilibria - le Chatelier's Principle (quite easy) and metal extraction. There's not as much maths in CHEM2 compared to CHEM1 - you just do calorimetry or Hess' Law (ooh, by the way, there's a hella load of definitions you need to remember for the exam). I found CHEM2 more interesting than CHEM1 but that's just me. Once again, I did not struggle with the maths at all. It's nothing like GCSE or A-Level maths, at least not in AS anyway.
CHM3T is your ISA - now this I hated. We did titrations and you have to get results and put them in a table. Easy, right? NARTTTT - the written paper, I think was so difficult. This is the module I struggled most with, and ultimately brought down my overall grade for AS - I would've gotten an A if it wasn't for my ISA. So don't YOLO your ISA because it counts for more than you think. It's so different from GCSE.
We started A2 just before we broke up for summer and it seems a lot harder - the maths is more difficult and the amount you have to remember for organic chemistry increases, but that's to be expected. However, I took it anyway because I hope to do chemistry at uni next year. If you do end up taking it and you need help, feel free to PM me: I'd be more than happy to help! Good luck
(edited 10 years ago)
I finished chemistry a-level and it was a very enjoyable subject for me. Depends on the person though as some don't like memorizing chemical equations for different reactions. For me, however, it was an interesting subject. Go for it of you love it. It is harder than GCSE's, but so are all subjects.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by BewareTomato
I LOVE chemistry
[In double science (Chem A*, bio A, phy A, course work A) overall = A
And I got a B overall in core (Bio:C, Phy: D, Chem: B Course work A*)]
Is it hard?
I got a B in maths... I LOVE maths but I do make a LOT of "silly mistakes"
What advice can you give, those that are already taking the course?
Is it as intriguing as Additional chem? (I didn't find Core science fun at all
-___-)
I want to be a dentist, and got 5 A-C's.
Tell me everything about A-Level chemistry please!
[In double science (Chem A*, bio A, phy A, course work A) overall = A
And I got a B overall in core (Bio:C, Phy: D, Chem: B Course work A*)]
Is it hard?
I got a B in maths... I LOVE maths but I do make a LOT of "silly mistakes"
What advice can you give, those that are already taking the course?
Is it as intriguing as Additional chem? (I didn't find Core science fun at all
-___-)
I want to be a dentist, and got 5 A-C's.
Tell me everything about A-Level chemistry please!
IMO it is the science that I struggled with the least out of the 3, all you need to do is keep on top of the work and when it comes to it do as many past papers as you can (applies to all the sciences really) just don't get complacent because you got an A* in the chem part at GCSE as I saw people getting A's and A*'s at GCSE get D's and E's at a-level because of this.
Also your GCSE grade does not reflect how well you will cope in AS chem too much as it is how you adjust to the work load rather than your ability to do the subject i.e I got a C at GCSE and a A at AS and targeted at A* at A2
so my key tips are:
- keep on top of writing your notes up
- keep an organised folder for each individual subject
- do as many past papers as you can (even do them 2 or 3 times)
- if you dont understand something them ask straight away
- start revision 1-2 months before the actual exams
Original post by RoseBrilliante
I love Chemistry too so I took it for A Level after I got an A in triple science for GCSE. If you do AQA (not sure about other boards) it is a lot different, like, so different that everything you learn at GCSE is a lie. Ok, well not a lie but is massively simplified. In CHEM1 you learn about foundation chemistry, so things like bond angles, fractional distillation, mass spectrometry, ionisation energies, trends in the periodic table and different theories like Hund's Rule etc. Section B of CHEM1 is all maths; it's like, half the paper. It consists of utilising equations and being able to rearrange them to suit the question and you also learn about the Ideal Gas Equation and empirical formulae etc. Don't worry though, I got a B for maths in GCSE and I coped fine with the maths in CHEM1.
