Is A Level Chemistry Hard?

This is a question I have frequently been asked by students in Year 11 as they try to make up their minds on which combination of A Level subjects they are going to choose. Many schools ask students to make this decision about halfway through the year, so they can work out how many A Level sets or groups the school will need in the following year.

As a Chemistry teacher for over 30 years, both in the UK and internationally, I have advised thousands of students about whether they should be taking Chemistry A Level. Naturally, I have a vested interest in promoting my subject, and would love many students to take A Level Chemistry, but it isn’t always the love of a subject that defines your choice. When students are choosing subjects at A Level, it is important to get good career and university guidance so that they choose the right subjects needed at A Level for their intended career path. However, for many students the exact choice of subjects may not be as critical, so choosing the subjects according to their interests and likely outcomes is another important strategy.

Unfortunately, Chemistry suffers from a bad press when it comes to A Level difficulty and I can’t tell you the number of times people have told me over the years that they were “rubbish” at Chemistry or Science. This is a wholly undeserved reputation and should not put you off from choosing A Level Chemistry.

How hard is A Level Chemistry?

So, exactly how hard is A Level Chemistry? Well, it depends on who’s asking the question, but I hope the person asking it would be a student in Year 11 who is already studying GCSE Chemistry or GCSE Double Award Chemistry. Let’s call that student Sarah. Sarah has already covered a lot of the groundwork for A level Chemistry, so if she is getting good grades in Year 11 Chemistry and heading for a high grade at GCSE, then she sounds a good prospective candidate for A Level Chemistry.

What are the minimum requirements to study A Level Chemistry?

A lot of schools set the bar at a 6 at GCSE to get into A Level Chemistry (this is common for many subjects, not just the sciences). Although you might be able to get on an A Level course with a 5, you would probably struggle, so it would be better to choose a subject where your outcome is likely to be higher.

The fact is that the minimum grade at GCSE is there not to put you off from thinking about A Level Chemistry, but to avoid giving you unrealistic expectations about the difficulty of the A Level course. This is just as true of Geography, French and Economics as it is of Chemistry.

Like all good chemists, if we apply the scientific method to the question, then the next step is to find some data to confirm or deny the hypothesis that A Level Chemistry is hard. How can you assess the difficulty of A Level Chemistry?

For a start you could look at A Level passing grades for all the common A Level subjects. The Joint Qualifications Council is an organisation that comprises the eight largest qualifications providers in the UK. They compile statistics for all the A Level grades awarded.

Is A Level Chemistry harder than Maths?

If we take a look at the pass rates for the years 2023, 2022 and 2019 we can get some indication about this. The results in the table are the cumulative pass rates: in other words the percentage of candidates who got an E or higher (remember an E is a pass at A Level). There are no statistics for 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.

At first glance we can say that Maths is easier than Chemistry as the pass rate is always higher, but the difference is quite small, less than 1%, so it might not be a reliable measure of the difficulty level.

A Level Pass Rates for Maths and Science

Source: Joint Council for Qualifications

Is A Level Chemistry harder than Physics or Biology?

Chemistry, Biology and Physics overall pass rates are close together, so you can’t really make any distinction between them. A different approach is to take a look at the number of top grades in these subjects. The harder the subject is, the fewer top grades you would expect to see.

Percentage of top A Level grades in Maths and Science

What stands out about this data is that not only does it indicate that Maths is easier to pass than science subjects, but also that it is easier to get a top grade in Maths than in the sciences. Slightly more than half of all Chemistry students get a B or above. The table also shows that for the three years listed, Biology consistently is the hardest science subject to get the top grades in.

If you rank all the A Level subjects in 2023 according to the percentage of A*, A and B grades, generally languages come out top, while Design & Technology and Law come out at the bottom of the list. It is a skewed way of looking at it, because some A Level subjects, such as languages, have fewer students who are often funnelled into A Level because they are high achieving language students at GCSE.

Why is A Level Chemistry so hard?

Some students consider A Level Chemistry hard because it contains a lot of abstract concepts. It’s also true that you won’t get a high grade just by memorising a bunch of chemical facts. You may be able to sail through GCSE Chemistry without too much difficulty, but A Level requires a greater degree of explaining chemical phenomena and applying your knowledge to unfamiliar situations. Often complex concepts are simplified at GCSE, so part of making the transition from GCSE to A Level is accepting that gear change and being prepared to rise to the challenge.

You will study many of the same GCSE topics again in greater depth, but will also cover a lot of new organic chemistry topics as well as some completely new areas like equilibrium, entropy and spectroscopy.

A Level Chemistry makes a higher demand on your mathematical skills, and you should not consider A Level Chemistry without also doing Maths A Level. You’re going to need confident skills in algebra, calculus and trigonometry. For example, you need to balance equations, manipulate moles formulae, handle logarithms and use scientific notation effortlessly on your calculator.

Is A Level Chemistry worth it?

Absolutely. However you interpret the pass rates, there’s no doubt that A Level Chemistry remains a very popular subject at A Level. In 2023, it was the fourth most popular A Level subject with around 61,000 students taking the exam.

A Level Chemistry is a gateway subject: it gives you access to further study and career pathways in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, geology and chemical engineering. This is why, apart from just considering the difficulty level, you must also seek career guidance on whether A Level Chemistry is the right choice for you. You have to be careful not to close doors by not taking the subject at A Level.

Studying A Level Chemistry is an enriching and engaging experience. Even if you do not go on to study Chemistry in further education you will find the skills and knowledge you acquire will be highly valuable to you and the subject perfectly complements your studies in Maths, Biology or Physics.

FAQs

What skills are needed to succeed in A Level Chemistry?

• Attention to detail

• Critical thinking and analytical skills

• Good time management

• Good practical skills

• Good mathematical skills

• Curiosity

What are the hardest topics in A Level Chemistry?

• Organic chemistry

• Equilibrium

• Electrochemistry and redox

• NMR spectroscopy

• Hess cycles

What are the best resources for A Level Chemistry students?

• Textbooks and study guides

• Online resources such as our excellent revision notes and topic questions for AQA, Edexcel, OCR and CIE A Level Chemistry at Save My Exams

• Other students

• Finally, don’t forget that your chemistry teacher is a resource!