If you’re reading this page, then you must be preparing to take your CIE A-Level Chemistry examinations – well done you’re almost there! While beginning to flip through all your notes from throughout the year (or years) you may start to get overwhelmed by how much there is to do. Lucky for you, there is no need to worry – the key to doing well in your exams relies primarily on planning. We’re here to help you plan out your revision properly and make the most of the weeks to come.
The first thing you need to keep in mind is that details are important to success. It might not, at first sight, look like there are many important differences between various examination boards. However, it is important that you are taking the CIE exam. This specification is unique in that it places a lot of emphasis on structured questions as opposed to multiple choice ones. This means that you should be preparing to answer more of your chemistry questions in long paragraphs or an essay format. It also means that you should eventually focus on past examination papers in order to familiarise yourself with exam structure.
About the Board
CIE, otherwise known as the Cambridge Assessment International Education, is one of the oldest examination boards in the UK. It was initially founded as a division of the University of Cambridge in 1858. Today it remains under the university’s auspices. They chiefly focus on school-leaving qualifications and ones that prepare students for entry to university, in other words, A-Levels. They are also unique in that they are commonly used not only in the UK but also in international schools abroad. The CIE A-Level Chemistry course is a “linear” subject which means that AS students will take all their exams at the end of the academic year, and A-Level students will take all of their exams at the end of the full two years of studying.
How Long Will the Course Take to Complete?
The CIE A-Level Chemistry specification does not directly state how many years the course takes to complete. However, it does recommend 180 teaching hours for the AS Level course and 360 teaching hours for the full A-Level. This translates into approximately one academic year for the AS and two academic years for the Chemistry A-Level. You are free to choose whether you take the AS or the A-Level based on how interested you are in the subject. In most cases, it won’t matter which of these options you have picked. However, if you know that you want to pursue a career in something chemistry-specific, like a university degree in chemistry or biochemistry, or laboratory work, then you are advised to take the full A-Level.
Is Any Prior Knowledge Required?
The CIE board recommends in their specification that learners on the AS or A-Level course ought to have completed a Cambridge IGCSE or the equivalent prior to starting. You don’t have to have studied chemistry and passed exams within the same board, but they do think that you’ll benefit most if you’ve already had some exposure to key chemistry topics at Level 2.
What Will I Study?
All students of CIE A-Level Chemistry will learn about three major fields: physical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and organic chemistry and analysis. However, A-Level students will go into much more depth than AS Level students. So if you’re taking CIE AS Level Chemistry you will study atoms molecules, atomic structures, chemical bonding, states of matter, chemical energetics, electrochemistry, equilibria, reaction kinetics, chemical periodicity, nitrogen and sulphur, hydrocarbons, halogen derivatives, hydroxy compounds, and carbonyl compound. Meanwhile, if you do the full A-Level you’ll not only study these topics but also transition elements, nitrogen compounds, polymerisation, and organic synthesis. You’ll also study the AS-Level topics at a much greater depth.
What is the Examination Process Like?
What’s most unique about CIE exams is that they are not constructed around testing specific thematic knowledge like with some other boards. Instead they are split by the style of assessment: multiple choice, open ended and practical assessments. AS Level students take 3 exams, while those taking the full A Level will take all five exams. Therefore as an AS Level student you’ll sit Paper 1: Multiple Choice, which will last one hour and be worth 31% of your final marl. Next, you’ll sit Paper 2: AS Level Structured Questions for 1 hour and 15 minutes and 46% of your final mark. Finally, you’ll sit Paper 3: Advanced Practical Skills, which will last 2 hours, require you to carry practical work under timed conditions and be worth 23% of your grade.
If you’re doing the full A-Level then Paper 1 will only be worth 15.5%, Paper 23% and finally Paper 3 11.5%. As a full A-Level student you’ll then sit Paper 4: A Level Structured Questions which will last 2 hours and be worth 38.5% of your final mark. Finally, you’ll sit Paper 5: Planning Analysis and Evaluation which will also be based on your practical skills like Paper 3. It will last 1 hour and 15 minutes and be worth 11.5%.
Study Tips
In order to study for your CIE A-Level Chemistry exams you should be preparing both your content knowledge and a way to tackle the very question-specific exams that are coming your way. We recommend using a variety of revision methods in order to make your revision season more dynamic and in order to be prepared for the variety of questions that you may be asked.
You should also make sure to fit in your chemistry revision with your revision for other subjects. Spend no more or less than 3-4 hours per day on this subject during revision season. That will give you enough time to focus on these exams but also leave you with enough time to devote to your other courses. If you’re someone who’s easily distracted, you’re also advised to stay away from your phone and social media while revising. You can always return to them at the end of a revision session, and even keep them as a reward for your hard work!
As for your revision methods, you can use all kinds of methods to boost your knowledge. For example, write out flashcards to memorise your definitions and formulas in a fun and easy way. Use mind maps to visualise how concepts are related to one another and see the big picture. Take practice quizzes to prepare for your multiple-choice paper. And finally, once you’re ready, time yourself doing a past exam paper to see how you’d do if the exam were that day. To help you get going we’ve put together all these revision materials so that you don’t have to spend hours doing that and can just focus on your revision and get started today!
