Assessment overview
There are six teaching topics and a practical skills topic:
- C1: Particles
- C2: Elements, compounds and mixtures
- C3: Chemical reactions
- C4: Predicting and identifying reactions and products
- C5: Monitoring and controlling chemical reactions
- C6 Global challenges
- C7: Practical skills
Foundation tier (grades 5 to 1)
Higher tier (grades 9 to 4)
Students must complete either the foundation tier (paper 1 and paper 2) or the higher tier (paper 3 and paper 4) to be awarded the OCR GCSE (9-1) in Chemistry A (Gateway Science).
Content overview
Content is split into six teaching topics (C1–C6) and a practical activity skills topic (C7). Students develop conceptual understanding of chemistry and an understanding of the nature, processes and methods of science.
The topics are:
- C1: Particles
- The particle model
- Atomic structure
- C2: Elements, compounds and mixtures
- Purity and separating mixtures
- Bonding
- Properties of mixtures
- C3: Chemical reactions
- Introducing chemical reactions
- Energetics
- Types of chemical reactions
- Electrolysis
- C4: Predicting and identifying reactions and products
- Predicting chemical reactions
- Identifying the products of chemical reactions
- C5: Monitoring chemical reactions
- Monitoring chemical reactions
- Controlling reactions
- Equilibria
- C6: Global challenges
- Improving processes and products
- Organic chemistry
- Interpreting and interacting with earth systems
- C7: Practical skills
- A practical-based topic which provides students with the skills required for the 15% practical content in the examinations
- Students complete at least eight practical activities and have the opportunity to use all the apparatus and techniques listed in the specifications
- This will include awareness of safety procedures and the use of appropriate scientific diagrams to record apparatus and procedures
- Practical skills are embedded within all the teaching topics C1 to C6.