← Northern Ireland Technology and Design
Northern Ireland · CCEASyllabus
Technology and Design syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the Northern Ireland Technology and Designsyllabus, 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.
Computer-aided design and manufacture
Module overview →- What is CAD and what are its advantages over drawing by hand?Computer-aided design (CAD): using computers to draw, model and test designs, and the advantages of CAD over manual drawing.11 min answer →
- What is CAM, what machines does it control, and what are the benefits of CAD/CAM together?Computer-aided manufacture (CAM) and CNC: laser cutters, CNC routers and 3D printers, and the advantages of an integrated CAD/CAM system.11 min answer →
Designing
Module overview →- How do designers communicate ideas through sketching, rendering and working drawings?Communicating design ideas: freehand sketching, rendering, isometric and orthographic working drawings, dimensioning, and the use of CAD.11 min answer →
- What outside factors influence design, and how do designers reduce environmental impact?Design influences and sustainability: consumer demand, the market, consumer law and standards, and designing sustainably using the six Rs.11 min answer →
- How do ergonomics and anthropometric data make a product comfortable, safe and easy to use?Ergonomics and anthropometrics: human factors in design, anthropometric data, percentiles, and designing products to fit the user.11 min answer →
- How is a product evaluated against its specification and analysed against user needs?Evaluation and product analysis: testing a product against the design specification, evaluating against user needs, and analysing existing products.11 min answer →
- What are the stages of the design process and how does a designer work from a problem to a finished product?The iterative design process: identifying a problem, writing a design brief and specification, researching, generating and developing ideas, planning, making and evaluating.12 min answer →
Electronic and control systems
Module overview →- What are the basic electronic components, and how is Ohm's law used in a circuit?Electronic components and quantities: conductors and insulators, resistors, capacitors, diodes and LEDs, and using Ohm's law V = I R.12 min answer →
- How do input sensors detect conditions, and how does a voltage divider turn a change into a voltage?Input subsystems: switches, the light-dependent resistor, the thermistor, and the voltage divider that turns a sensor's resistance change into a voltage signal.12 min answer →
- How do logic gates make decisions, and how are flowcharts used to control a sequence?Logic gates and digital control: the AND, OR, NOT, NAND and NOR gates with truth tables, combining gates, and flowcharts for program control.12 min answer →
- What is a microcontroller, and how does a capacitor set the timing in a circuit?Microcontrollers (PICs) and timing: programmable control with a microcontroller, and resistor-capacitor timing where the capacitor charges to create a delay.12 min answer →
- What output devices does a system use, and how does a transistor switch a large load from a small signal?Output devices: lamps, buzzers, motors and relays, and the transistor used as an electronic switch to control a larger current from a small input.11 min answer →
- What is the systems approach, and how do input, process and output describe a control system?The systems approach: representing electronic and control systems as input, process and output blocks, with feedback, using block (systems) diagrams.11 min answer →
Materials and manufacturing
Module overview →- Why are surfaces finished, and which finish suits each material?Finishing techniques: why surfaces are finished, and finishes for timber, metal and plastic - varnish, paint, oil, polish, anodising, plating and self-finishing.11 min answer →
- How are risks controlled in the workshop, and what safe working practices must be followed?Health and safety: identifying hazards and risks, risk assessment, personal protective equipment, machine and tool safety, and safe handling of materials and substances.11 min answer →
- How are parts joined, and when is a permanent or a temporary join the right choice?Joining and assembly: permanent and temporary joins - adhesives, mechanical fixings, knock-down fittings, soldering, brazing and welding, and timber joints.11 min answer →
- What are the main categories of material and the properties that decide where each is used?Material categories - ferrous and non-ferrous metals, thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics, hardwoods, softwoods and manufactured boards, and composites - and their working properties.12 min answer →
- What are the scales of production, and how do jigs, moulds and templates aid accurate manufacture?Scales of production - one-off, batch and mass production - and aids to manufacture such as jigs, moulds, fixtures, templates and patterns.11 min answer →
- How are materials marked out, cut, shaped and formed into products?Shaping and forming processes: marking out, wasting (cutting and drilling), deforming and reforming such as line bending, vacuum forming and injection moulding.12 min answer →
- What are smart and modern materials, and how does their changing behaviour make them useful?Smart and modern materials: shape memory alloys, thermochromic and photochromic materials, quantum tunnelling composite and other responsive materials, and their uses.11 min answer →
Mechanisms and motion
Module overview →- How do belt and chain drives transmit rotary motion, and how is the velocity ratio found?Belt and pulley drives, and chain and sprocket drives: transmitting rotary motion over a distance, the velocity ratio, and choosing between them.11 min answer →
- How do cams, cranks, screws and rack-and-pinion convert one type of motion into another?Motion converters: cams and followers, crank and slider, rack and pinion, and screw threads, and the motion change each produces.11 min answer →
- How do gears change speed, torque and direction, and how is gear ratio calculated?Gears and gear trains: simple gear trains, gear ratio, the effect on speed, torque and direction, idler gears, and compound gear trains.12 min answer →
- How do levers and linkages give a mechanical advantage, and how are moments calculated?Levers and linkages: the three classes of lever, the principle of moments, mechanical advantage, and linkages that change the direction of motion.12 min answer →
- What are the four types of motion, and how do mechanisms convert one into another?The four types of motion - linear, rotary, reciprocating and oscillating - and the idea of mechanisms converting one type of motion into another.11 min answer →
Optional routes and the design project
Module overview →- What is the Unit 3 Design and Manufacturing Project, and how is the controlled assessment carried out and marked?Unit 3 Design and Manufacturing Project (controlled assessment): the design folder and made outcome, the stages assessed, and how marks are awarded - an overview.11 min answer →
- What are the three Unit 2 optional areas of study, and how does each build on the core?Unit 2 optional areas of study: Option A electronic and microelectronic control systems, Option B mechanical and pneumatic control systems, and Option C product design.11 min answer →
Pneumatic systems and control
Module overview →- How do valves control a pneumatic cylinder, and how is speed and direction managed?Pneumatic control: 3/2 and 5/2 directional control valves, controlling single and double-acting cylinders, and speed control with flow-restriction valves.11 min answer →
- What are the main pneumatic components, and how do single and double-acting cylinders work?Pneumatic components: the air supply, single-acting and double-acting cylinders, and the force a cylinder produces from pressure and area.12 min answer →