AQA A-Level Design and Technology: Product Design (7552): complete guide to the content, the exams and the non-exam assessment

AQA A-Level Design and Technology: Product Design (specification 7552) is a two-year linear course assessed by two written papers and a substantial non-exam assessment at the end of Year 13. The written exams are worth 50% of the A-level and the design-and-make project (NEA) is worth the other 50%. This page is the index: below is a map of the content areas, the exam and NEA structure, and how to study each one.

The three content areas

The specification content falls into three areas everyone studies, and the same knowledge is applied throughout the non-exam assessment.

3.1 Technical principles

The materials and manufacturing core: the classification, physical and mechanical properties of the material families; performance characteristics, treatments, finishes and testing; manufacturing processes and how the scale of production drives tooling and cost; modern and smart materials; digital design and manufacture (CAD, CAM, CNC, additive manufacturing and robotics); and energy and mechanical systems.

3.2 Designing and making principles

The design process and context: design methods and the iterative process; design theory and movements from Arts and Crafts to the Bauhaus, Modernism and Memphis; the work of major designers and companies; user-centred and inclusive design; and modelling, prototyping and testing.

Core technical and designing and making content

The cross-cutting knowledge applied to every product: sustainability and life cycle assessment; ergonomics and anthropometrics; health and safety and standards; and protecting designs and intellectual property.

Exam and non-exam assessment structure

AQA A-Level Product Design is assessed by two written papers and one substantial project.

• Paper 1 (Technical principles). 2 hours 30 minutes, 120 marks, 30%. Short-answer, multiple-choice and extended-response questions on the 3.1 content.
• Paper 2 (Designing and making principles). 1 hour 30 minutes, 80 marks, 20%. Commercial manufacture, design theory and a product-analysis or design question.
• Non-exam assessment (NEA). A design-and-make project, 100 marks, 50%. The whole iterative process from a real brief to a tested final prototype and evaluation.

At least 15% of marks assess mathematical skills, and the technical principles content carries most of the recall and applied technical marks.

How to study Product Design

Product Design rewards secure technical knowledge, justified decisions and genuine iteration.

1. Work from the specification statements. Each numbered point is a checklist; the written questions are drawn directly from them.
2. Justify, do not just name. Marks come from linking a material, finish or process to the user, the function and the scale of production, not from recall alone.
3. Learn the design context. Know one defining feature for each design movement and key designer, and the iterative process, sustainability and ergonomics that run through every answer.
4. Drill the calculations. Gear ratios, percentiles, percentages and reading data recur in both papers.
5. Practise product analysis and apply it to your NEA. Analyse unseen products against function, user, materials and sustainability, and use the same thinking to drive your project.

The content, area by area

Each area has specification-statement-level answer pages with worked exam questions and cross-links, plus an overview guide and quiz. Browse the full set at /a-level-aqa/design-and-technology/syllabus.

For the official specification

AQA publishes the full specification (7552), past papers, mark schemes and the NEA guidance at aqa.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and AQA's own past papers, because question style and the NEA requirements are board-specific.