Chemistry A (H432) and Chemistry B, Salters (H433) compared route by route — and exactly what OCR is, and is not, withdrawing.
Book a Free ConsultationOCR examines A-level Chemistry through two separately accredited specifications: Chemistry A (H032 at AS, H432 at A-level), a “content-led” course, and Chemistry B, Salters (H033 at AS, H433 at A-level), a “context-led” course first examined in 1992. OCR is withdrawing only the standalone AS Chemistry B course, final assessment June 2027; the full A-level, H433, is not being withdrawn and still shows as “Available to learners” on Ofqual’s register.
Our expert OCR A-level Chemistry tutors help students across both Chemistry A and Chemistry B, Salters, building every programme around the paper structure, AO weightings and practical requirements of the route a student is actually entered for.
The codes on a past paper or an entry statement settle which route a student is actually on. Chemistry A is titled “AS and A Level – Chemistry A – H032, H432” on OCR’s own qualification page, which describes it as a content-led course, QAN 601/5255/2 at A-level. Chemistry B, Salters, is titled “AS and A Level – Chemistry B (Salters) – H033, H433” on its own page, QAN 601/5371/4, and its specification describes it as context-led rather than the traditional topic-based approach, first examined in 1992.
Precision matters here because only one of the two routes is actually closing, and only part of it. OCR’s Chemistry B (Salters) page states directly: “We will withdraw the AS Level Chemistry B (Salters) (H033) qualification after the next academic year. The final first teach date will be September 2026. The final assessment opportunity will be June 2027.” OCR’s separate qualification-withdrawals register lists the same qualification against its formal number, 601/5446/9, in its June 2027 table, alongside AS Biology B and AS Physics B, and confirms “there will not be a resit opportunity after the final assessment opportunity.”
That same withdrawal register carries a separate table for full A-levels closing later, and it names Biology B (H422) and Physics B (H557) — but not Chemistry B, Salters (H433). A search of the register’s full text and its raw HTML source for the string “H433” returns zero matches in either. Ofqual’s own regulated-qualifications register independently corroborates the absence: H433, QAN 601/5371/4, is listed with the status “Available to learners,” not withdrawn. Two separately maintained sources agreeing that a qualification is absent from a withdrawal notice is stronger evidence than either alone.
Do not carry the pattern from OCR’s two other double-route sciences across to Chemistry without checking it. Both OCR Biology B and OCR Physics B are being withdrawn as complete A-levels, AS and full course together — our own OCR A-Level Biology guide sets out Biology B’s full closure, AS course first and the A-level itself a year after. Chemistry does not mirror that: only Chemistry B’s standalone AS course is closing, and the full A-level survives. A family that has heard OCR is “dropping Salters” is hearing an overstatement of what OCR has actually published. If your child’s school is teaching AS Chemistry B (Salters) in Year 12 this September, our Year 12 OCR A-Level Chemistry guide covers that specific timeline and the AS paper structures in full; this page does not repeat it.
Ofqual’s find-a-qualification register — the regulator’s own database, separate from anything OCR publishes — carries entries for both full A-levels. Chemistry A (QAN 601/5255/2) is recorded at 360 guided learning hours, status “Available to learners,” with a regulation start date of 3 December 2014 and an operational start date of 1 September 2015. Chemistry B, Salters (QAN 601/5371/4) carries the identical 360 guided learning hours and the same “Available to learners” status, with a slightly later regulation start date of 18 December 2014 and the same 1 September 2015 operational start. Both figures were verified independently at the regulator, not taken from OCR’s own marketing pages.
Both specifications are explicit about where they apply. OCR’s Chemistry A specification states: “This qualification is available in England. For Wales and Northern Ireland please check the Qualifications in Wales Portal (QIW) or the Northern Ireland Department of Education Performance Measures… to see current availability.” Identical wording appears in the Chemistry B (Salters) specification. Ofqual’s register lists “national availability: England, International” for both QANs — neither OCR nor Ofqual states Wales availability for either route, consistent with Wales sitting A-level Chemistry through a WJEC specification rather than an English board’s.
