Chemistry

Chemistry is a practical subject which allows you to observe chemical changes as well as learning some of the higher level skills that can be adapted to be used in a workplace in the 21st century. 

If you are interested in learning about the internal structures of the things around us, how the earth has changed since the big bang and carry out lots of experiments, this is the course for you.

Half Term 1 - Basic Quantitative Chemistry 

Now that our students have the fundamentals of atomic structure, bonding, the properties of structures and how to work out the energy changes those reactions have, we start to investigate the quantitative factors of Chemistry by linking the atomic structure to the mass of substances. We revisit the atomic mass and start to build in calculations that students will encounter in Year 10 and beyond. Through this, we start to show students some of the real-world applications of Chemistry by investigation careers that use the skills they are learning

Half Term 2 and 3 - Chemical Changes - Reactivity of Metals and Making Salts 

Students have the foundations of atomic structure and are able to do basic calculations, this means we are ready to focus on specific reactions like those that involve the use of acids and metals. Students will be able to identify what is produced in different reactions, they will learn how to write equations for these reactions. Students will learn how to apply the calculations they have learnt previously to real life practical examples. Developing their practical skills and understanding the scientific method is key to this topic

Half Term 4 - Chemical Changes - electrolysis

Students have covered ionic bonding and so are able to investigate how ionic compounds are split apart using electricity and why this is done. Again, students will use their prior knowledge of calculations to apply it to the practical examples used in this topic.

Half Term 5 - Rate and Extent of Chemical Change

Students are now able to develop their understanding of reactions further, by looking at how the conditions of the reactions affect both the rate of reactions. We look further at what makes a reaction happen by investigating the collision theory in detail and what has an impact on successful collisions. Students will then look at how varying conditions can affect different types of reactions, for example reversible reactions. This will allow them to link their prior learning to the chemical industry and re-introduces some of the real-life applications of the calculations they had previously done, including bond energy and percentage yield.

Half Term 6 - Organic Chemistry

Now that students have a grasp of the intricacies of reactions, how to speed them up and increase the yield of useful products we look at a group of compounds that have specific reactions that are based in the world around them – the organic molecules. Students build on their bonding topic from Year 9, looking exclusively at carbon-based molecules. They will discover their properties, reactions with each other and properties.

Half Term 1 – Chemical Analysis

Students use their knowledge of bonding and reactions to identify pure substances and mixtures. They gain practical skills in chromatography and gas tests to relate reactions to tests for substances.

Half Term 2 - Rate and Extent of Chemical Change and Chemistry of the Atmosphere

Students revisit their understanding of reactions further, by looking at what makes a reaction happen by investigating the collision theory in detail and what has an impact on successful collisions. Students will then look at how varying conditions can affect different types of reactions, for example reversible reactions. This will allow them to link their prior learning to the chemical industry and re-introduces some of the real-life applications of the calculations they had previously done, including bond energy and percentage yield. Students then look at the chemistry of their atmosphere, they will link ideas of bonding and chemical analysis to identify the substances that make up our atmosphere, how humans have had an impact on the atmosphere and what could be done to ensure we put a halt to climate change with the help of Chemistry.

Half Term 3 – Using Resources

Students pull together all of their chemistry knowledge to investigate how it applies to things they use in everyday life. They need knowledge of all aspects to be able to make links to useful material such as drinking water, metals, alloys, glass, ceramics, and fertiliser. Again, we look at how Chemistry is able to reduce human’s impact on the environment by considering alternatives to conventional industrial methods. 

Half Term 4 – Rate and Extent of Chemical Change Revisited

Students revisit their understanding of reactions further, by looking at what makes a reaction happen by investigating the collision theory in detail and what has an impact on successful collisions. Students will then look at how varying conditions can affect different types of reactions, for example reversible reactions. This will allow them to link their prior learning to the chemical industry and re-introduces some of the real-life applications of the calculations they had previously done, including bond energy and percentage yield. 

Half Term 5 – Revision

Students have now completed the course and will spend this term revising fully for their upcoming exams. They will be able to complete any required practical work that may not have been completed and recap all difficult concepts to fully prepare them for their examinations.

