Skip to content

A Level Chemistry


UK Open College

Summary

Price
£379 inc VAT
Finance options

Monthly payment options available

Study method
Distance learning
Duration
700 hours · Self-paced
Qualification
AQA A Level Chemistry (7405)
Awarded by AQA
Additional info
  • Tutor is available to students

Overview

This course covers the new specification introduced in September 2015.

There have been a lot of changes to A Levels and we strongly advise you read all the information below very carefully. There is a lot of information to take in and as such it is often better to speak to an advisor to discover everything you will need to know regarding exams, practicals and other important information you need to be aware of. If you make an enquiry, in the message box, please let us know a suitable time to give you a call.

This is a distance learning course designed to prepare you for sitting your A Level Chemistry exam. A full A Level is around 700 hours of study, be wary of courses of less time than this as they may well be missing important information.

Students are provided with up to 2 years support, but it is up to them how quickly they work through the course and when they choose to sit the exams.

For example.

Student A may decide to enrol in June and wish to obtain his full A Level by June the following year. He would set up his study timetable to complete the course and sit the exams 12 months later.

Student B may decide that they wish to study at a more relaxed pace and sit the exams 24 months later.

Each option is fine, you don't make that decision when you enrol as you have up to 2 years support regardless. This allows you to make a more informed decision later in the course.

Students are responsible for booking their exams. We provide you with a full list of centres across the country that you can do this at.

SUPPORT

During the course students are fully supported by a qualified tutor and a support team who are contactable by email and telephone respectively.

Throughout the course students will complete a series of assignments which they will email to their tutor. This allows the tutor to ensure you are picking things up correctly and iron out any problem areas.

There are also self-testing exercises spread throughout the course for students to gauge their progress.

METHOD OF STUDY

The course is available in both a paper and online format. The paper version is delivered to you by courier and is yours to keep, so you can write on it, highlight things, make notes etc.

The online course is presented in a cloud based learning system where you are able to access all of your course lessons, assignments and tutor correspondence in one place. You can download an app and access your course information on any device.

Description

SYLLABUS

Topic 1: Physical Chemistry

  • Atomic Structure
  • Amount of substance
  • Bonding
  • Energetics
  • Kinetics
  • Chemical equilibria, Le Chatelier's principle and Kc ATP
  • Oxidation, reduction and redox equations
  • Thermodynamics
  • Rate equations
  • Equilibrium constant Kp for homogeneous systems
  • Electrode potentials and electromechanical cells
  • Acids and bases

Topic 2: Inorganic Chemistry

  • Periodicity
  • Group 2, the alkaline earth metals
  • The Halogens
  • Properties of Period 3 elements and their oxidies
  • Transition metals
  • Reactions of the ions in aqueous solution

Topic 3: Organic Chemistry

  • Introduction to organic chemistry
  • Alkan
  • Halogenoalkanes
  • Alkenes
  • Alcohols
  • Organic analysis
  • Optical isomerism
  • Aldehydes & ketones
  • Carboxylic acids and derivatives
  • Aromatic chemistry
  • Amines
  • Polymers
  • Amino acids, proteins and DNA
  • Organic synthesis
  • Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
  • Chromatography

EXAMS

Traditionally A Levels have consisted of two parts, the AS and the A2. Students would sit the AS exams at the end of the first year and A2 exams at the end of the second year.

That has now changed in England. Now, only the A2 exams count towards your final grade. AS exams can still be sat as standalone papers and would count 40% of an A Level, but once you sit the A2 exams the AS result no longer counts.

In Wales and Northern Ireland you would continue to sit AS exams as well as A2.

