Design and Technology

Students will engage in a range of design and make project and theory based lessons, to prepare them for the rigours of GCSE design & technology.

Assessment Requirements: 

Component 1 - Written paper – 100 marks - 50%

This section contains a mixture of different question styles, including open-response, graphical, calculation and extended-open-response questions. There will be 15 marks of calculation questions in component 1.

Students Study:

Students may only choose one design and technology specialist materials category from the following list:

• Design and technology – Graphics
• Design and technology – Resistant materials
• Design and technology – Electronics  

Component 2 – Coursework - 100 marks - 50%

Students will undertake a project based on a contextual challenge released by Edexcel on the 1st of June, a year before certification. The project will test students’ skills in investigating, designing, making and evaluating a prototype of a product. Tasks will be internally assessed and externally moderated. The marks are awarded for each part as follows.

1. Investigate (16 marks)
2. Design (42 marks)
3. Make (36 marks)
4. Evaluate (6 marks)

At the end of the course all students will gain a GCSE in design & technology but, although they will have followed different subject specific pathways, these will not be named specifically on the final qualification. The GCSE design & technology qualification will operate on a level 9–1 awarding.

Congratulations to the Year 11 students on achieving  

48% grades 9-4 in Design & Technology

86% grades 9-4 in Graphics

90% grades 9-4 in Electronics

Congratulations to the Year 11 students on achieving

62% grades 9-4 in Design & Technology

70% grades 9-4 in Graphics

89% grades 9-4 in Electronics 

Technological skills are in high demand. It is an area of skills shortage and employment is high with excellent career prospects.

A technology qualification is highly beneficial in a wide range of careers. With technology increasingly influencing our lives, an understanding of technology is useful in many fields of employment. Beyond this there are a wide number of options from degree studies through to basic vocational levels in a wide range of industries. At degree level, study in technology may follow a design route, science route or technical route although technology subjects are not valued simply for their development of practical skills related to particular industries but also for their emphasis on creative thinking, research, testing solutions, project management and working as part of a team. 

If you have any questions to ask about this course, Miss Langshaw will be pleased to discuss them with you.

List of suggested wider reading sources/videos and websites:

Books

• Design for the 21st Century (Icons Series) - Charlotte Fiell and Peter Fiell
• Thames and Hudson - the eco-design handbook - by Alastair Fuad-Luke.
• DATA - Designing with Pro/Desktop - John Hutchinson
• Design Sketching (ISBN 978-91-976807-0-7) by Erik Olofsson and Klara Sjolen
• The Eco-Design Handbook ISBN-13: 978-0500288399
• Design Museum: Contemporary Design ISBN-13: 978-1847325983
• Product Designs: Process ISBN-13: 978-1856697255
• Making IT Manufacturing Techniques For Product Design ISBN-13: 978-1856697491
• Drawing For Designers ISBN-13: 978-1856697439

Websites and Magazines:

bitesize

technology student

architects journal

dexigner

dezeen

design museum

design week

design council

core77

TV Shows