Half Term 6 – Revision

Students have now completed the course and will spend this term revising fully for their upcoming exams. They will be able to complete any required practical work that may not have been completed and recap all difficult concepts to fully prepare them for their examinations.

Half Term 1 - Organic Chemistry 

Now that students have a grasp of the intricacies of reactions, how to speed them up and increase the yield of useful products we look at a group of compounds that have specific reactions that are based in the world around them – the organic molecules. Students build on their bonding topic from Year 9, looking exclusively at carbon-based molecules. They will discover their properties, reactions with each other looking mainly at the alkanes, alkenes, alcohols and carboxylic acids. Students then start to make links with Biology by looking into the Chemistry of proteins and DNA.

Half term 2 - Chemical Analysis

Students use their knowledge of bonding and reactions to identify pure substances and mixtures. They gain practical skills in chromatography and gas tests to relate reactions to tests for substances. They will also learn to identify substances from their reactions. 

Half term 3 - Chemistry of the Atmosphere

Students then look at the chemistry of their atmosphere, they will link ideas of bonding and chemical analysis to identify the substances that make up our atmosphere, how humans have had an impact on the atmosphere and what could be done to ensure we put a halt to climate change with the help of Chemistry.

Half term 4 - Using Resources

Students pull together all of their chemistry knowledge to investigate how it applies to things they use in everyday life. They need knowledge of all aspects to be able to make links to useful material such as drinking water, metals, alloys, glass, ceramics, polymers and fertiliser. Again, we look at how Chemistry is able to reduce human’s impact on the environment by considering alternatives to conventional industrial methods.

Half Term 5 – Using Resources and Revision

Students continue to  pull together all of their chemistry knowledge to investigate how it applies to things they use in everyday life. They need knowledge of all aspects to be able to make links to useful material such as drinking water, metals, alloys, glass, ceramics, polymers and fertiliser. Again, we look at how Chemistry is able to reduce human’s impact on the environment by considering alternatives to conventional industrial methods. Once this topic is complete, students have completed the course and will spend this term revising fully for their upcoming exams. They will be able to complete any required practical work that may not have been completed and recap all difficult concepts to fully prepare them for their examinations.

Half Term 6 - Revision

Combined Chemistry

Two written exams on either Higher or Foundation tier. Each paper is 1 hour 15 minutes and 70 marks. Each paper counts towards 16.6% of the final Combined Science grade. The papers will contain a mixture of multiple choice, data analysis and structured and open response questions. 

Students will complete six required practical investigations in Chemistry  throughout the course which will be assessed in the final written exams.

Triple (Separate) Chemistry

Two written exams on either Higher or Foundation tier. Each paper is 1 hour 45 minutes and 100 marks. Each paper counts towards 50% of the final Chemistry grade. The papers will contain a mixture of multiple choice, data analysis and structured and open response questions. 

Students will complete eight required practical investigations in Chemistry  throughout the course which will be assessed in the final written exams.

Chemistry can lead to A Levels in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Applied Science, Geography, Psychology and Sociology.  It can also support BTEC qualifications in a variety of subjects and apprenticeships.

Half Term 1

• Topic 1 Atomic Structure
• Topic 5 - Amount of Substance

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

These are the fundamental building blocks of all of the Chemistry course. It builds on the understanding from GCSE chemistry and allows students to get to grips with more complex models of atomic structure and to recap their knowledge that underpins quantitative chemistry to allow students to use it in the rest of the course more fluently. Students facilitate their academic learning with practical skills that are key to Chemistry by collecting gases and carrying out basic titration.

Half Term 2 

• Topic 2 - Bonding
• Topic 3 - Redox I
• Topic 6 - Organics I

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

Students are now familiar with the more complex structure of the atom and we build on this by developing the ideas of how atoms interact with each other. We start to cover the more complex topic of bonding and the interactions of molecules which give rise to the trends in the periodic table. We then start to build on GCSE knowledge of organic chemistry where students are exposed to a variety of homologous series and begin to develop their dexterity in a wide array of practical skills. 

