How To Get An A* In A Level Chemistry
There’s no easy way to get an A*. You have to put in the work. Chemistry is a subject which involves rote learning (especially organic chemistry). The bulk of the work is learning facts and formulas and there is a lot to learn. Have a decent set of detailed notes and aim to do at least 15 minutes of independent study per day. At weekends double up the study time. First read through and understand the topic. If there are bits you don’t understand, ask your teacher, look up online and work on it so that you understand it well enough to explain to a friend. I recommend a simple method.
- Read through your notes and text book
- Write it down and make notes
- Make up some simple “recall questions” and write them in the margin of each page of notes. Recall questions just check that you have read the page and remembered.
- Go through your notes again and again even if it’s boring.
- Doing the above 3 times is barely a pass. Doing it 5 times is a D grade and doing it 10 times will get you that A*
You can`t just rely on memorising the textbook and hope to get a good grade. You have to learn and remember facts, apply the facts and practice lots of questions and past papers.
1. One of the first topics you will do is mole calculations. This is a tricky topic if you don`t get enough practice. Ask for help if you don`t get it and memorise the three main formulas which are:
- moles = mass/Mr
- moles = concentration/volume
- moles of gas = volume/24000 cm3
Then it`s basically a question of deciding which formula to use first and continuing from there.
2. For the structure and bonding topic, use the right words. For example, don`t confuse bonds with intermolecular forces or molecules with atoms and ions. This topic usually has 3 and 4 mark questions and the examiner will be looking for these specific words in your answer. Practice these questions and mark them straight away to see if you are getting all the marks.
3. When revising, cover one topic at a time and test yourself on questions on that topic. The “Physics and Maths Tutor” website is great for this. If you have an end of topic test coming up, print off the questions for that topic and practice them. It is also important to mark the questions straight away. Become an expert in one topic rather than revising the whole lot and attempting whole past papers. Once you have mastered all topics, then do timed past papers.
4. If you are good at maths, you will find topics like energetics and kinetics relatively easy. Learn how to use your calculator. You will need to be familiar with standard form, logarithms, algebra and ratio. Knowing how to plot graphs, converting between units and a knowledge of indices is also needed.
5. For organic chemistry questions, always draw the molecule and name it when taking notes or when doing questions. This is the equivalent to showing your working and is a good habit. Every time you draw an organic molecule, name it too and draw it in different formats like skeletal, general, structural and displayed formulas. ChemSpider is an app to help you draw organic molecules – a bit like Lego to me!
To learn the structures of functional groups, look at how they are different to each other. For example you could:
- draw an alkane and alkene and compare their structures.
- compare aldehyde (C=O group is at the end of a carbon chain)and ketone (C=O bond is in the middle of a chain)
- compare primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols
- compare carboxyllic acids and esters
- compare amines and amides
Mind maps are excellent for learning organic chemistry. I get my students to draw one molecule in the middle of the page and have arrows coming off it to show all of it`s reactions. Along each arrow they have to write down the reagents and conditions. I also get them to name and draw the mechanisms.
A few websites and resources I would recommend:
Chemguide: Mainly for AQA chemistry but an excellent detailed website with notes on all chemistry topics. It’s a bit like a textbook.
MaChemGuy: A level chemistry Youtube videos; very comprehensive and well explained in case you miss class or something.
Physics and Maths Tutor: Topic based exam questions according to examining boards. Also has past papers. All resources have answers.
Please comment below if you have any questions.
Kip McGrath Luton Souths Blog 