Eduqas A-Level Design and Technology (Product Design): complete guide to the written exam, the design-and-make NEA and the seven content themes

WJEC Eduqas A-Level Design and Technology (Product Design) is a two-year linear course assessed by one written exam and one non-exam assessment. This page is the index for the theory that the written paper tests: below is a map of the components, the seven content themes, the applied mathematics, the extended questions and how to revise each part.

The two components

Eduqas splits the qualification into a single written paper and the design-and-make NEA, each worth 50 percent of the A-level. The written paper is the focus of this site.

• Component 1: Design and Technology in the 21st Century. A 2 hour 30 minute written examination, 100 marks, 50 percent, sat in your endorsed area (Product Design). It tests the technical principles (materials, processes, systems) and the designing and making principles (designing, innovation, human responsibility, marketing) with short-answer, calculation and extended-response questions.
• Component 2: Design and Make Project (the NEA). A substantial iterative design-and-make project of around 80 hours, 100 marks, 50 percent. You identify a real problem, write a brief and specification, develop ideas, model, prototype, make and evaluate an outcome, internally marked and externally moderated. Not assessed on this site.

A scientific calculator is allowed in Component 1, because the paper rewards applied calculation.

The content themes

The Eduqas specification spans technical principles and designing and making principles. We group the Product Design content into six focused modules on this site so every content point gets its own page.

Designing and innovation

The iterative design process and design strategies, primary and secondary research, design briefs and specifications, modelling, prototyping and CAD, communicating design ideas, and the influential designers, companies and design movements that shape product design.

Materials and properties

The classification of materials, their physical and mechanical properties, smart and modern materials, the enhancement and treatment of materials, the performance characteristics and testing of materials, and how a designer selects a material and stock form.

Processes and manufacture

The shaping and forming processes, the wasting and addition processes, the scales of production, digital design and manufacture (CAD, CAM, CNC), quality control and tolerances, and the finishing processes.

Product analysis and systems

The analysis and disassembly of existing products, structures and forces, mechanical systems (levers, linkages, gears, cams and pulleys), electronic input and process systems, and programmable and output systems.

Human factors and sustainability

Ergonomics and anthropometrics, inclusive and user-centred design, the 6 Rs and sustainable design, life cycle assessment, and the social, moral and ethical issues that surround product design.

Mathematics for design and technology

Costing and quantities, scale, ratio and tolerancing, structural and mechanical calculations (moments, stress, strain, mechanical advantage and gear ratios), and electronic and systems calculations (power, energy and Ohm's law).

The skills that run across the course

Content knowledge earns the recall marks, but the grades come from applying it through the Eduqas question types.

1. Applied mathematics. Calculate percentage waste, material quantities and costs, scale factors, tolerances, moments, stress and strain, gear and velocity ratios and electronic values, with units that carry marks.
2. Application to a named product. Tie every material, process, mechanism or principle to a real consumer product, because the application marks come from the product context, not the textbook definition.
3. The levels-of-response extended response. Build a balanced, applied argument and finish with a reasoned judgement; the high-tariff questions decide the top grades.
4. Command words. State, describe, explain, calculate, analyse, discuss and evaluate are each marked differently, so match the depth of your answer to the verb.

How to study Eduqas Product Design

Product Design rewards precise technical knowledge and disciplined exam technique in equal measure.

1. Learn the technical content precisely. Material categories and properties, manufacturing processes, the lever classes, gear ratios and the potential divider are recall marks you cannot afford to drop.
2. Drill the applied maths. Percentage waste, costing, scale, tolerance, moments, stress and strain, gear and velocity ratios and Ohm's law all appear in Component 1, with units that carry marks.
3. Practise each command word. A 2-mark state and a high-tariff evaluate are marked very differently, so work each against its mark scheme.
4. Rehearse the extended questions. They decide the top grades, so plan and time balanced, applied answers that reach a conclusion.
5. Always name a product. Application marks come from linking theory to a real product, so use a worked example such as a kettle, a chair, a power tool or a smartphone.

The topics, theme by theme

Each theme has an overview guide, dot-point answer pages and a quiz. Browse the full set at /a-level-eduqas/design-and-technology/syllabus.

For the official specification

Eduqas publishes the full A-Level Design and Technology specification, sample assessment materials and past papers at eduqas.co.uk. Always revise from the current specification and Eduqas's own past papers, because question style and mark allocations are board-specific.