Every OCR chemistry paper carries a published range for AO1 (knowledge and understanding), AO2 (application) and AO3 (analysis, interpretation and evaluation), and the two routes are weighted differently paper by paper even though their totals land close together. On Chemistry A (H432), read from OCR’s own specification PDF:
| Chemistry A component | AO1 | AO2 | AO3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Periodic table, elements and physical chemistry (H432/01) | 13–14% | 15–16% | 8–9% |
| Synthesis and analytical techniques (H432/02) | 13–14% | 15–16% | 8–9% |
| Unified chemistry (H432/03) | 5–6% | 10–12% | 9–10% |
| Overall | 31–34% | 40–44% | 25–28% |
Chemistry B, Salters (H433), reaches a similar overall split — but by a different route through its three components, per its own specification PDF:
| Chemistry B, Salters, component | AO1 | AO2 | AO3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fundamentals of chemistry (H433/01) | 17–19% | 16–17% | 6–7% |
| Scientific literacy in chemistry (H433/02) | 9–10% | 15–17% | 12–13% |
| Practical skills in chemistry (H433/03) | 4–6% | 9–10% | 8–9% |
| Overall | 30–35% | 40–44% | 26–29% |
Source: OCR Chemistry A and Chemistry B (Salters) specifications, AO weighting tables.
Fundamentals of Chemistry, Salters’ first component, is the single most AO1-heavy paper on either route at 17–19% — almost double the AO1 share of its own third component, Practical Skills in Chemistry, which is the most AO3-weighted paper on either route. Chemistry A spreads its AO1 load far more evenly across all three papers instead. A student moving between routes, or a tutor planning revision, is preparing for a genuinely different balance of recall against evaluation depending which specification the school actually teaches.
Not sure which route your child’s school teaches? Our OCR chemistry tutors confirm it from the paper code, then build sessions around that route’s AO weightings and module or storyline structure.
Chemistry A is content-led, and OCR’s own specification-at-a-glance page states exactly which of its six numbered modules feed each written paper: Module 1, Development of practical skills in chemistry; Module 2, Foundations in chemistry; Module 3, Periodic table and energy; Module 4, Core organic chemistry; Module 5, Physical chemistry and transition elements; Module 6, Organic chemistry and analysis. Periodic table, elements and physical chemistry (Paper 01) assesses modules 1, 2, 3 and 5; Synthesis and analytical techniques (Paper 02) assesses modules 1, 2, 4 and 6; Unified chemistry (Paper 03) assesses all six modules together.
Chemistry B, Salters, is built differently, and this is the single clearest structural contrast between the two routes. Rather than numbered modules, its own specification-at-a-glance page names ten storylines: Elements of Life, Developing Fuels, Elements from the Sea, The Ozone Story, What’s in a Medicine?, The Chemical Industry, Polymers and Life, Oceans, Developing Metals, and Colour by Design (the AS course covers the first five only). No OCR source states which storylines map to which of Chemistry B’s three written components — the specification’s own diagram shows all ten feeding a single pooled content area that Fundamentals of Chemistry, Scientific Literacy in Chemistry and Practical Skills in Chemistry each draw on. Chemistry A’s module-1-2-3-5 / 1-2-4-6 / all-six mapping has no equivalent on the Salters route, and this page does not claim one exists where OCR’s own specification states none.
For revision planning, that difference is not cosmetic. A Chemistry A student can be told, from OCR’s own document, exactly which modules a given past paper will and will not draw on. A Chemistry B, Salters, student preparing for any of the three written components is, by OCR’s own design, preparing against the full pooled content of all ten storylines rather than a named subset.
OCR’s Practical Endorsement framework is common to Chemistry A and Chemistry B, Salters — the same twelve Practical Activity Groups apply to both, and a centre chooses or designs the specific activity within each group rather than following a single fixed experiment list. The full chemistry-specific taxonomy, from OCR’s Chemistry A specification: PAG1 Moles determination; PAG2 Acid-base titration; PAG3 Enthalpy determination; PAG4 Qualitative analysis of ions; PAG5 Synthesis of an organic liquid; PAG6 Synthesis of an organic solid; PAG7 Qualitative analysis of organic functional groups; PAG8 Electrochemical cells; PAG9 Rates of reaction, continuous monitoring method; PAG10 Rates of reaction, initial rates method; PAG11 pH measurement; and PAG12 Research skills. A minimum of twelve completed activities, drawn from these twelve groups, earns a Pass; falling short is recorded as Not Classified.
