Olympiad Vault track
Chemistry
Organised by: Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge (C3L6) — www.rsc.org
This track is authored and taught by a vetted specialist tutor (enhanced DBS checked, sample lessons and marking vetted before they teach), recruited and quality controlled by the founder. The founder does not claim expertise in this subject, and this page does not pretend otherwise.
Competitions covered
UK Chemistry Olympiad (UKChO) Round 1 and the Round 2 pathway to IChO; Cambridge Chemistry Challenge (C3L6) for Year 12.
Who can enter
UKChO is aimed at students in their final years before university (mainly Year 13, ages 16 to 19); C3L6 is for Year 12 or below.
Usual timing
UKChO Round 1 is usually in late January; C3L6 usually runs in a June window.
Levels in this track
Three levels, one route map
Foundation
Quantitative chemistry confidence: moles, concentrations, energetics and structure, at stretch A-level standard.
Challenge
C3L6 standard: unfamiliar real-world problems, organic mechanisms and multi-step calculations.
Olympiad
UKChO Round 1 papers: five to six multi-part problems applying A-level knowledge to new contexts, marked by the track tutor.