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A-level practical endorsement and required practical activities
This topic preserves A-level practical endorsement requirements and practical-skills assessment.
16
Objectives
10
Flashcards
10
Questions
90 min
Study time
AqaA LevelChemistryPractical skills, mathematical requirements and assessment
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Syllabus checklist
What you need to know
16 objective pages available
A-level practical endorsement4 objectives
- Explain that the A-level practical endorsement is assessed separately from written exam grades.
- Demonstrate competence in apparatus and techniques across the A-level course.
- Apply risk management and safe working in practical contexts.
- Evaluate practical procedures using uncertainty, error, accuracy and precision.
A-level required practical activities12 objectives
- Required practical 1: make up a volumetric solution and carry out a simple acid-base titration.
- Required practical 2: measure an enthalpy change.
- Required practical 3: investigate how rate changes with temperature.
- Required practical 4: identify required cations and anions using test-tube reactions.
- Required practical 5: distil a product from a reaction.
- Required practical 6: test for alcohol, aldehyde, alkene and carboxylic acid functional groups.
- Required practical 7: measure the rate of reaction by an initial rate method and a continuous monitoring method.
- Required practical 8: measure an equilibrium constant.
- Required practical 9: investigate pH changes in acid-base titrations.
- Required practical 10: prepare an organic solid and test its purity.
- Required practical 11: carry out simple test-tube reactions to identify transition-metal ions.
- Required practical 12: separate species by thin-layer chromatography.
Key terms
Practical EndorsementStandard SolutionTitrationEndpointRisk AssessmentPersonal Protective Equipment (PPE)Systematic ErrorRandom ErrorVolumetric analysisEnthalpy (H)CalorimetryRate of reaction
Exam tips
- Understand the practical endorsement requirements: Familiarize yourself with the types of practical skills and experiments that will be assessed in the practical endorsement.
- Practice calculations regularly: Make sure to practice titration calculations and understand the relationships between concentrations and volumes.
Common mistakes
- Confusing practical endorsement with written exams: Remember that the practical endorsement is assessed separately and does not affect the written exam grades.
- Incorrectly reading the burette: Always read the bottom of the meniscus at eye level to ensure accurate readings.
Practice preview
- Which of the following statements about the A-level practical endorsement is true?
- Explain the significance of the A-level practical endorsement in the context of chemistry education.
- A student conducts an experiment to determine the concentration of a sodium chloride solution. They prepare a standard solution of 0.1 mol/dm³ NaCl. If they dilute this solution by taking 50 cm³ and adding water to make 250 cm³, what is the concentration of the diluted solution?
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