CHEM2 is a lot different: you're introduced to organic and inorganic chemistry, redox equations and more trends and on top of that, mechanisms (using curly arrows to show the movement of electrons in a reaction - there's quite a few mechanisms to have to learn and you have to be able to distinguish between them), balancing unknown equations, learning lots of conditions for certain reactions to take place, kinetics and equilibria - le Chatelier's Principle (quite easy) and metal extraction. There's not as much maths in CHEM2 compared to CHEM1 - you just do calorimetry or Hess' Law (ooh, by the way, there's a hella load of definitions you need to remember for the exam). I found CHEM2 more interesting than CHEM1 but that's just me. Once again, I did not struggle with the maths at all. It's nothing like GCSE or A-Level maths, at least not in AS anyway.
CHM3T is your ISA - now this I hated. We did titrations and you have to get results and put them in a table. Easy, right? NARTTTT - the written paper, I think was so difficult. This is the module I struggled most with, and ultimately brought down my overall grade for AS - I would've gotten an A if it wasn't for my ISA. So don't YOLO your ISA because it counts for more than you think. It's so different from GCSE.
We started A2 just before we broke up for summer and it seems a lot harder - the maths is more difficult and the amount you have to remember for organic chemistry increases, but that's to be expected. However, I took it anyway because I hope to do chemistry at uni next year. If you do end up taking it and you need help, feel free to PM me: I'd be more than happy to help! Good luck
CHEM2 is a lot different: you're introduced to organic and inorganic chemistry, redox equations and more trends and on top of that, mechanisms (using curly arrows to show the movement of electrons in a reaction - there's quite a few mechanisms to have to learn and you have to be able to distinguish between them), balancing unknown equations, learning lots of conditions for certain reactions to take place, kinetics and equilibria - le Chatelier's Principle (quite easy) and metal extraction. There's not as much maths in CHEM2 compared to CHEM1 - you just do calorimetry or Hess' Law (ooh, by the way, there's a hella load of definitions you need to remember for the exam). I found CHEM2 more interesting than CHEM1 but that's just me. Once again, I did not struggle with the maths at all. It's nothing like GCSE or A-Level maths, at least not in AS anyway.
CHM3T is your ISA - now this I hated. We did titrations and you have to get results and put them in a table. Easy, right? NARTTTT - the written paper, I think was so difficult. This is the module I struggled most with, and ultimately brought down my overall grade for AS - I would've gotten an A if it wasn't for my ISA. So don't YOLO your ISA because it counts for more than you think. It's so different from GCSE.
We started A2 just before we broke up for summer and it seems a lot harder - the maths is more difficult and the amount you have to remember for organic chemistry increases, but that's to be expected. However, I took it anyway because I hope to do chemistry at uni next year. If you do end up taking it and you need help, feel free to PM me: I'd be more than happy to help! Good luck
How are ISA's difficult? You get like 4 marks for tabular format, 3 titres, all to 2 d.p. and calculating an average titre?
Original post by Davelittle
How are ISA's difficult? You get like 4 marks for tabular format, 3 titres, all to 2 d.p. and calculating an average titre?
That's the practical side of the ISA - you also have a written paper too. But hey, I'm rubbish at practicals anyways so I found it a little difficult
Different for everyone: there were people who found CHEM1 and CHEM2 (the theory) difficult but I coped fine, it's just the ISAs I'm less confident with.
Original post by madmadmax321
I completely disagree with this part all there is in AS is rearranging formulas and using a calculator really, in A2 it is more a process you need to know the actual maths is not that difficult and a calculator does most of the work for you imo
could you give like an example of an a2 chemistry question which involves maths?
I just want to see what type of questions there are in terms of maths in chemistry.
Also how do Isa's work - I did double science and got 2 A's but have not heard of Isa's.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by RoseBrilliante
That's the practical side of the ISA - you also have a written paper too. But hey, I'm rubbish at practicals anyways so I found it a little difficult
Different for everyone: there were people who found CHEM1 and CHEM2 (the theory) difficult but I coped fine, it's just the ISAs I'm less confident with.
Different for everyone: there were people who found CHEM1 and CHEM2 (the theory) difficult but I coped fine, it's just the ISAs I'm less confident with.
I'm sure you're great at them really, some people just panic!
Also OP: the written ISA theory tests are great for cementing knowledge (especially alcohols/aldehydes/ketones/Carboxylic acids which is just a load of facts to memorise
Original post by cleveradam
could you give like an example of an a2 chemistry question which involves maths?
