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England · WJEC EduqasSyllabus
Design and Technology syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the England Design and Technologysyllabus, with a focused answer for each one. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions, and links to related dot points. Written by Claude Opus 4.8, Anthropic's latest AI.
Designing and innovation (Component 1)
Module overview →- How do designers communicate ideas, from quick sketches to working drawings?Communicating design ideas: freehand and isometric sketching, rendering, exploded and assembly drawings, third-angle orthographic projection, working drawings with dimensions and tolerances, schematic and flow diagrams, and digital presentation.12 min answer →
- What is a design brief, what is a specification, and how do they differ?Design briefs and design specifications: their purpose and content, writing measurable and testable specification criteria, the difference between a brief and a specification, and using the specification to evaluate the final outcome.12 min answer →
- Which designers, companies and design movements have shaped product design, and what is intellectual property?Influential designers and design companies, the major design movements (Bauhaus, Art Deco, Modernism, Memphis), the work of named designers and brands, design's relationship with society and technology, and intellectual property (patents, registered designs, trademarks and copyright).12 min answer →
- What is iterative design, and which design strategies move a product from a problem to a refined solution?The iterative design process (explore, create, evaluate) and the design strategies that drive it: user-centred design, systems thinking, collaboration, avoiding design fixation and the role of iteration in innovation.12 min answer →
- Why do designers model and prototype, and what roles do CAD and rapid prototyping play?Modelling and prototyping: physical models, prototypes and mock-ups, the role of CAD and CAM, rapid prototyping (3D printing and laser cutting), virtual modelling and simulation, and how iterative testing of models refines a design.12 min answer →
- How does a designer research a problem, and what is the difference between primary and secondary research?Primary and secondary research methods, the use of users, experts and existing products, qualitative and quantitative data, and how research evidence frames a design brief and specification.12 min answer →
Human factors and sustainability (Component 1)
Module overview →- What are ergonomics and anthropometrics, and how do percentiles shape product design?Ergonomics and human factors, anthropometric data and percentiles, designing for the 5th to 95th percentile range, the use of adjustability and clearance, reach and comfort, and how human data is applied to make products that fit their users.12 min answer →
- What are inclusive and user-centred design, and how do they widen who a product serves?Inclusive design and design for all, user-centred design, designing for diverse users including disabled and older people, the principles of inclusive design, and how empathy, user involvement and avoiding exclusion shape a product.12 min answer →
- What is a life cycle assessment, and what does each stage of a product's life cost the environment?Life cycle assessment (LCA): the stages of raw material extraction, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal, the inputs and outputs at each stage, carbon footprint and embodied energy, and how an LCA informs more sustainable design decisions.12 min answer →
- What social, moral and ethical issues surround product design and manufacture?The social, moral and ethical issues in design and manufacture: fair trade and ethical sourcing, labour and working conditions, planned obsolescence and consumerism, the impact of technology on society and employment, and the designer's wider responsibility.12 min answer →
- What are the 6 Rs, and how does sustainable design reduce a product's impact?The 6 Rs of sustainability (rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle), design for disassembly, the sustainability of materials and resources, renewable and finite resources, and how sustainable design choices reduce environmental impact across a product's life.12 min answer →
Materials and their properties (Component 1)
Module overview →- How are the materials used in product design classified, and what are their defining features?The classification of materials: papers and boards, natural and manufactured timbers, ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys, thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers, elastomers and composites, with named examples and typical product uses.12 min answer →
- How are materials treated and enhanced to improve their properties or protect them?The enhancement and treatment of materials: heat treatment of metals (hardening, tempering, annealing), work hardening, seasoning and treatment of timber, lamination and reinforcement, alloying, and surface treatments and finishes that protect or enhance a material.12 min answer →
- What performance characteristics matter when selecting a material, and how are material properties tested?Performance characteristics of materials (functionality, aesthetic, environmental, availability and cost factors), the difference between destructive and non-destructive testing, standard material tests (tensile, hardness, impact), and how test data supports material selection.12 min answer →
- What physical and mechanical properties of materials does product design depend on, and how are they defined and measured?The physical and mechanical properties of materials (strength, hardness, toughness, ductility, malleability, elasticity, plasticity, density, conductivity, durability) and how they govern the suitability of a material for a product, including the calculation of density.12 min answer →
- How does a designer select a material and the stock form it is bought in?Selecting materials by balancing function, aesthetics, cost, manufacture, availability and environment, and the standard stock forms (sheet, bar, rod, tube, extrusion, section, granules, powder, wire) that materials are supplied in and how stock form affects waste and cost.12 min answer →
