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England · AQAQ&A
Design and TechnologyQ&A by dot point
A short Q&A bank for every England Design and Technology syllabus dot point. Each question and answer is drawn directly from our worked dot-point page, so you can scan key concepts before opening the long-form answer.
3.1 Core technical principles
- Sources of energy including fossil fuels, nuclear power and renewable energy, the generation and storage of energy, and how energy is used to power products and processes.0Q&A pairs
- The categories of materials including papers and boards, timbers, metals, polymers and textiles, and the physical and mechanical properties that make a material suitable for a particular use.0Q&A pairs
- Mechanical devices used to produce different sorts of movement, including the four types of motion, levers and linkages, rotary systems such as gears, pulleys and belts, and cams and followers.0Q&A pairs
- Modern materials, smart materials, composite materials and technical textiles, including their properties and how their ability to respond to changes can be used in products.0Q&A pairs
- New and emerging technologies and their impact on industry and enterprise, sustainability, people, culture, society, the environment and production techniques and systems.0Q&A pairs
- Systems thinking using input, process and output, including sensors and other input devices, the processing of signals and control, and output devices such as motors, lamps and buzzers.0Q&A pairs
3.3 Designing and making principles
- Communicating design ideas using freehand sketching, 2D and 3D drawing such as isometric and perspective, working drawings, annotation, modelling and digital tools including CAD.0Q&A pairs
- Writing design briefs and design specifications, including identifying problems, the needs of users, and writing specification criteria that are measurable and justified.0Q&A pairs
- Design strategies used to generate and develop ideas, including collaboration, user-centred design, systems thinking, iterative design and the avoidance of design fixation.0Q&A pairs
- How environmental, social and economic challenges influence design decisions, including designing for different cultures and societies, inclusive and accessible design, fair trade, and the pull of the market against the push of technology.0Q&A pairs
- Investigation, primary and secondary data, understanding the needs of clients and users, and the work of past and present designers and companies that influence design thinking.0Q&A pairs
- Selecting and using tools and equipment, accurate marking out, measuring and cutting, using templates, jigs and patterns, tolerances, and managing material efficiently to reduce waste.0Q&A pairs
- Prototype development, including making models and prototypes to test and evaluate ideas, gathering feedback from users, and refining a design against the specification.1Q&A pairs
3.2 Specialist technical principles
- The ecological and social footprint of products, including the 6 Rs, the use of finite and non-finite resources, the impact of manufacturing on the environment, and the social impact of production and disposal.0Q&A pairs
- How materials and objects are affected by forces and stresses including tension, compression, bending, torsion and shear, and how materials can be reinforced and stiffened to resist them.0Q&A pairs
- The selection of materials and components, considering functional, aesthetic, environmental, availability, cost, social, cultural and ethical factors when choosing what a product is made from.0Q&A pairs
- The sources and origins of materials and how they are converted into workable forms, including the growth and conversion of timber, the extraction and refining of metals, and the production of polymers from crude oil.1Q&A pairs
- Stock forms, types and sizes of materials and standard components, and the manufacturing processes and scales of production from one-off to mass and continuous production.0Q&A pairs
- Surface treatments and finishes applied for functional and aesthetic purposes, including finishes for timbers, metals and polymers, and how they protect and improve products.0Q&A pairs
- Working with materials to make a prototype, including techniques for wastage, addition, deforming and reforming, and the use of tools and equipment to cut, shape, form and join materials safely and accurately.0Q&A pairs