AS and A level Chemistry

AS and A level Chemistry Your guide to our qualifications 2 3 Hello and welcome Our AS and A level Chemistry qualifications will engage and inspire the scientists of the future. We’ve worked with all parts of the science education community to design courses that encourage students to develop as scientists, and give them the skills to succeed in their chosen pathway. This guide gives you an overview of our new AS and A level Chemistry qualifications. You can also learn more about the comprehensive help and support we have for you. Take a look through this guide to find out more about: AS and A level Chemistry ..................................................................................... 3 Our Edexcel AS and A level Chemistry qualifications ............................................. 4–5 How assessment works at AS and A level ............................................................ 6 AS assessment at a glance ................................................................................... 7 A level assessment at a glance ............................................................................. 8–9 Sample Assessment Materials .............................................................................. 10–15 How we’re supporting you .................................................................................... 16–19 Published resources ............................................................................................. 19 Get in touch ......................................................................................................... 20 We’re here to help you to understand our AS and A level Chemistry, so you’re ready to teach the new specifications. Whether it’s on the phone, by email, or in person at a training event, we’ll support you as you plan and teach these qualifications. We look forward to meeting you at our New to Edexcel events and answering any questions you might have about our specifications. The new AS and A level Chemistry AS and A level Chemistry are linear qualifications; assessments for each qualification will now take place at the end of each course. AS is a stand-alone qualification, meaning it will not form part of students’ A level grades. However, the content of the AS is included in the A level content, to allow the two qualifications to be co-taught. Questions assessing students’ use of mathematical skills will make up 20% of the exam papers. There is no coursework elements in AS and A level Chemistry. Instead, students are required to complete a number of core practicals which cover specific skills and techniques. Practical skills are assessed in two ways: investigative skills, and knowledge and understanding of some core practicals are assessed in AS and A level exams and contribute to students’ overall grades. teacher assessment of students’ competency when completing practical work will count towards the separate Practical Endorsement at A level (see page 9 for more details). Some of your students will be hoping to study chemistry or a related subject at university. Wishing to encourage this, we’ve worked with Higher Education institutions to ensure that our qualifications provide the right preparation for further study. You can learn more at Our Edexcel AS and A level Chemistry qualifications Discover more at 4 5 Our exam questions include clear command words to ensure students understand the knowledge and skills they’re being asked to demonstrate. There are a range of question styles to test students’ breadth of knowledge and depth of understanding, and reward the different strengths students have. Our question papers are ramped, with the level of challenge increasing throughout the exam. Every question, where possible, begins with a more accessible question part that all students can engage with. The assessment of students’ scientific investigative skills in question papers has been based on approaches we know work well already in our international exams. There are plenty of tools and support available to help you and your students with exam preparation. In addition to student exemplars with examiner commentaries and extra assessment materials, there’s a range of free online services to help you and your students test, track and understand their performance and progress. Assessment you and your students can have confidence in AS and A level specifications are fully co-teachable, to give you flexibility with your teaching arrangements. Specification content is arranged into distinct topics and linked to clear descriptive statements, so you and your students know the depth of understanding that’s expected. Topics not only cover physical, organic and inorganic chemistry and fundamental subject elements, but also build on each other to give students a broad knowledge base for assessment, and for progression to further study and the workplace. New content has been introduced into the specifications to keep them up to date. We’ve also removed some topics, such as green chemistry and some aspects of transition element chemistry, to allow for the introduction of more relevant aspects of the subject, such as 13C nmr and organic synthesis. Support is available for each key aspect of the specifications, from transition units helping students make the move from GCSE to AS and A level study, to guidance on integrating mathematical and investigative skills into lessons. Straightforward and balanced specifications Inspiring students to think as scientists Supporting students to develop as scientists AS Chemistry Specifi cation Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced Subsidiary GCE in Chemistry (8CH0) First teaching from September 2015 First certifi cation from 2016 Issue 1 A Level Chemistry Specifi cation Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Chemistry (9CH0) First teaching from September 2015 First certifi cation from 2017 Issue 1 Enabling students to work as scientists Core practicals have been designed to meet assessment requirements and link directly to the specifications, so your students can develop their practical skills in a context they’re familiar with. Our choices of core practicals are based on what you’ve told us works well in classroom situations and the experiments you and your students enjoy. The range of core practicals enables students to build their confidence by giving them more than one opportunity to master techniques. It also means if your students miss a lesson, they’ll have a chance to try the technique again. You know your students best, so we’ve added extra flexibility around practical work, so you can substitute a core practical with one of your own, (or do more), if you think they develop the same skills and techniques. We’ve created tools and resources to help you and your students with each aspect of practical work – from planning the experiments and selecting apparatus to honing investigative skills. Practical work is at the heart of the qualifications Guiding you and your students through the AS and A level courses It’s specialist: your Subject Advisor, Irine Muhiuddin, will be on-hand to answer any queries you may have; our Science Team also regularly send email updates so you know the latest news. It’s local: training events and network events regularly take place near you. It’s driven by you: we’ll continue to develop our support based on what you tell us you need. Support that’s timely and tailored to your needs 6 7 How assessment works at AS and A level With AS being a stand-alone qualification it does not form part of students’ A level grades. As such, students could choose to take AS and A level exams to receive grades for both qualifications, or just A level papers at the end of Year 13 to gain an A level grade. The qualification structure is the same for all AS and A level Sciences, regardless of exam board. Learn more at chemistry/exammaterials. Note: All AS exams must be taken in the same examination series. Results from AS examinations will count towards the AS grade but wil not form part of the A level grade. AS assessment at a glance • Exam questions will test students’ knowledge and understanding of the relevant specification topics. • Each paper will also assess students’ knowledge and understanding of experimental methods, based on the core practicals in the specifica