One rule genuinely crosses the two routes. OCR’s specification states: “A candidate who is retaking A Level Chemistry A may re-use a previous result for the Practical Endorsement, even if it was awarded by another awarding organisation or if it was awarded for an alternative suite” — naming, as its own example, a result carried over from Chemistry B, Salters, and the reverse rule appears in the Salters specification itself. The written papers must still be sat in full on a retake; only the separately certificated Pass or Not Classified endorsement is portable.
A second rule applies to the written papers rather than the endorsement. OCR states plainly that “all components within Chemistry A contain an element of synoptic assessment” — identical wording, substituting Chemistry B, Salters, appears in that specification too. Synopticity is not confined to the paper informally labelled Unified Chemistry or Practical Skills in Chemistry; every written component on both routes draws together learning from across the course.
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At least 20% of the marks across both routes assess Level 2 mathematics in a chemistry context, a Department for Education floor both specifications restate in identical terms. What OCR adds, in its own document, is a breakdown of that 20% into five named skill categories rather than leaving it as one blanket figure: M0, Arithmetic and numerical computation; M1, Handling data; M2, Algebra; M3, Graphs; and M4, Geometry and trigonometry. Some skills within that taxonomy, marked in OCR’s own table, are tested only in the full A-level and not in the standalone AS course — another reason the AS and A-level cannot be treated as the same qualification at three-quarters scale.
Neither route carries an elective topic list of the kind some other OCR A-levels include. Every one of Chemistry A’s six modules, and every one of Chemistry B’s ten storylines, is compulsory. The only place the word “optional” appears in either specification document is an administrative entry-code table — H432A for a Practical Endorsement sat fresh, H432C for a result carried forward, with the equivalent H433A/H433C pair on the Salters route — and that table governs entry-route choice, not content choice.
Both specifications also define, in near-identical wording, who may sit the qualification without being enrolled at the centre where they take the exam: “A private candidate is someone who pursues a course of study independently but takes an examination or assessment at an approved examination centre. A private candidate may be a part-time student, someone taking a distance learning course, or someone being tutored privately.” Both specifications require a private candidate to be based in the UK, and the minimum twelve Practical Endorsement activities still apply — a private candidate must independently arrange a hosting centre for them, which may charge for the facility.
Our A-level chemistry tutors work through the PAGs and maths skills a student’s own OCR route tests, not a generic crammer.
We start by confirming which of the two routes a student is actually entered for, from the code on their own past papers rather than assuming, because the paper-by-paper AO weightings, the module or storyline structure and the practical activities all differ between H432 and H433. From there, sessions are built around where marks are actually lost on that route: mechanism and calculation method marks on Chemistry A’s Unified Chemistry paper, or the heavier AO1 recall load on Salters’ Fundamentals of Chemistry component. Our specialist OCR chemistry tutors also work through the Practical Activity Groups directly relevant to a student’s centre, since the specific activity within each PAG varies from school to school.
No. OCR's separate qualification-withdrawals register lists AS Chemistry B (Salters), H033 (QN 601/5446/9), against a June 2027 final assessment with no resit opportunity — but a search of that register's full text and its raw HTML for the string "H433" returns zero matches. Ofqual's own regulated-qualifications register independently confirms the full A-level, H433 (QAN 601/5371/4), still shows "Available to learners." Only the standalone AS course is closing; the two-year A-level survives, and Chemistry A carries no withdrawal notice of any kind.
OCR describes Chemistry A (H032/H432) as a “content-led” course built from six numbered modules, each written paper mapped explicitly to a stated group of modules. Chemistry B, Salters (H033/H433) is “context-led,” first examined in 1992, and built from ten named storylines — Elements of Life through Colour by Design — with no storyline-to-paper mapping stated anywhere in OCR's specification; all three written components draw on the pooled storyline content instead.
