The Course serves to equip all learners with an understanding of the impact of chemistry on everyday life, and pupils will develop their knowledge and skills to become scientifically literate to reflect critically on the scientific world about them. By using the knowledge and understanding of detailed chemistry key areas, learners will become confident in their ability to continue to have an enquiring mind with regard to any chemistry they will meet. This also allows learners to make their own reasoned decisions on many issues within a modern society increasingly dependent on chemistry, science and technology.

The relevance of chemistry is highlighted by the study of the applications of chemistry in everyday contexts. The purpose of the Course is to build on the knowledge, understanding and skills developed by the learner in Higher Chemistry and to provide a useful bridge towards further study of chemistry.

Pupils have to pass three unit assessments and a prescribed practical activity in order to be credited with a course award. Pupils also have to complete a practical investigation which allows the pupils to research a chemical topic through practical experiments and must be written up and completed for SQA marking.

The Higher qualification in chemistry extends learners’ knowledge and understanding that may have been initiated through Standard Grade or Intermediate 2 chemistry.Pupils will develop knowledge and understanding of  the physical and natural environments, through a wide range of topics including chemical reaction rates, enthalpy and patterns in the Periodic Table. A further two units allow students to appreciate the importance of organic chemistry in understanding the main synthesis routes in the pharmaceutical and plastics industries. Consequently Hess’s Law and redox reactions complete the course.

Students must pass three unit assessments and a prescribed practical activity in order to be credited with a complete course award. A pass in the final exam could allow the pupils to continue to Advanced Higher in S6 or open up many career opportunities in the scientific world.

In S3 and S4 the chemistry course has been developed to allow students to experience an experimental and investigative approach to develop knowledge and understanding of chemistry concepts.

The course provides opportunities for learners to recognise the impact chemistry makes on developing sustainability, and its effects on the environment, on society and on the lives of themselves and others.

Successful learners in chemistry think creatively, analyse and solve problems. Chemistry can produce responsible citizens through studying the impact it makes on developing sustainability, and its effect on the environment, society, and the lives of themselves and others.

The course initially allows learners to develop scientific skills and knowledge of the chemical reactions in our world. Through practical experience, learners will investigate rates of chemical reactions and the chemistry of compounds due to their bonding type. Formulae and simple mole calculations will then lead to an investigation of the reactions of acids and their impact on society.

Through the science course in first and second year pupils study the following topics.

S1: The Chemical World, Acids and Alkalis Theme Park.

S2: Atoms and the Periodic Table, Chemicals from the Earth.

All topics are a skills based course encouraging the pupils to discover, investigate and develop the knowledge and skills for them to become confident young scientists. Literacy and numeracy tasks are included for pupils to be able to understand the widely scientific and technological world that they are living in.

Homework tasks are designed to encourage an inclusive approach to home based learning where parents can become involved in helping the pupils research and consolidate their learning. Many tasks will lead to group work within class or talks to allow them to discuss their experiences.