A-level Chemistry

What is A-level chem like? How different is it to GCSE, is it a lot harder, is it interesting?

It's my favourite subject. I find it way more interesting than GCSE and honestly it's not too hard in my experience. It's worth saying that i do OCR chemistry so it might differ between exam boards. But i recommend it if it's going to benefit your next steps

Reply 2

AnnabelleHarris

OP

8

Original post by Export kid

It's my favourite subject. I find it way more interesting than GCSE and honestly it's not too hard in my experience. It's worth saying that i do OCR chemistry so it might differ between exam boards. But i recommend it if it's going to benefit your next steps

I would be doing OCR chem too, however I am rlly unsure what to do at a-level, I was discouraged from taking a single science so will be doing both bio and chem. But I'm unsure if I actually enjoy the subject or whether I was just good at it at GCSE.

Reply 3

Export kid

15

Do you have any plans for what you want to do after A levels? And what were/are you're grades like at gcse?

Reply 4

AnnabelleHarris

OP

8

Original post by Export kid

Do you have any plans for what you want to do after A levels? And what were/are you're grades like at gcse?

well i got nines in each science (triple, in my mocks) but I have no clue what i want to do at uni, I"ll also be doing A-level english lit and politics. But I'm not 100%

Reply 5

Export kid

15

If you're going to do a science along with those two A levels, i say go for whichever you're most interested in because english and politics don't have any strong ties to any particular science. If you're doing 4 subjects, biology with chemistry is a good shout for expanding horizons after your A levels

Reply 6

AnnabelleHarris

OP

8

y

Original post by Export kid

If you're going to do a science along with those two A levels, i say go for whichever you're most interested in because english and politics don't have any strong ties to any particular science. If you're doing 4 subjects, biology with chemistry is a good shout for expanding horizons after your A levels

thank you. bc I get similar grades in most my subjects i've found it hard to separate what subjects i enjoy and what i found easy so i tried to pick a mix and bc i have no idea what i want to do after a-level i don't want to close any doors.

Reply 7

L-K

15

As a science teacher, I can tell you that a levels are a huge step up from GCSE. Be prepared to work hard! I've had students really struggle with A level despite getting high GCSE grades because they were so used to coasting through their courses and didn't know how to work hard.

Reply 8

F12Ak

13

It's a pain in the ass

Reply 9

AnnabelleHarris

OP

8

Original post by L-K

As a science teacher, I can tell you that a levels are a huge step up from GCSE. Be prepared to work hard! I've had students really struggle with A level despite getting high GCSE grades because they were so used to coasting through their courses and didn't know how to work hard.

yh I am kinda worried bc GCSEs came relatively easy to me and I know A-levels will be a lot more demanding. I am still quite undecided on what to take as I have no plans for what to study in the future or as a career.

Reply 10

rmzoo

13

do you enjoy chemistry? i think the only reason i find it easier than bio (even though it tends to be the other way round) is because i absolutely love chem and enjoy it so much. there are people who despise it though and don’t do so well, despite being good at it in gcse. since you were on the track of a grade 9 i’d suggest you go for it, with bio too, since you’re not sure about what you wanna pursue and those will leave quite a few doors open for you. all the best!

edit - just saw that you couldn’t differentiate between what you enjoyed and what you were good at and i understand that. in that case, i’d suggest to still go for it for now and if you go forward with 4 subjects, you can always drop chem it it’s getting too much for you at the end of year 12 maybe?

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 11

itsraininghere

18

Original post by AnnabelleHarris

thank you. bc I get similar grades in most my subjects i've found it hard to separate what subjects i enjoy and what i found easy so i tried to pick a mix and bc i have no idea what i want to do after a-level i don't want to close any doors.

That’s such a mood. For a long time, I also found it really hard to differentiate the subjects I enjoy because I’m good at them and the ones I genuinely find interesting.

Well, now I know I don’t like anything LOL. Anyway, I’m taking maths, biology, chemistry and history simply for the choices at uni.

Reply 12

AnnabelleHarris

OP

8

Original post by ItsTomii

That’s such a mood. For a long time, I also found it really hard to differentiate the subjects I enjoy because I’m good at them and the ones I genuinely find interesting.

Well, now I know I don’t like anything LOL. Anyway, I’m taking maths, biology, chemistry and history simply for the choices at uni.

Yah that sounds smart i did further maths and found the content okay but decided a-level maths was not for me, but i still don't know what to do as idk if i enjoy, or find it easy, or the class was just good.

Reply 13

itsraininghere

18

Original post by AnnabelleHarris

Yah that sounds smart i did further maths and found the content okay but decided a-level maths was not for me, but i still don't know what to do as idk if i enjoy, or find it easy, or the class was just good.

To be fair, you could always just take an extra, dropping it a year later if need be. There’s no harm in doing so. :tongue:

Especially if you were already good at the subject.

Reply 14

Lucy.chem49

3

Original post by AnnabelleHarris

What is A-level chem like? How different is it to GCSE, is it a lot harder, is it interesting?

Hi,
I do chemistry biology and English literature. I absolutely love chemistry (OCR) like you i scored a 9 in the triple GCSE (AQA.) Despite what most people say I found the jump from GCSE to A level the least dramatic with chemistry. I think the key is not to underestimate it and not to let things you don’t understand slip under the radar. It’s a lot more interesting than GCSE and I found my teachers became A LOT more passionate about the content. Practicals (imo) the BEST part are a lot more in-depth and exciting. Chemistry gets a lot of bad press because it’s extremely demanding but you sound highly academically capable and I’m sure you’d do brilliant!!!
Good luck
Lucy :smile:

Reply 15

WiseWomen

11

Sooo I picked alevel chem (aqa exam board) thinking it will be easy if I work hard, but let me tell ya, alevel chem is hard. If you do decide to pick it, make sure you're on top of your work, eg, read the textbook/any other notes before the lesson so you know whats going on. Do a looot of past papers! Also, only pick it if you have an interest in it (i picked it without needing it for uni nor having an interest in it so my grade was pretty bad) I can't tell you how much I personally dreaded chemistry lessons & exams simply because I did not have an interest in it