A2

Paper 1

Assessment details:-

  • 35% of A-Level
  • 105 marks
  • 2 hour written exam

What is assessed?:-

  • Relevant physical chemistry topics
  • Inorganic chemistry
  • Relevant practical skills

Paper 2

Assessment details:-

  • 35% of A-Level
  • 105 marks
  • 2 hour written exam

What is assessed?:-

  • Relevant physical chemistry topics
  • Organic chemistry
  • Relevant practical skills

Paper 3

Assessment details:-

  • 30% of A Levels
  • 90 marks
  • 2 hour written exam

What is assessed?:-

  • Any content
  • Any practical skills

AS Exams (Mandatory in Wales and Northern Ireland only)

Paper 1

Assessment details:-

  • 50% of the AS
  • 80 marks
  • 90 mins written exam

What is assessed?:-

  • Relevant physical chemistry topics
  • Inorganic chemistry
  • Relevant practical skills

Paper 2

Assessment details:-

  • 50% of the AS
  • 80 marks
  • 90 mins written exam

What is assessed?:-

  • Relevant physical chemistry topics
  • Organic chemistry
  • Relevant practical skills

PRACTICALS

There are 12 practical assessments that should be taken alongside your studies. These assessments do not count towards your end grade, however, it is marked upon your certificate that you have completed them. Whilst you can choose not to take them it can effect you in a couple of ways. Firstly, many universities will not accept your A Level without the practical endorsement. Secondly, around 15% of the questions in your A2 exams will expecting you to have knowledge of these practical skills, hence if you don't complete them you can be struggling on those questions.

The practicals are usually taken in Spring. Not all exam centres will allow private candidates to register for the practicals so it is important to ensure you have found a centre before you commit to a course. Again, we can provide you with guidance with regards to this with a list of centres around the country, plus some recommended centres that definitely offer the practical service.

  1. Make up a volumetric solution and carry out a simple acid-base titration
  2. Measurement of an enthalpy change
  3. Investigation of how the rate of a reaction changes with temperature
  4. Carry out simple test tube reactions to identify:
    * cations - Group 2, NH4+
    * anions - Group 7 (halide ions)
  5. Distillation of a product from a reaction
  6. Tests for alcohol, aldehyde, alkene and carboxylic acid
  7. Measuring the rate of reaction:
    * by an initial rate method
    * by a continuous monitoring method
  8. Measuring the EMF of an electrochemical cell
  9. Investigate how pH changes when a weak acid reacts with a strong base and when a strong acid reacts with a weak base
  10. Preparation of:
    * a pure organic solid and test of its purity
    * a pure organic liquid
  11. Carry out simple test-tube reactions to identify transition metal ions in aqueous solution
  12. Separation of species by thin-layer chromatography

Requirements

Students are recommended to possess the ability to read and write English to GCSE standards and be over 16 years of age. Grade C or above at GCSE is recommended also.

Mathematical Requirements

Candidates should be familiar with:

Arithmetic and computation
Handling Data
Algebra
Graphs
Geometry

To find out more about this course click the 'Enquire now' button to contact the course provider. It is highly recommended you discuss the course with an advisor to ensure you have a full understanding of how it works and what you will need to do with regards to exams, practicals. Simply let us know in the message box the best time to contact you.

Questions and answers

Reviews

Currently there are no reviews for this course. Be the first to leave a review.

FAQs

Study method describes the format in which the course will be delivered. At Reed Courses, courses are delivered in a number of ways, including online courses, where the course content can be accessed online remotely, and classroom courses, where courses are delivered in person at a classroom venue.

CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development. If you work in certain professions or for certain companies, your employer may require you to complete a number of CPD hours or points, per year. You can find a range of CPD courses on Reed Courses, many of which can be completed online.

A regulated qualification is delivered by a learning institution which is regulated by a government body. In England, the government body which regulates courses is Ofqual. Ofqual regulated qualifications sit on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF), which can help students understand how different qualifications in different fields compare to each other. The framework also helps students to understand what qualifications they need to progress towards a higher learning goal, such as a university degree or equivalent higher education award.

An endorsed course is a skills based course which has been checked over and approved by an independent awarding body. Endorsed courses are not regulated so do not result in a qualification - however, the student can usually purchase a certificate showing the awarding body's logo if they wish. Certain awarding bodies - such as Quality Licence Scheme and TQUK - have developed endorsement schemes as a way to help students select the best skills based courses for them.