Key Points

• The programme contains the syllabus set out in three different ways:

         Overview (which lists the 11 core and 10 AHL topics and 4 options)

         Outline (which lists the titles of all the sub-topics for each topic and option)

         Detailed information for each sub-topic (includes Essential ideas, The Nature of Science ,
         Understandings, Applications and Skills, Guidance, International Mindedness, TOK,
         'Utilization' etc. and specific references to some of the ten chemistry aims)
 

• The suggested hours for teaching each topic are given.
   

• The syllabus is not a teaching programme. It merely lists all the content that can be examined (or should be addressed). Teachers are free to devise their own teaching programme and not restricted to teaching just what is on the programme. However, if something is not on the syllabus then it cannot be examined.
   

• Teachers are expected to include links to International-mindedness, Theory of Knowledge and the Chemistry Aims. They are also expected to give examples of how each sub-topic links to other chemistry topics, other Diploma subjects and real-life during their teaching of the chemistry content and place their teaching of chemistry within the framework of the IB Learner Profile.

Syllabus content

The importance of teaching the content to the correct level is crucial. The teacher's notes given in the 'Guidance' section give helpful information both as to what should be covered and, sometimes, what does not need to be included. For the most part the 'Understandings', Applications and skills and 'Guidance' sections are quite lucid and competent chemistry teachers should find it quite straightforward in terms of what they need to teach and students can be clear about what they need to learn and understand. Now that the programme has become established and past papers on the programme are available then they too can be used to give some idea of the depth of treatment required. Note that command terms are used in the examination (Papers 2 and 3) and each command term is associated with one of the three objectives.

There are however one or two areas where it is not so obvious or where minor mistakes have been made and these are listed and discussed on the pages covering the relevant sub-topics.