Chemistry - A-Level

Applications open: 10 November 2025

Application deadline: 13th February 2026

Entry Requirements: - 5 x GCSEs Grade 4-9 including English. Maths desirable. Please see individual courses for subject entry requirements. Please visit our website for more information https://www.maplesden.kent.sch.uk/830/welcome

Subject Choices: - You will need to select a minimum of 3 subjects to study and these can be a mixture of A Levels and BTECs with SEFA and MWBA in addition to your full time studies.

How to Apply: - Please apply via KentChoices

Course Description OCR A-Level Chemistry (A)

Chemistry is an A Level subject that will challenge the hardest working students.

Students will complete a minimum of 9 practical assessments and receive a pass or fail in practical competence assessed through the five Common Practical Assessment Criteria.

Many topics build upon GCSE knowledge, going into greater depth, some topics will be entirely new such as entropy and instrumental analysis.

Examination papers consist of multiple-choice questions, shorter structured questions that will be designed to test mainly knowledge and understanding of the specification content of the particular topics. Longer questions will also test the students’ skills of interpretation and evaluation of data. Students may be required to apply their knowledge and understanding of chemistry to situations that they have not seen before.

Module 1 Development of practical skills this will run throughout the course.

Module 2 Foundations in chemistry - acid theory, redox reactions, bonding and structure.

Module 3 Periodic table and energy – periodic table, enthalpy and equilibrium.

Module 4 Core organic chemistry- Families of compounds and analytical techniques.

Module 5 Physical chemistry and transition elements – rates of reactions, equilibrium, enthalpy and entropy

Module 6 Organic chemistry – aromatic chemistry, Carbonyls and chromatography.

For the A2 Chemistry, there are three papers plus a non-examined Practical endorsement:

• Periodic table, elements and physical chemistry (01) - 100 marks, 2 hour 15 minutes paper (37% of total A Level)

• Synthesis and analytical techniques (02) - 100 marks, 2 hour 15 minutes paper (37% of total A Level)

• Unified Chemistry (03) - 70 marks, 1 hour 30 minutes paper (26% of total A-Level)

• Practical Endorsement in Chemistry (04) - In class practical skills assessment.

Component 01 assesses content from modules 1,2,3 and 5. Component 02 assesses content from modules 1,2, 4 and 6. Component 03 assesses content from all 6 modules (1 to 6).

Grade 6/7 in Combined Science or 6-9 in GCSE Chemistry & 5-9 in GCSE Maths