Chemistry

With Cardiff & Vale Tutors Chemistry tuition is offered at KS3, GCSE and A level.

Why contact us for a Chemistry tutor in Cardiff & the Vale of Glamorgan?

We know how to maximise results. Exam Success in the Chemistry Syllabus is dependent on 3 fundamental pillars;

1. A ‘wide and deep’ understanding of the syllabus content, is of course the first requirement. Knowledge gaps or a lack of understanding, not only put students at risk in exams but also impact negatively on general confidence in the subject.

2. The knowledge and skill to organise, prioritise and plan study, even very smart students can find themselves overwhelmed by the subject and the syllabus leading to panic, a collapse in confidence and poor results.

3. Exam Technique, how to answer the questions fully, concisely, to the point and in a way that immediately resonates and pleases the examiners. Top achievers are practised at acing exams, it’s a skill that comes from practise and knowledge.

We understand these 3 pillars of success and our tutors are selected to be able to deliver tuition and guidance to optimise exam results.

Chemistry is a subject area that many students find particularly challenging, and there is a clear necessity for teaching that is both engaging and comprehensive. Chemistry tuition aims to support both skills-based and knowledge-based objectives through questioning and discussion, to reiterate and consolidate understanding of work covered in class. A Cardiff & Vale Chemistry tutor can effectively explain complex theories, revise difficult formulae and processes, and enable students to recognise the real-life application of what they are learning. This subject has the potential to be highly relevant to young people’s everyday lives, as it teaches them aspects of their own fundamental make-up and that of their environment. This perspective should be facilitated by capable and enthusiastic teaching that is knowledgeable of syllabus and assessment material.

How and why an Cardiff & Vale Chemistry Tutor can make a difference

TOPICS
At a basic level, Chemistry students encounter a range of topics, such as Fuels, Hydrocarbons, Acids and Alkalis, Metals, Corrosion, Plastics and Fertilisers. Part of this initial study is also an introduction to the periodic table, and some basic principles of chemical reactions. Chemistry tuition can be particularly helpful as students progress onto more challenging units, embellishing, for example, their understanding of Energy to include Enthalpy, Bonding and Electronic Structure. Another illustrative unit might be about Carbon, which covers elements like Nomenclature, Polymers and Structural Formulae. In a similar way, Chemical Reactions might be studied in relation to Hess’s law, Equilibrium, Redox reactions and Nuclear Chemistry. As can be seen, increasing the complexity of basic topics allows Chemistry to gradually develop and build on previous knowledge, and this process is advantaged by the specialist advice of a Chemistry tutor.

SKILLS
The skills acquired in Chemistry are also expected to build up gradually, and a Cardiff & Vale Chemistry tutor can ensure that a student is capable and confident with these appropriate to their level. The first area is knowledge and understanding of chemical facts, ideas, and their social and industrial application in areas such as medicine, engineering and health science. Candidates must also develop problem solving skills, such as handling and processing information for accurate presentation on tables and graphs, and the ability to evaluate procedures and draw conclusions. In class, practical abilities will be tested through experimentation, and in Chemistry tuition sessions students can seek help for their investigation reports, which involve describing, presenting, analysing and evaluating data accurately. Finally, it is important that candidates foster an open-minded attitude, recognising different perspectives and the everyday applications of science.

PRACTICAL WORK
The practical work of Chemistry is worth briefly elaborating, as it is of particular significance in this discipline, not least because it tends to increase stimulation and enjoyment of more theoretical course material. Obviously a Cardiff & Vale Chemistry tutor cannot be present during class experiments, but is an extremely valuable resource to students as they reflect and record their experiences in writing. The need to provide evidence of creative and critical thinking, respect for safety procedures, and specific abilities such as hypothesising and controlling variables is often found quite challenging. At advanced levels, a high degree of independence will be expected as candidates become adept in these skills, and Chemistry tuition can ensure such abilities are fully demonstrated.