Chemistry, along with Mathematics, is one of the most central of all the sciences. It impacts on subjects such as Physics, Biology, Materials Science, Pharmacy, Food Science and many more.
The jump from GCSE Science to A level Chemistry is considerable. This is due, in part to the inclusion, into the GCSE syllabus, of many topics which most chemists would consider to be aspects of Geography or Geology. The learning curve can be steep because, like Mathematics, Chemistry builds one concept on another. In contrast, with Physics, for example, one could be an expert in mechanics while being largely ignorant of the properties of light or electricity. Also, the symbols and terminology of Chemistry are very different from other subjects and are typically far from second nature at the start of an A level course.