Exam Board: AQA (the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance)

Aims of the subject:

Many of the products we use in our everyday lives have been designed by someone – from houses, furniture and clothes, to personal stereos, toothbrushes and the food we eat. We seldom stop to think how they were made, or how they came to look as they do. Yet design is by no means reserved for professional designers. We are all involved in designing to some extent, and probably more than we realise.

As consumers we also face the challenge of coping with an increasingly sophisticated world. We need to become more “design aware”, so that we can be better equipped to make sensible decisions about our purchases.

This syllabus will:

• require you to combine designing and making skills with knowledge and understanding, in order to design and make quality products;
• encourage you to consider the effects and implications of technology;
• give you the opportunity to develop your practical abilities and the confidence to design, make and modify products and systems;
• encourage you to develop your critical and aesthetic abilities, in order to evaluate design and technological activity – including your own;
• require you to develop your knowledge and understanding through analysing and evaluating products and processes;
• to develop your awareness of industrial practices from New Product Development to Manufacture.

Course Description:

The course assesses your designing and making skills. You will spend Year 10 developing these skills and your knowledge and understanding of the course. Year 11 is spent working on the Major Project and structured revision. Assessment is broken down into: Exam 40% Coursework 60%.

You can choose one from the following material areas as your subject choice:

• Design and Technology – Electronic Products
• Design and Technology – Food Technology
• Design and Technology – Graphic Products
• Design and Technology – Resistant Materials
• Design and Technology – Textiles Technology

Assessment Methods:

There are two tiers of assessment:

• Foundation (Grades G – C)
• Higher (Grades D – A*)

The Scheme of Assessment comprises two components:

• Component 1 – Written Paper

You will sit one externally assessed written paper that carries 40% of the total marks. All questions are compulsory, and will test your knowledge and understanding of materials, processes, techniques, technologies and commercial practices.

• Component 2 – Coursework Project

The remaining 60% will be based upon internally assessed coursework, which should be
completed in 40 hours (about two terms’ work). You are required to submit a concise design
folder, including appropriate ICT evidence, and a practical outcome.

Homework:

Homework will be set each week, and may involve research, planning, gathering materials in preparation for future classwork, preparing presentations or writing evaluations. You will require basic drawing equipment, including pencils, coloured pencils, a ruler and an A3 design folio to enable course work to be transported between home and school. An A4 folder is required for Food Technology.

Ways in which families can help:

• By regularly discussing with students the work being done in Design and Technology
• By encouraging students to consider how technology has affected their lifestyle
• By supporting research work, and ensuring all necessary resources are available
• On occasion you may be asked to make small donations towards materials used

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