A level chemistry? What makes it so hard?

Hello, I was just wondering - what makes A level chemistry so hard? People have been describing it as one of the hardest A levels. I've spoken to a few teachers, and they said "because some concept are difficult to grasp".

What I'm wondering is, what concepts are hard to grasp? Is it revision that is hard, or is the questions that come up that are hard, or is it both?

Reply 1

user settings

OP

14

How nice of you to :bump:

into my thread.
pun intended.

Reply 2

hellomoto170

14

I am thinking exactly the same thing! I did triple science at GCSE so I did up to C3 which supposedly is a ''cross-over'' in to AS level... But whilst it wasn't the easiest thing ever it was certainly not very hard, I got an A without much revision.
Same thing goes for Biology though to a lesser extent as I imagine there is a lot of detail to learn, body parts, parts of the heart etc etc.

Reply 3

sprazcrumbler

8

It is basic maths applied to some pretty simple ideas about the relationships between weight, volume, number and concentration, for the most part. The rest is learning off by heart the answers mark schemes give to past papers and being prepared to write them down almost word for word.

Reply 4

508836

3

Learning those darn mechanisms and inorganic compounds and their colours!

TBH, an A/A* in A-Level Chemistry is pretty attainable, just dedicate your time to the subject and you should be fine :smile:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 5

somaiyar

Its the volume of work as well, ive just finished AS level, but there are so many specific reaction that the board want you to learn

Reply 6

Genocidal

19

I've never understood why it's so hard personally. It's tricky yes, but not to the extent of extreme difficulty.

Reply 7

KateMP

12

It isn't as hard as many make out (Although I've only done AS so far, AQA). But it is difficult to grasp and there is a lot to learn. Learning mechanisms and experiment results is tough, and the maths can be hard if you're not mathematically-minded.

Reply 8

dunnicare

12

Original post by hellomoto170

I am thinking exactly the same thing! I did triple science at GCSE so I did up to C3 which supposedly is a ''cross-over'' in to AS level... But whilst it wasn't the easiest thing ever it was certainly not very hard, I got an A without much revision.
Same thing goes for Biology though to a lesser extent as I imagine there is a lot of detail to learn, body parts, parts of the heart etc etc.

Hahahahahahahahahaha! Get ready for the massive shock that is A-level Chemistry.

GCSE chem is a joke. No one is denying that.

You have to work hard and consistently as well. A level chem is not like biology where it's just text book learning. There is a LOT of knowledge applying. So you should realistically aim to finish the modules as soon as possible to practice those past paper questions. That is the key to winning chemistry.

Reply 9

peace345

1

OCR chem is the worst

Reply 10

abdkam

yes there are LOADS of concepts to understand and need to be given serious attention
plus there is a LOAD more to learn than usual - more than unexpected

Reply 11

hellomoto170

14

Original post by dunnicare

Hahahahahahahahahaha! Get ready for the massive shock that is A-level Chemistry.

GCSE chem is a joke. No one is denying that.

You have to work hard and consistently as well. A level chem is not like biology where it's just text book learning. There is a LOT of knowledge applying. So you should realistically aim to finish the modules as soon as possible to practice those past paper questions. That is the key to winning chemistry.

Yep, well to be honest I'm not surprised in the slightest, thank you for confirming my worst fears! Ah well I'll never know how it is until I start it I guess, but definitely I've heard on numerous occasions that the key to it is to do past papers to practise application and not just spend time learning the content so this is something I will definitely do.

Reply 12

Chief Wiggum

20

As long as you put in the work, it isn't actually that hard.

Reply 13

dunnicare

12

Original post by hellomoto170

Yep, well to be honest I'm not surprised in the slightest, thank you for confirming my worst fears! Ah well I'll never know how it is until I start it I guess, but definitely I've heard on numerous occasions that the key to it is to do past papers to practise application and not just spend time learning the content so this is something I will definitely do.

Anyone can do it if they do the right revision. Remember all A-levels are a challenge, it's just Chemistry revision has it's own style. BTW use those examination questions in whatever textbook they give you. They really can help you when it comes to your exams and they pick those questions for a reason so when you get down to past paper questions do those first and last.

Another important thing is confidence. Don't be nervous. I've seen a lot of people flop their A-levels, not just chem although it is most common, because of nerves. Hard work and revision = A/A*. But that's easier said then done obviously. So just work your socks off.
Good luck. :smile:

Reply 14

RipperRoo

2

Was more of a memory game for me, at least the last unit was anyway (OCR Salters...).

Started to feel like all I had to do was memorise all the organic reactions, conditions and reaction types for a lot of questions then for the rest just memorise the mark scheme script (must have answered "Why does something appear coloured?" about a million times).

I did like all the amino acid stuff though that touched into the interesting bits of Biology.

Reply 15

TimesChanging

its just that with most subjects its recall, but with chemistry its more application (and a lot of recall) all in all its doable, but only if you enjoy it!

Reply 16

Rahul.S

14

Hard? So far i think its the easiest once concepts have been learnt properly...which is probz the hardest part...papers are quite straightforward.....

i do aqa btw

Reply 17

Harry Potter's sidekick

2

It's not hard. Pretty much learn the syllabus content and you're good to go. The reason I find it to be easier than biology is that units 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 ( for Aqa) and probably other exam boards build up on each other. So....if you understand the fundamental principles for the easier units the others are not too bad :smile:

also, learning perfect exam answers to recurring questions is a must. It helped me to get from a D in unit 1 when i never revised, to 90/100 UMS. So Its not too bad at all!

A level chemistry? What makes it so hard?

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