Chemistry A is H032 at AS and H432 at A-level, QAN 601/5255/2. Chemistry B, Salters, is H033 at AS and H433 at A-level, QAN 601/5371/4. Both are confirmed directly on OCR's own qualification page titles and independently verified on Ofqual's find-a-qualification register, which lists both A-levels at 360 guided learning hours and both “Available to learners.”
On Chemistry A (H432), AO1 runs 31–34% of the total, AO2 40–44%, and AO3 25–28%, spread fairly evenly across its three papers. On Chemistry B, Salters (H433), the overall split is close — AO1 30–35%, AO2 40–44%, AO3 26–29% — but its first component, Fundamentals of Chemistry, alone carries 17–19% AO1, nearly double the AO1 share of its third component, Practical Skills in Chemistry, which is instead the most AO3-weighted paper on either route.
Twelve named groups: PAG1 Moles determination, PAG2 Acid-base titration, PAG3 Enthalpy determination, PAG4 Qualitative analysis of ions, PAG5 Synthesis of an organic liquid, PAG6 Synthesis of an organic solid, PAG7 Qualitative analysis of organic functional groups, PAG8 Electrochemical cells, PAG9 Rates of reaction — continuous monitoring, PAG10 Rates of reaction — initial rates, PAG11 pH measurement, and PAG12 Research skills. The taxonomy is common to Chemistry A and Chemistry B; a centre chooses or designs the actual activity within each group, and a student needs a minimum of twelve completed activities to be awarded a Pass.
Yes. OCR's specification states that a candidate retaking Chemistry A may reuse a previous Practical Endorsement result “even if it was awarded by another awarding organisation or if it was awarded for an alternative suite” — explicitly naming a result carried over from Chemistry B, Salters, and vice versa. The written papers must still be resat in full; only the separately certificated Pass or Not Classified endorsement is portable.
At least 20% of the marks, a Department for Education floor both routes restate. OCR structures that 20% into five named skill categories in its own specification: M0 Arithmetic and numerical computation, M1 Handling data, M2 Algebra, M3 Graphs, and M4 Geometry and trigonometry. Some skills within that taxonomy are tested only in the full A-level, not the standalone AS course.
Both specifications state they are available in England, and direct Wales and Northern Ireland families to separate national qualification portals — the Qualifications in Wales Portal or the Northern Ireland Entitlement Framework Qualifications Accreditation Number list — rather than claiming UK-wide coverage. Ofqual's register records “national availability: England, International” for both QANs; Wales sits A-level Chemistry through a WJEC specification instead.
OCR's specification defines a private candidate as someone who studies independently but sits the assessment at an approved centre — explicitly including a part-time student, someone on a distance-learning course, or someone being tutored privately — and requires them to be based in the UK. The minimum twelve Practical Endorsement activities still apply, and the candidate must independently arrange a hosting centre.
Primary sources for this page: the OCR Chemistry A H432 specification, the OCR Chemistry B (Salters) H433 specification, OCR’s qualification-withdrawals register, and Ofqual’s find-a-qualification register for Chemistry A and Chemistry B, Salters.
A note on verification. ocr.org.uk returns HTTP 200 for qualification URLs that do not exist. Before citing any OCR page on this site, we fetched a deliberately invented qualification path on the same URL shape as the two real Chemistry pages, as a control: it returned a 48,185-byte generic template titled simply “Qualification details,” naming no real specification code anywhere in its body. Both real Chemistry pages are substantially larger — 61,183 and 62,129 bytes — and carry their own qualification codes in their page titles. Every code, weighting and date on this page was checked against that real content, and against Ofqual’s independent register, in September 2026.
Whichever route your child is on — Chemistry A or Chemistry B, Salters — our specialist OCR chemistry tutors work to the actual specification code on their papers, not a generic chemistry syllabus. Rated 4.8/5 on Trustpilot from 58 reviews, and 91% of our students go on to achieve their desired grades. For the board comparison across AQA, Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas, see our A-Level Chemistry guide; for the AS-specific timeline, our Year 12 OCR A-Level Chemistry guide.
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