I just want to see what type of questions there are in terms of maths in chemistry.
Also how do Isa's work - I did double science and got 2 A's but have not heard of Isa's.
I just want to see what type of questions there are in terms of maths in chemistry.
Also how do Isa's work - I did double science and got 2 A's but have not heard of Isa's.
ISA: this is from my perspective on the OCR syllabus for chem as it is slightly different for AQA (I did bio and physics on AQA) and other syllabuses
there are 3 sections to the isa and each section has 2 retakes (different papers though) for the first 2 sections you will do 1 or more experiments and record data that you have obtained and also observations i.e did the solution have a colour change and how fast was it and then there will be several questions on each experiment of which these can be what would happen if you changed this, calculations or observations
section 3 is just a paper where they give you the experiment already done and its results and you have to comment and explain on why things happened, do calculation and what changes could be made/why results in real life would vary slightly
The marks in each of these sections require high amount of accuracy in the experiment and when answering questions i.e. 0.6 is the answer but to get the mark 0.60 needs to be written or certain terminology needs to be used (your teacher will teach you these things as you progress through the course)
Also for some of the marks you need to be within a certain percentage of your teachers results for the experiment to gain the marks for the experiment where they are given
Marks are: section 1 is out of 10, section 2 is out of 15 and section 3 is out of 15, this year the mark required for an A in the isa was 35 overall
chemistry maths: first I will say imo it is not like what you will do in a-level maths (no where near as difficult) I would say top end GCSE at the MOST but probably less than this
for AS: it is just using and rearranging equations and plugging in numbers to a calculator
before reading the A2 part just bare in mind it sounds more complex than it actually is and it is just following a certain method (I got a C at GCSE maths but have not struggled with this in comparison to AS-level maths)
for A2: you can be asked to calculate gradients, find order and rate equations, find Ph of a solution by calculation (extension of rate equations), find rate constants, calculate equilibrium constant, Ph in buffers, things to do with enthalpy changes (learn alot of this in AS)
EDIT: I cant really give you an example of the harder parts of the A2 chem maths as it requires previous knowledge from how to work out things like rate equations and i dont know how to use the sub script on TSR
(edited 10 years ago)
Hey, guys.
How are the exams for Chemistry? Is it a Unit at a time (modular) or linear?
How are the exams for Chemistry? Is it a Unit at a time (modular) or linear?
Original post by madmadmax321
IMO it is the science that I struggled with the least out of the 3, all you need to do is keep on top of the work and when it comes to it do as many past papers as you can (applies to all the sciences really) just don't get complacent because you got an A* in the chem part at GCSE as I saw people getting A's and A*'s at GCSE get D's and E's at a-level because of this.
Also your GCSE grade does not reflect how well you will cope in AS chem too much as it is how you adjust to the work load rather than your ability to do the subject i.e I got a C at GCSE and a A at AS and targeted at A* at A2
so my key tips are:
- keep on top of writing your notes up
- keep an organised folder for each individual subject
- do as many past papers as you can (even do them 2 or 3 times)
- if you dont understand something them ask straight away
- start revision 1-2 months before the actual exams
Also your GCSE grade does not reflect how well you will cope in AS chem too much as it is how you adjust to the work load rather than your ability to do the subject i.e I got a C at GCSE and a A at AS and targeted at A* at A2
so my key tips are:
- keep on top of writing your notes up
- keep an organised folder for each individual subject
- do as many past papers as you can (even do them 2 or 3 times)
- if you dont understand something them ask straight away
- start revision 1-2 months before the actual exams
Yes, unfortunately I learnt 2 revise before hand the had way.... :/ But i'm not going to make that mistake! Thank you!
Original post by Davelittle
How are ISA's difficult? You get like 4 marks for tabular format, 3 titres, all to 2 d.p. and calculating an average titre?
If your strengths don't lie in investigations, then you won't do as well. And there is a bit more to ISAs than what you're trying to simplify it to.
I got two As in my exam (93/100 in CHEM1 and 125/140 in CHEM2) and a D in my ISA (30/60). For me, the ISA was very difficult
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