Assessment overview
| Component |
Marks |
Duration |
Weighting |
insert text |
Fundamentals of chemistry (01)
|
110 |
2 hour 15 mins |
41% |
|
Scientific literacy in chemistry (02)
|
100 |
2 hour 15 mins |
37% |
|
Practical skills in chemistry (03)
|
60 |
1 hour 30 mins |
22% |
|
Practical endorsement in chemistry (04)
|
- |
- |
- |
Reported separately. Non-exam assessment. |
All components include synoptic assessment.
Students must complete all components (01, 02, 03, and 04) to be awarded the OCR A Level in Chemistry B (Salters).
Content overview
There are three sections.
Development of practical skills in chemistry
- Practical skills assessed in a written examination
- Practical skills assessed in the practical endorsement
Storylines
The following storyline modules introduce a range of relevant chemical ideas in structured and engaging contexts to illustrate the role of chemistry in our daily life and in understanding the world around us. In the exams students will be expected to apply their learning to unfamiliar contexts.
- Elements of life
- Developing fuels
- Elements from the sea
- The ozone story
- What's in a medicine?
- The chemical industry
- Polymers and life
- Oceans
- Developing metals
- Colour by design
Chemical literacy
‘Chemical literacy’ is ability to understand a passage of text, extract information from it and use this information, e.g. in a calculation or to construct an argument. Students are expected to be able to answer questions logically and with due regard to the correct use of technical terms. It is assessed in all three written components (01, 02 and 03).
Students gain practical skills as they work through the storyline modules. These are assessed in the written examinations and in the practical endorsement (component 04). Activities that could count towards the practical endorsement are indicated in the specifications.