Home Schooling Chemistry GCSE - The Course

What basic substances make up the world we live in and how do they interact? These are just two of the fundamental questions that chemistry attempts to answer and which students will explore in this fascinating course.

Key Topics Covered

Our Chemistry GCSE course covers the entire syllabus in 27 lessons dealing with the following topics:

 

Chemistry 1

• How do rocks provide building materials?
• How do rocks provide metals and how are metals used?
• How do we get fuels from crude oil?
• How are polymers and ethanol made from oil?
• How can plant oils be used?
• What are the changes in the Earth and its atmosphere?
• Why have some species of plants and animals died out?
• How do new species of plants and animals develop?
• How do humans affect the environment

Chemistry 2

• How do sub-atomic particles help us to understand the structure of
  substances?
• How do structures influence the properties and uses of substances?
• How much can we make and how much do we need to use?
• How can we control the rates of chemical reactions?
• Do chemical reactions always release energy?
• How can we use ions in solutions?

Chemistry 3

• How was the periodic table developed and how can it help us understand
  the reactions of elements?
• What are strong and weak acids and alkalis?
• How can we find the amounts of acids and alkalis in solutions?
• What is in the water we drink?
• How much energy is involved in chemical reactions?
• How do we identify and analyse substances?

The Syllabus

This course prepares students for AQA GCSE Science: Chemistry syllabus 4421, for exams in 2008 and later years. Assessment is by one written paper (75%) and coursework (25%). We have chosen this syllabus as it is the most suited for home schooling.

Practical Skills/ Coursework

The assessment has two parts:

1. The practical skills assessment (PSA) assesses the student’s ability to work in an organised and safe manner whilst working practically. It can be carried out at any time during the course.
2. The investigative skills assignment (ISA) assesses the student’s ability to undertake a task and collect, process and evaluate data. The ISA can be carried out at any time during the course.– Students carry out the PSA set by AQA, they then take a written test under controlled conditions. The test asks questions concerning the data collected during the practical task as well as that provided as part of the test.

Please also take the time to read 'Coursework, a guide for parents'