What does the A2 Product/System Design and Manufacture coursework require, and how does it go beyond AS?
Overview of the internally assessed A2 design-and-manufacture project: the substantial design folder, made product or system, and assessment.
A CCEA A-Level Technology and Design overview of the A2 2 Product/System Design and Manufacture coursework: the substantial internally assessed design-and-make project, what the folder and made outcome must show, and how it extends and is assessed beyond the AS task.
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What this dot point is asking
CCEA's A2 2 Product/System Design and Manufacture is the major internally assessed coursework project. This overview explains what the substantial design folder and made product or system must contain, how it goes beyond the AS task in independence, depth and quality, and how it is assessed and moderated. It integrates the taught A2 systems-and-control or product-design knowledge into a real outcome.
The answer
What the project is
How it goes beyond AS
Making, quality and assessment
Worked example: planning the A2 major project
Examples in context
Example 1. A real client brief. Designing and making a product for an identified client (a workshop aid, an accessibility device, an automated mechanism) gives the project authenticity and the scope for the independent, justified work the top bands reward.
Example 2. Integrating the taught content. A systems-route project that uses a microcontroller, sensors and a control program (with the relevant calculations) shows the A2 electronic content applied in a made system, exactly the technical integration assessed.
Try this
Q1. State two ways the A2 project goes beyond the AS Product Development task. [2 marks]
- Cue. Any two of: more independent (own problem/client); deeper research and specification; more technical development; more substantial/higher-quality make; more thorough testing and evaluation.
Q2. Why must the candidate integrate technical knowledge from the taught units into the A2 project? [2 marks]
- Cue. The development and outcome are assessed for technical depth, so applying the systems-and-control or product-design content (calculations, control or construction detail) is needed for the higher marks.
Q3. Name three things the making stage must demonstrate. [3 marks]
- Cue. Quality control (in-process checking), working to tolerances, and health and safety (hazard identification with control measures).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA (coursework guidance)20 marksExplain how the A2 Product/System Design and Manufacture project differs from the AS Product Development task, and what a candidate must do to access the highest marks.Show worked answer →
The A2 project is the major, more demanding design-and-manufacture task and is more independent and open than the AS one. The key differences:
- The candidate usually identifies their own problem/brief (often a real client) rather than working to a more guided task.
- The research and analysis are deeper and must clearly justify decisions; the specification is more rigorous.
- The design and development show greater depth, including technical detail (calculations, systems/electronic/mechanical detail or product detail depending on the route), CAD/modelling and well-justified choices.
- The made product or system is more substantial and of higher quality, demonstrating advanced practical and manufacturing skill, with appropriate quality control and tolerance.
- Testing and evaluation are thorough, against the specification and with the client/user, with objective testing and reasoned modifications.
To access the highest marks, the candidate must work independently, analyse and justify throughout (not describe), integrate the technical knowledge from the taught units, manufacture a high-quality outcome, and evaluate honestly against measurable criteria.
Markers reward a clear contrast (more independent, deeper, more technical, higher-quality outcome) and the qualities that reach the top bands (independence, analysis/justification, technical integration, quality of make, honest evaluation).
CCEA (coursework guidance)12 marksDescribe the role of quality control, tolerance and health and safety in the A2 making and manufacturing stage.Show worked answer →
In the making/manufacturing stage the candidate must show control over quality:
- Quality control: checking the work at stages against the drawings and specification (measuring, test-fitting, inspecting), and correcting or rejecting work that is out of specification, so the final outcome is accurate and reliable.
- Tolerance: working to stated tolerances on key dimensions (and recording them on working drawings), so parts fit and function; specifying only as tight a tolerance as the function needs.
- Health and safety: identifying hazards and risks of the materials, tools, machines and processes used, and the control measures (guards, PPE, safe procedures, risk assessment), demonstrating safe and responsible working.
Together these show the candidate can manufacture to a professional standard. Markers reward quality control as in-process checking against the spec/drawings, tolerance as the permitted variation needed for fit/function, and health and safety as hazard identification with control measures.
Related dot points
- Overview of the internally assessed AS Product Development task: the design folder, prototype and how it is marked.
A CCEA A-Level Technology and Design overview of the AS 2 Product Development coursework: the internally assessed design-and-make task, what the design folder and prototype must show, and how the work is marked against the assessment criteria.
- The iterative design process: identifying needs, research, specifications, generating and developing ideas, modelling, evaluation and the role of the client and user.
A CCEA A-Level Technology and Design answer on the iterative design process, from identifying a need and researching it, through writing a design specification, generating and developing ideas, modelling and prototyping, to evaluating against the specification.
- Manufacturing processes for metals, polymers and timbers (casting, forming, moulding, machining, joining) and matching process to scale of production.
A CCEA A-Level Technology and Design answer on manufacturing processes for metals, polymers and timbers - casting, forming, injection and blow moulding, vacuum forming, machining and joining - and how the scale of production (one-off, batch, mass) decides the process.
- Quality assurance and quality control, tolerance, standards and the use of jigs, fixtures and templates in volume production.
A CCEA A-Level Technology and Design answer on the difference between quality assurance and quality control, the meaning and use of tolerance, the role of standards and certification marks, and how jigs, fixtures and templates ensure consistency in volume production.
- Evaluation against the specification, user testing and feedback, objective and subjective evaluation, and modification.
A CCEA A-Level Technology and Design answer on evaluating products against the design specification, gathering user feedback and testing, distinguishing objective from subjective evaluation, and using results to modify and improve the design.
Sources & how we know this
- CCEA GCE Technology and Design specification — CCEA (2016)