About this course

Chemistry International baccalaureate course overview

Chemistry is an experimental science, studying the principles and structures that are the foundation of life around us and the systems that make up our environment.

On the course students will come to realise that Chemistry underpins many other disciplines such as biological science or medicine and they will develop a sound grounding in both theory and practical work. Topics are wide ranging and engrossing, from atomic structure and bonding to organic chemistry and thermochemistry.

DP Chemistry students come to understand this and interrogate how scientists work and communicate, including the scientific method and experimental work so central to the sciences. Students on their course will design investigations, collect data, develop manipulative skills, analyse results and evaluate their findings, working effectively with peers to do so.

As with other DP science courses the theme of the nature of science is fundamental. The aims of the DP Chemistry course include enabling students to appreciate scientific study and creativity within a global context, whilst acquiring and using a body of knowledge, methods and techniques that characterise science and technology. The value of effective collaboration and communication during scientific activities is emphasised alongside experimental and investigative scientific skills. Equally, wider considerations such as the ethics of scientific study, the role of science globally, its interplay with other subject disciplines and its limitations are of great import on the DP Chemistry course.

Students also undertake the collaborative sciences project. This extends the development of scientific communication in a collaborative and interdisciplinary context, allowing students to work together beyond the confines of one specific syllabus.

The chemistry curriculum is built on two broad organizing concepts: structure and reactivity. Each of these concepts is subdivided into topics and subtopics, which are all connected through the idea that structure determines reactivity, which in turn transforms structure.

The SL course provides students with a fundamental understanding of chemistry and experience of the

associated skills. The HL course requires students to increase their knowledge and understanding of the subject, including additional mathematical skills, which are added as extras in each topic.

Structure

  1. Structure 1. Models of the particulate nature of matter
    • Structure 1.1—Introduction to the particulate nature of matter
    • Structure 1.2—The nuclear atom
    • Structure 1.3—Electron configurations
    • Structure 1.4—Counting particles by mass: The mole
    • Structure 1.5—Ideal gases
  2. Structure 2. Models of bonding and structure
    • Structure 2.1—The ionic model
    • Structure 2.2—The covalent model
    • Structure 2.3—The metallic model
    • Structure 2.4—From models to materials
  3. Structure 3. Classification of matter
    • Structure 3.1—The periodic table: Classification of elements
    • Structure 3.2—Functional groups: Classification of organic compounds

Reactivity

  1. Reactivity 1. What drives chemical reactions?
    • Reactivity 1.1—Measuring enthalpy changes
    • Reactivity 1.2—Energy cycles in reactions
    • Reactivity 1.3—Energy from fuels
    • Reactivity 1.4—Entropy and spontaneity (Additional higher level)
  2. Reactivity 2. How much, how fast and how far?
    • Reactivity 2.1—How much? The amount of chemical change
    • Reactivity 2.2—How fast? The rate of chemical change
    • Reactivity 2.3—How far? The extent of chemical change
  3. Reactivity 3. What are the mechanisms of chemical change?
    • Reactivity 3.1—Proton transfer reactions
    • Reactivity 3.2—Electron transfer reactions
    • Reactivity 3.3—Electron sharing reactions
    • Reactivity 3.4—Electron-pair sharing reactions

The course is made up of both externally assessed examinations and an internally assessed portfolio. King’s InterHigh will support with guidance around where external exams may be sat. These exams are sat at the end of the two year programme.

Prescribed and other practical activities

Individual investigation (internally assessed)

  • SL
    • Paper 1: Total time 1.5 hours; total raw mark 55; component weighting 36%. In two booklets completed together without interruptions on SL level material only
      • Section A: 30 multiple choice questions (30 marks)
      • Section B: Data-based & experimental work questions  (25 marks)
    • Paper 2: Total time for paper 1.5 hours, total raw mark 50, component weighting 44%. Short-answer and extended-response questions on standard level material only

    HL

    • Paper 1: Total time 2 hours; total raw mark 75; component weighting 36%. In two booklets completed together without interruptions on SL and AHL material
      • Section A: 40 multiple choice questions (40 marks)
      • Section B: Data-based & experimental work questions  (35 marks)
    • Paper 2: Total time for paper 2.5 hours, total raw mark 90, component weighting 44%. Short-answer and extended-response questions on SL and AHL material
    • Individual investigation and write-up
    Standard Level
    • Many automobile manufacturers are developing vehicles that use hydrogen as a fuel.
      1. Suggest why such vehicles are considered to cause less harm to the environment than those with internal combustion engines.
      2. Hydrogen can be produced from the reaction of coke with steam: C(s)+2H2 O(g) 2H2 (g)+CO2 (g)
    Higher Level
    • “The two isomers of [Pt(NH3 ) 2 Cl2 ] are crystalline. One of the isomers is widely used in the treatment of cancer.
      1. Draw both isomers of the complex,
      2. Explain the polarity of each isomer using a diagram of each isomer to support your answer”
    • “State a suitable method (other than looking at dipole moments) to distinguish between the two isomers”
    • “Compare and contrast the bonding types formed by nitrogen in [Pt(NH3 ) 2 Cl2 ]” (Paper 2)

    Learning IB Chemistry online allows students to enjoy:

    • Virtual Reality (VR) learning opportunities to immerse student in diagrams, models and other subject matter.
    • Live, responsive teaching and feedback in small classes.
    • 24/7 access to course resources and lessons, recorded and catalogued.
    • High academic standards and levels of support.
    • Positive learning culture and systems for communication.
    • A flexible, international, high energy learning experience.
    • Experienced, subject specialist teachers to both Standard and Higher level.
    Key information
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    International Baccalaureate
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    Online, real-time classrooms, 24/7 access to curriculum
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    September
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