What does the AS Product Development coursework require, and how is it assessed?
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.
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What this dot point is asking
CCEA's AS 2 Product Development is the internally assessed coursework task. This overview explains what the design folder and prototype must contain, how the work demonstrates the design process, and how it is marked against the assessment criteria and externally moderated. It is the practical application of everything in the AS 1 Design and Manufacture core.
The answer
What the task is
What the folder must evidence
How it is marked
Worked example: planning a strong folder
Examples in context
Example 1. Linking research to the specification. A candidate who measures the user's desk and items, then writes "footprint under 250 mm by 150 mm" and "holds at least 6 pens", shows research driving a measurable specification, the link moderators look for.
Example 2. Evidencing the make. Photographs of the prototype at stages, alongside the working drawings and a process sequence, evidence the making criterion and authenticate the candidate's own practical work.
Try this
Q1. Name three stages the AS Product Development folder should evidence. [3 marks]
- Cue. Any three of: brief, research and analysis, specification, ideas and development, planning for manufacture, making, testing and evaluation.
Q2. Why must the design specification be measurable in the coursework? [2 marks]
- Cue. So the prototype can be objectively evaluated against each point, and so the specifying and evaluating criteria can be evidenced.
Q3. What does external moderation of the coursework achieve? [2 marks]
- Cue. It checks the centre has applied CCEA's marking criteria correctly, keeping standards comparable between centres (adjusting marks if needed).
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 marksOutline the stages a candidate should include in the AS Product Development design folder, and explain how each contributes to a high mark.Show worked answer →
The folder should follow the design process and evidence each stage, because the marks are awarded against those stages.
- Identifying the problem and writing a brief (clear need and client/user) - sets the direction.
- Research and analysis (existing products, materials, ergonomics, anthropometrics, user needs) - must be analysed, not just collected, and lead to the specification.
- A measurable design specification - testable points used later for evaluation; high marks come from specification points that are genuinely measurable and justified by the research.
- A range of ideas generated and developed with annotated drawings and modelling - showing breadth then depth, with decisions justified against the specification.
- Planning for manufacture (working drawings, materials, processes, a sequence/cutting list, health and safety) - so the make is feasible and well organised.
- Making a quality prototype - demonstrating practical skill, accuracy and appropriate processes.
- Testing and evaluation against the specification and with the user, with modifications proposed - closing the iterative loop.
Markers reward a folder that moves logically through these stages, analyses rather than describes, justifies decisions against the specification and user, and shows a clear link from research to specification to a tested outcome.
CCEA (coursework guidance)12 marksExplain why the AS Product Development task is internally assessed and externally moderated, and what this means for how marks are awarded.Show worked answer →
The task is internally assessed, meaning the candidate's own teacher/centre marks the folder and prototype against CCEA's published assessment criteria (a set of mark bands for skills such as researching, specifying, designing, making and evaluating). It is then externally moderated by CCEA: a sample of the centre's work is checked to confirm the centre has applied the criteria correctly and consistently, and marks are adjusted if the centre is too generous or too harsh.
For the candidate this means: marks reflect the quality of evidence against each criterion (not effort alone); work must be the candidate's own (authenticated); and standards are kept comparable between centres by moderation. The practical lesson is to map your folder to the assessment criteria and provide clear evidence for each.
Markers want the internal-assessment-with-external-moderation explanation, marking against published criteria, authentication of the candidate's own work, and the purpose of moderation (comparable standards).
Related dot points
- 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.
- 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.
- Writing measurable design, engineering and manufacturing specifications, and using them as evaluation criteria.
A CCEA A-Level Technology and Design answer on writing clear, measurable specifications, distinguishing the design, engineering and manufacturing specification, and using specification points as the criteria for evaluation.
- Idea-generation techniques, developing ideas through annotation and modelling, CAD and prototyping.
A CCEA A-Level Technology and Design answer on generating ideas with sketching and mind maps, developing them through annotated drawings and modelling, and the roles of CAD, prototyping and modelling materials before manufacture.
- 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)