3SCHE

NCEA Level 3 Chemistry

Course Description

Head of Faculty - Kaihautuu: Miss M. Ashford.

Through a range of practical chemistry investigations students will develop their self-management and ability to communicate with others. Students will develop critical thinking skills as they link observations to theory. Students will explore the use of a range of scientific symbols and vocabulary.

Students will gain an understanding of fundamental material world concepts to prepare them for further science study. Students will develop/modify a plan to carry out a quantitative investigation.  They will form links between oxidation-reduction reaction, understand shapes and polarity and properties of molecules, carry out calculations involving thermochemistry, understand structure, properties and reactivity of organic molecules and determine structure of molecules using spectroscopy data.  They will learn the application of the above in the real world by having hands on activities such as practicals, experiments and demonstrations.

The Chemistry 3.6 external is an optional course, which students can learn outside of class with teacher support.

Course Overview

Term 1
We start with the 3.1 internal standard which re-visits the skills of volumetric analysis from Level 2. We will do a quantitative investigation looking at the trend in the concentration of Vitamin C. This standard is practical based including calculations and report writing.

Term 2
We will be covering 3.4 particles and thermochemistry. This is a continuation of structure and bonding from Level 2, where students will learn more in depth about trends in the periodic table, covalent molecules and enthalpy changes in chemical reactions.

Term 3
We will learn 3.5 organic chemistry which is the continuation of the organic chemistry from Level 2, looking at how different organic compounds are made and identified including polymers. This will be followed by the 3.2 spectroscopy internal which looks at identifying molecules based on Infrared, Mass Spectroscopy and C13 NMR spectra - this is the science of Border Security! We will then start the 3.7 redox chemistry focusing on electrochemistry and electrolysis which looks at how reactive metals can be extracted from compounds.

Term 4
We will finish the Redox internal and revise for the external exams.

Recommended Prior Learning

It is recommended that students have studied Level 2 Chemistry and passed an external exam. The Level 3 course builds on the concepts from Level 2.

Career Pathways

Credit Information

You will be assessed in this course through all or a selection of the standards listed below.

This course is eligible for subject endorsement.

This course is approved for University Entrance.

Total Credits Available: 25 credits.
Externally Assessed Credits: 15 credits.
Internally Assessed Credits: 10 credits.

Assessment
Description
Level
Internal or
External
Credits
L1 Literacy Credits
UE Literacy Credits
Numeracy Credits
A.S. 91387 v2
NZQA Info
Chemistry 3.1 - Carry out an investigation in chemistry involving quantitative analysis
4
4
4
4
Level: 3
Internal or External: Internal
Credits: 4
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0 *
Numeracy Credits: 0
A.S. 91388 v2
NZQA Info
Chemistry 3.2 - Demonstrate understanding of spectroscopic data in chemistry
3
3
3
3
Level: 3
Internal or External: Internal
Credits: 3
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0 *
Numeracy Credits: 0
A.S. 91390 v2
NZQA Info
Chemistry 3.4 - Demonstrate understanding of thermochemical principles and the properties of particles and substances
5
5
5
5
Level: 3
Internal or External: External
Credits: 5
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0 *
Numeracy Credits: 0
A.S. 91391 v2
NZQA Info
Chemistry 3.5 - Demonstrate understanding of the properties of organic compounds
5
5
5
5
5
Level: 3
Internal or External: External
Credits: 5
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0 *
Numeracy Credits: 0
A.S. 91392 v2
NZQA Info
Chemistry 3.6 - Demonstrate understanding of equilibrium principles in aqueous systems
5
5
5
5
Level: 3
Internal or External: External
Credits: 5
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0 *
Numeracy Credits: 0
A.S. 91393 v2
NZQA Info
Chemistry 3.7 - Demonstrate understanding of oxidation-reduction processes
3
3
3
3
Level: 3
Internal or External: Internal
Credits: 3
Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0 *
Numeracy Credits: 0
Credit Summary
Total Credits: 25
Total Level 1 Literacy Credits: 0
Total University Entrance Literacy Credits: 0
Total Numeracy Credits: 0

Approved subject for University Entrance

Number of credits that can be used for overall endorsement: 25

Only students engaged in learning and achievement derived from Te Marautanga o Aotearoa are eligible to be awarded these subjects as part of the requirement for 14 credits in each of three subjects.