A lot of you worry about your Chemistry A-level. I figured I might as well extend as much help as possible.
Am I qualified to give you tips?
Overall Grade -- High B. Units 1, 2, 3, 4 are As. Can't remember what I got for 5 & 6 (all deleted from my memory deliberately, of course).
In any case, here are some things I wish I knew before I started my A-level as well as some things that have worked for me.
Before you start
Some random bits of GCSE do come up rarely, like displacement reactions specifically. Revise this and remember how the reactions look like. Usually though, the things you learn in GCSE are expanded upon in larger and more precise detail so things shouldn't be tested on a GCSE level, though GCSE knowledge can come in useful.
Think carefully about why you are doing this A-level, and psych yourself up for a bit of work.
Know your exam board
-- From the beginning, you must get the following information from your teacher: which specification are you studying?
-- Specifications are always available on the examination board website and you have to make sure that you are looking at the correct specification: that is, the correct year and the correct subtype. As far as I am aware, there may be new specifications for those with examinations in 2008.
-- The specification serves as a guide of what they expect you to know, and often how they expect you to answer some questions (e.g. explaining something in terms of cation size not lattice stability) Ideally, you should be able to reel off anything the specification expects you to know. It is a good framework from which you can target your revision.
-- Another tool are past examination questions from your own specification board. Make sure you do these
with their mark schemes, and lots of them. Note that even if the same question pops up, sometimes they can get a bit more pedantic with the answers they'll accept.
-- Complete at least two past exam papers within the time set(and many more for practice), as it is easy to run out of time. Remember to include checking back over your question paper within your strategy, as it is easy to confuse numbers and amounts in calculations as well as other mistakes including missing information in the question, missing bits in diagrams, improperly balanced equations or simple spelling mistakes or words missing.
Active Studying
-- When you meet a new reaction, learn the equation(s) for it, the conditions, the states, the catalysts/reagents, the products. Think about what the reaction looks like, and try to see it in action if you can using the internet or your school lab.
-- When you see a graph, take note of the axis, the units and what it is actually saying.
-- When you meet a new term, memorise its definition.
-- When you meet a new calculation, practise. Practise. Practise. Until you've mastered it. Take note of the mistakes you seem susceptible to, so that you can check and watch out for them later.
-- After a chem lesson: look at what section of the syllabus you have covered, then make sure you remember and understand everything as well as that your teacher has covered it all to your satisfaction. Practise everything you're supposed to be able to do. Go back to your teacher (or someone else if they happen to be useless) to explain any points you're not 100% clear on.
Practically Speaking
-- Bug your teacher to do practicals at least once a week: for AS, you should be able to do titrations, flame tests and energetics as well as some other identification. For A2, you should be able to do the AS stuff as well lots of organic identification, transition metal stuff (remember to put down actual equations or formulae if appropriate!) and rate of reactions. You should do 2 or 3 mock practicals before the actual exam.
Some Links & online resources
--
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/, Love this guy's detail on organic stuff, but haven't had a chance to check out his other notes.
--
www.examstutor.com is a good resource for your school to sign up to if they feel like splurging money on something that could help you with your a-level science revision.
--
http://www.chemprofessor.com/ is a website that will allow you to see how them crazy Americans approach chemistry.
--
http://www.rod.beavon.clara.net/chemistry_contents.htm. Ah, Mr. Rod Beavon. A look into an Edexcel examiner's mind (he's rather eccentric as far as I'm concerned).
--
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=401208, notes over at the studentroom for A-level. Haven't checked these out, so don't know how good they are.
--
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=302052 A list of helpful websites on chemistry. A lot are degree level though, so careful! Also, just sign up to the chemistry forum there because they seem to have got quite a bit of useful topics you might want to look at over there specific to your syllabi, and a wider base of students to consult with.
--
http://www.thepaperbank.co.uk/ PAST PAPERS!
--
http://www.priorexams.com/ MORE PAST PAPERS!
Recommended textbooks
-- Definitely the Nelson Thornes series for the Edexcel syllabus.
-- CGP guides are also good, though I did not use them personally for Chemistry. I find their silliness, conciseness and pretty colours very useful as a memory aid (I used them to quickly memorise my biology units in a few days...!). However, they may not cover information in detail sometimes, so I suggest you have your textbook and specification before you to check you've covered everything.
-- Calculations in A Level Chemistry by Jim Clark should you run into difficulty with calculations.
-- AQA: Paddy Gannon's Revise AS Chemistry
-- OCR(Salters): Revise A2 Chemistry -Dave Newton, Alasdaire Thorpe and Chris Otter
Chemistry is Fun!
-- Chemistry may seem intimidating at first, but your understanding just deepens further and further as you go.
-- If your course is not heavy with practicals, you might actually not experience the aspect of this A-level. Things blow up and bubble over, transition metals make all sorts of pretty colours, iodine sublimes in from glorious glittery grey to purple gas.
Chemists themselves are a bit funny... If you don't believe me, look at this:
http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/sillymolecules/sillymols.htm I'm not sure if I should put a parents advisory warning on that page. LOL, Warning: 15-rated molecular names and commentary on them! Mr. Rod Beavon of Edexcel also has a humor section on his website...
-- If you keep in touch with a sense of fun and a sense of curiosity, you should hopefully naturally do things like further reading, research stuff, asking about things... picture what's actually happening, and come up with memorable ways to remember your stuff.
-- Then again, I may just be weird. I found the occasional slight rants in my chemistry textbook amusing as well as a jab at how toxic ethanol is readily imbibed in small (small? Well, if they say so!) quantities by the population...
Finally...
These tips suggest that a whole lot of work needs to be done, but I am suggesting the 100% of work that could be done in order to almost guarantee you a good grade. The best kind of studying is done with a good strategy: to achieve a lot with the minimal amount of work, based on your strengths and so on. You will grow through this A-level, I believe, and find you can do much more than you think. Have confidence in your ability despite any initial marks on the first January units: your skill and understanding continually increases as you go through the A-level!
I cannot emphasise the importance of completely understanding what is required by the examiners through the help of the specification and past papers enough.
Any more suggestions (particularly with OCR/AQA syllabi textbooks)? Anything I seem to have missed?
Tips on surviving your Chemistry A-level
SaL
FIRM 2007
