What is A-level like for a student?

I recently took some time out of the teaching scheme to play with the recent Chemistry World interactive on public attitudes to chemistry with my classes. Afterwards, I wanted to find out more about what my older students think about A-level chemistry. 

More than ten years of teaching the course means I have my own ideas about why students choose to continue to take chemistry to A-level, and perhaps a few misconceptions. 

So, I asked one of my students to write about their experience of A-level chemistry. I could have produced a survey, but, as many of us know, they have a tendency to close down responses and are often quite useless when it comes to deciding on potential action points. 

I asked Nick his take on A-level chemistry so far. I chose Nick because the mix of subjects he takes gives him a useful perspective on how chemistry compares with others. I taught Nick for GCSE chemistry, where he achieved an A*. He seemed to have a spark for the subject and I encouraged him to take A-level chemistry despite his reservations that he might find it difficult. Needless to say I was worried I had given him bad advice when he struggled massively with the transition to A-level and bombed his mock exam.

But enough from me...