Key Stage 5 – AQA A Level Design and Technology: Product Design

This qualification is linear. Linear means that students will sit all their exams and submit all their non-exam assessment at the end of the course.

A-level Design and Technology: Product Design requires students to engage in both practical and theoretical study. This specification requires students to cover design and technology skills and knowledge as set out below. These have been separated into:

• Technical principles
• Designing and making principles.

Paper 1: Technical principles

Students are expected to be able to name specific materials for a wide range of applications.

They must also be able to provide detailed and justified explanations of why specific materials and combinations of materials are suitable for given applications.

Written exam: 2 hours and 30 minutes

• 120 marks
• 30% of A-level

Questions

Mixture of short answer and extended response.

Paper 2: Designing and making principles

Students should be aware of, and able to explain, different approaches to user centred design. That in approaching a design challenge there is not a single process, but that good design always addresses many issues.

• Written exam: 1 hour and 30 minutes
• 80 marks
• 20% of A-level

Questions

Mixture of short answer and extended response questions.

Section A:

• Product Analysis: 30 marks
• Up to 6 short answer questions based on visual stimulus of product(s).

Section B:

• Commercial manufacture: 50 marks
• Mixture of short and extended response questions.
• Non-exam assessment (NEA)

Practical application of technical principles, designing and making principles.

How it’s assessed

• Substantial design and make project
• 100 marks
• 50% of A-level

Evidence

Written or digital design portfolio and photographic evidence of final prototype.