Half Term 3 

• Topic 4 - Inorganic Chemistry 
• Topic 6 - Organics I

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

Students continue to develop their understanding of trends by looking at the reactions of Group 2 and 7 elements in more detail, focussing on their reactions and the reason they behave in the way they do. This is complemented by continuing to develop their skills in organic chemistry and practical work. 

Half Term 4 

• Topic 8 - Energetics I
• Topic 7 - Modern analytical Techniques

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

Students will now have a good foundation of the fundamentals of chemistry. In this half term we will look at how organic substances can be identified analytically and how we analyse unknown compounds. Alongside this as students now understand the bonding and trends, we start to unpick how energy plays a part in reactions. Looking at enthalpy changes and calculating the energy released and absorbed when reactions take place. 

Half Term 5

• Topic 9 - Kinetics I
• Topic 10 - Equilibria I 

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

Students now start to look deeper into reactions, considering the energy of individual particles and how we can change how particles behave. To do this they must understand the kinetics of particles and how reversible reactions differ from irreversible reactions. They learn how to calculate the rate, yield and equilibrium constant of concentration for various reactions. 

Half Term 6 - Revision and Practical Investigations

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

As students have now completed the first year of the course, we spend some time consolidating learning and making explicit links between all topics. Students practise their exam technique in the build up to their end of year exams. Once these are complete we broaden the real life applications of the Chemistry content they have studied by focussing on real life practical investigations. Students will learn to identify the gases that have been used to create simulations, they will analyse cleaning products to work out compositions and they will embed their core practical skills further.

Half Term 1 

• Topic 13 - energetics II
• Topic 11 - Equilibria II

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

Students ended their Year 12 looking at energy changes and this is where we start it off again. Looking more deeply into the energy changes that happen in complex reactions, we start to look at the differences between theoretical data and experimental data. Students start building on ideas learnt in year 12 with equilibria as well, looking at equilibrium constants of pressure and variable concentrations. 

Half Term 2 

• Topic 12 - Acid Base
• Topic 17 - Organic II  

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way  Now that students have grasped the basic equilibrium concepts we relate them to the acid and alkali reactions they have seen in lower years. This includes calculating pH and understanding how buffer solutions work. We start linking ideas in from other subjects and look at the real life application of the equilibria calculations that are being carried out. Alongside this students start to learn about more varied and complex organics molecules, reactions and mechanisms. They will start to use their prior knowledge to devise possible mechanism routes and start to relate this back to the kinetics covered in Year 12.

Half Term 3 

• Topic 18 - Organics III
• Topic 16 - Kinetics II
• Topic 14 - Redox II

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

Aromatic and nitrogen chemistry complete the organics learning for the year. These complex molecules start to combine all of the fundamentals of chemistry and allow students to link all of the organic chemistry completed into a synthesis pathway. This allows them to move from one homologous series to another using reactions, conditions and mechanisms covered in the course. Alongside this they start to build on their ideas of kinetics of particles and how to calculate the order of various reactions, again linking this back to the organic mechanisms covered in Year 12. Students will then build on their ideas of oxidation and reduction by looking at half cells and move complex redox reactions and titrations. 

Half Term 4 

• Topic 19 - Modern Analytical Techniques II
• Topic 15 - Transition Metals

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

Finally students look at the complex transition metals, learning about how and why their oxidation numbers vary and how this affects their properties. They learn about complex ligands and relate this back to the bonding and shapes covered at the start of Year 12.They will also learn about the final, more complex analytical techniques to identify unknown organic and inorganic compounds. Learning how to combine all analytical techniques to determine the mass, shape and bonding of similar compounds by analysing data. 

Half Term 5

• Required Practical Recap
• Revision

Why we sequence the scheme of work this way 

This half term give students a chance to go over why they have carried out their core practicals in the way they have. Firming up their practical techniques and understanding of the practical work covered throughout the course. Students will then revise to allow them to perform at their best for the external exams. 

Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary, Pharmacology and Engineering careers will all require Chemistry.