- What are smart and modern materials, and how do they respond to stimuli or deliver outstanding properties?Smart materials (shape memory alloys, thermochromic, photochromic and electrochromic materials, piezoelectric and electroluminescent materials) and modern materials (Kevlar, graphene, nanomaterials, polymorph, technical textiles), defined by stimulus and response or by an outstanding property.12 min answer →
Mathematics for design and technology (Component 1)
Module overview →- How does a designer calculate material quantities, waste and the cost of making a product?Costing and quantities: calculating material quantities and waste, percentage and percentage change, nesting and yield, material and labour cost, profit and selling price, and break-even, with units carried through the working.12 min answer →
- How are voltage, current, resistance, power and energy calculated for electronic products?Electronic and systems calculations: Ohm's law, electrical power and energy, the potential divider, resistors in series and parallel, the current-limiting resistor for an LED, and reading and interpreting data, with formulae and units carried through.12 min answer →
- How are scale, ratio, area, volume and tolerances calculated in product design?Scale and scale factors, ratio and proportion, area and volume calculations, the effect of scale factor on area and volume, tolerances and limits, and reading and interpreting dimensioned drawings and data, with units carried through.12 min answer →
- How are moments, stress, strain, mechanical advantage and gear ratios calculated in product design?Structural and mechanical calculations: the moment of a force and equilibrium, stress, strain and Young's modulus, mechanical advantage, velocity ratio and gear and pulley ratios, with formulae, units and worked applications to products.12 min answer →
Processes and manufacture (Component 1)
Module overview →- How do CAD, CAM and CNC link design to manufacture, and what does automation add?Digital design and manufacture: CAD, CAM and CNC machining, additive manufacture (3D printing), the role of automation, robotics and flexible manufacturing systems, and the benefits and drawbacks of computer-integrated manufacture.12 min answer →
- Why are products finished, and which finishing process suits which material?Finishing processes for metals (painting, powder coating, anodising, galvanising, plating), timber (varnish, oil, wax, stain, paint) and polymers (self-finishing, printing), the reasons for finishing (protection, function, aesthetics), and how the finish suits the material and environment.12 min answer →
- How is quality assured in manufacture, and what are tolerances and why do they matter?Quality control and quality assurance, tolerances and upper and lower limits, the use of gauges, jigs, fixtures and templates, statistical process control and Six Sigma, and how tolerances enable interchangeable parts and consistent quality.12 min answer →
- What are the scales of production, and how does production volume affect process, cost and tooling?The scales of production (one-off or bespoke, batch, mass and continuous), just-in-time and lean manufacturing, the relationship between volume, tooling cost and unit cost, and how the chosen scale shapes the manufacturing method.12 min answer →
- How are materials shaped and formed into products, and which process suits which material and scale?The shaping and forming processes for polymers (injection moulding, blow moulding, vacuum forming, extrusion, rotational moulding), metals (casting, forging, die casting) and timber (laminating, steam bending), and how the process suits the material, the form and the scale of production.12 min answer →
- How are products made by removing material (wasting) and by joining or adding material (addition)?Wasting processes (sawing, drilling, milling, turning, laser and water-jet cutting) that remove material, and addition and joining processes (welding, brazing, soldering, adhesives, mechanical fixings, 3D printing) that join or build up material, with their uses and trade-offs.12 min answer →
Product analysis and systems (Component 1)
Module overview →- How is an electronic system structured, and what do input and process subsystems do?Electronic systems as input, process and output, input sensors (switches, LDR, thermistor) and the potential divider, process subsystems (transistors, comparators, logic gates, timers) and how a system senses a condition and decides a response.12 min answer →
- How do gears, cams and pulleys transmit and change motion, and how are their ratios calculated?Gears and gear trains, the velocity ratio and gear ratio, idler gears, compound gear trains, cams and followers, pulleys and belts and their ratios, and how these mechanisms change the speed, force and type of motion.12 min answer →
- How do levers and linkages change forces and motion, and what is mechanical advantage?Levers and the three lever classes, mechanical advantage and the law of the lever, types of motion (linear, rotary, reciprocating, oscillating), linkages (reverse, parallel, bell crank) and how mechanisms change the size, direction and type of a force or motion.12 min answer →
- How does a designer analyse an existing product, and what can disassembly reveal?Product analysis and disassembly: analysing a product's function, form, materials, manufacture, ergonomics, cost and sustainability, the use of ACCESS FM or similar frameworks, and what taking a product apart reveals about its construction and design decisions.12 min answer →
- What do output subsystems do, and how do microcontrollers and programming control a product?Output devices (LEDs, lamps, buzzers, motors, solenoids, relays), driving outputs with transistors and relays, microcontrollers and programmable interface controllers, flowchart programming, and how programmable control makes products flexible and responsive.12 min answer →
- How do structures carry loads, and what forces and methods keep them stable and strong?Structures and forces: tension, compression, bending, shear and torsion, how structures resist them, the moment of a force and equilibrium, beams, ties and struts, triangulation, and methods of reinforcing and stiffening a structure.12 min answer →