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How hard is A level Chemistry?

Hi everyone just wondering if I am able to do A level chemistry. I really enjoyed GCSE chemistry as it was essentially a memory test and in the exams (AQA) Iachieved 54, 53 and 50/60. I have heard that Chemistry A level is a massive step up so am wondering if anyone has any previous experience.

Thanks a lot!
Original post by kagawa88
Hi everyone just wondering if I am able to do A level chemistry. I really enjoyed GCSE chemistry as it was essentially a memory test and in the exams (AQA) Iachieved 54, 53 and 50/60. I have heard that Chemistry A level is a massive step up so am wondering if anyone has any previous experience.

Thanks a lot!


I'm in a similar boat as you I'm super worried as everyone says it's the hardest, I got similar marks to you and I'm taking it :smile: I'm sure we will be fine


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Chemistry is different at A level compared to GCSE however I have enjoyed it a lot more than in year 10/11. There are difficult topics but once you get your head round them you'll be fine. There are a lot of practicles to do so it will be fun aswell.
If you're an A/A* level at GCSE then you'll probably be fine but it is not just about memorisation anymore. This was my downfall ( I got 80/80 in 2 of my gcse papers when I was in secondary) and ended up getting high B in A2 (5ums from A boundary-Damn you OCR), if I actually tried I would have probably got an A.
Honestly I'd say the content is just a step up but don't be as lazy as I was and not properly practice the formulas, easy marks right there.
Much harder in my opinion. I was a few marks off A* at GCSE and got a C in my recent AS. This was pretty common in my year group. Chemistry is definitely the toughest subject I take, but my grade is probably due to the fact that I found more enjoyable subjects at A level and focussed on them a lot more. Put in the work and you'll do great! :tongue:
Reply 5
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lucy99x
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It is hard but if you enjoy it and work hard you should be able to cope.
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kagawa88
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Original post by blueribbons99
I'm in a similar boat as you I'm super worried as everyone says it's the hardest, I got similar marks to you and I'm taking it :smile: I'm sure we will be fine


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What other subjects are you taking and good luck!
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kagawa88
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Original post by needle_point
If you're an A/A* level at GCSE then you'll probably be fine but it is not just about memorisation anymore. This was my downfall ( I got 80/80 in 2 of my gcse papers when I was in secondary) and ended up getting high B in A2 (5ums from A boundary-Damn you OCR), if I actually tried I would have probably got an A.
Honestly I'd say the content is just a step up but don't be as lazy as I was and not properly practice the formulas, easy marks right there.


Do you think with proper revision and practice, I will be able to get an A overall?
Reply 8
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kagawa88
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Original post by lucy99x
It is hard but if you enjoy it and work hard you should be able to cope.


How are you coping?
Original post by kagawa88
Do you think with proper revision and practice, I will be able to get an A overall?


Yeah, I think if you have a good teacher and reviewed each month you'd be ok. The course does go a tad faster than GCSE so it's quite easy for the work to pile up especially when you're about to switch modules.
Are you doing OCR?
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kagawa88
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Original post by needle_point
Yeah, I think if you have a good teacher and reviewed each month you'd be ok. The course does go a tad faster than GCSE so it's quite easy for the work to pile up especially when you're about to switch modules.
Are you doing OCR?


Depending on which school, OCR A or Edexcel. Know which one is easier by any chance?
I got an A* in GCSE chemistry and I found alevel chemistry fine really. It's a lot more interesting than GCSE but you do actually have to revise for your alevels so if you just get that from the beginning then you'll be fine. I thought I could breeze through like for gcse and I got a low A im AS but this year I actually tried and so I got a really high A*. Biggest tip I can give is not to memorise! To do well you actually have to understand what's going on because questions can be asked in a sneaky way so ask as many questions as you need to and study at home if you don't understand something fully. Don't memorise equations!!!
Reply 12
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kagawa88
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Original post by lordyP
I got an A* in GCSE chemistry and I found alevel chemistry fine really. It's a lot more interesting than GCSE but you do actually have to revise for your alevels so if you just get that from the beginning then you'll be fine. I thought I could breeze through like for gcse and I got a low A im AS but this year I actually tried and so I got a really high A*. Biggest tip I can give is not to memorise! To do well you actually have to understand what's going on because questions can be asked in a sneaky way so ask as many questions as you need to and study at home if you don't understand something fully. Don't memorise equations!!!


Which exam board are you doing?
Original post by kagawa88
Depending on which school, OCR A or Edexcel. Know which one is easier by any chance?


I only know about ocr but did have a friend who did edexcel and she got an A so I don't know about differences in difficulty but she did say some of the definitions are slightly different on the mark schemes?
I personally really enjoy A level chemistry, I think as long as you keep on top of your work it will be fine!


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if you enjoy it then you'll smash it simple as. (with a bit of revision and a LOT of past papers aswell that is)
Original post by kagawa88
Which exam board are you doing?


I did AQA

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