National Certificates in Chemistry: 1 — the need for improvement Available to Purchase

A Studnet may enter the second (S.2) year of the NC course in Chemistry provided he obtains passes at GCE ‘O’ level in Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and English Language. He then pursues a two‐year, part‐time course leading to the ONC in Chemistry. In an article published recently in TECHNICAL EDUCATION it was shown that the failure rate at both the ONC and HNC levels was very high. It was suggested that present syllabuses for courses leading to ONC and HNC were, in many instances, too traditional and too long. A syllabus designed for HNC students may be very suitable when viewed in isolation, but may lead to difficulties for both student and teacher if it has been constructed without reference to the appropriate ONC syllabus; or if it was constructed to make good anomalies in and omissions from the ONC syllabus. The result is that students who are successful at the ONC stage have inadequate understanding and knowledge of fundamental chemistry to profit from the HNC course. This discussion is mainly concerned with ONC schemes and syllabuses, although some of the remarks apply equally well to HNC courses.