← England Design and Technology
England · Pearson EdexcelSyllabus
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.
Topic 1.14 to 1.17 Designing and making principles
Module overview →- How do designers develop, communicate, record and justify design ideas using a range of techniques?Techniques to develop, communicate, record and justify design ideas, including freehand sketching, annotated and isometric and perspective drawing, orthographic and exploded views, schematic diagrams, CAD and written justification.10 min answer →
- How do contexts and human, economic and environmental factors influence the design and making of products?How design takes place within contexts, investigating environmental, social and economic challenges, opportunities and constraints, including fair trade, carbon offsetting, green design, recycling, human capability, cost and life cycle analysis.10 min answer →
- How do designers use design strategies to generate initial ideas and avoid design fixation?The use of different design strategies to generate initial ideas and avoid design fixation, including collaboration, user-centred design and systems thinking, within an iterative design process.10 min answer →
- How do designers investigate and analyse existing products and the work of others to inform their own design?Strategies for investigating and analysing the work of past and present professionals and companies and existing products, using specification criteria such as form, function, user requirements, materials, cost, sustainability and marketability.10 min answer →
- What does the non-exam assessment (NEA) require, and how is it marked?The non-exam assessment design and make project (component 2), its four parts (Investigate, Design, Make, Evaluate), the iterative process, the contextual challenges and how the 100 marks are awarded.10 min answer →
Topic 1.3 to 1.7 Energy, mechanical devices and systems
Module overview →- How is energy generated and stored so that it can be chosen to make products and power systems?Sources, generation and storage of energy, including fossil fuels, biofuels and renewable sources, and the factors that decide which source is appropriate for a product or system.10 min answer →
- How do gears and pulleys change the speed and force of rotary motion, and how are the ratios calculated?Gear types and pulley and belt systems, including simple and compound gear trains, idler gears, bevel gears and rack and pinion, with velocity ratio, gear ratio and revolutions per minute calculations.11 min answer →
- How do mechanical devices change the type, direction and magnitude of movement and force?The functions of mechanical devices including the four types of motion, the three classes of lever with mechanical advantage and velocity ratio calculations, linkages, cams, followers and cranks and sliders.11 min answer →
- How do electronic systems and programmable components give products their functionality?How electronic systems power and control products using inputs (sensors), process and control devices, and outputs, and how programmable components embed functionality through flowcharts, inputs, decisions and outputs.11 min answer →
Topic 1.4 and 1.8 to 1.13 Materials and their properties
Module overview →- What are composite materials and technical textiles, and why are they used?Developments in composite materials and technical textiles, including concrete, plywood, fibre and carbon reinforced polymers, and agro, geo, medical, protective and sports textiles, with their characteristics and applications.10 min answer →
- How are ferrous and non-ferrous metals categorised, and what properties decide their use?The categorisation of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, including mild steel, stainless steel, cast iron, aluminium, copper and brass, and the properties of ductility, malleability and hardness that decide their use.10 min answer →
- What are modern and smart materials, and how do they respond to change?Developments in modern and smart materials, including shape-memory alloys, nanomaterials, reactive glass, piezoelectric materials, temperature-responsive polymers and conductive inks, with their characteristics, applications, advantages and disadvantages.10 min answer →
- How are papers and boards categorised, and what properties decide their use?The categorisation of papers and boards, including copier, cartridge and tracing paper, and folding boxboard, corrugated board and solid white board, and the properties of flexibility, printability and biodegradability.9 min answer →
- How are thermoforming and thermosetting polymers categorised, and what properties decide their use?The categorisation of thermoforming and thermosetting polymers, including acrylic, HIPS, biodegradable polymers, polyester resin and urea formaldehyde, and the properties of heat and electrical insulation and toughness.10 min answer →
- How does the context of a product inform the choice of materials, components and manufacturing processes?How all design and technological practice takes place within contexts that inform outcomes, selecting materials, components and manufacturing processes by their properties, advantages, disadvantages and justification for a given context.9 min answer →
- How are textile fibres and fabric constructions categorised, and what properties decide their use?The categorisation of natural, synthetic, blended and mixed fibres and of woven, non-woven and knitted fabrics, including wool, cotton, polyester, acrylic, calico, denim and felt, with the properties of elasticity, resilience and durability.10 min answer →
- How are natural and manufactured timbers categorised, and what properties decide their use?The categorisation of natural and manufactured timbers, including hardwoods (oak, mahogany, beech, balsa), softwoods (pine, cedar) and manufactured boards (plywood, MDF), and the properties of hardness, toughness and durability.10 min answer →
Topic 1.1 The impact of new and emerging technologies
Module overview →- How does the critical evaluation of new and emerging technologies inform design decisions?How the critical evaluation of new and emerging technologies informs design decisions, considering contemporary and future scenarios from ethical and environmental perspectives, including budget, timescale, fair trade, carbon footprint and life cycle analysis.10 min answer →
- How do new and emerging technologies change industry, enterprise and the way products are produced?The impact of new and emerging technologies on industry, enterprise and production techniques and systems, including unemployment, workforce skill set, funding routes and the scales of production.10 min answer →
- How do new and emerging technologies affect people, culture, society, sustainability and the environment?The impact of new and emerging technologies on people, culture, society, sustainability and the environment, including the workforce and consumers, working patterns, the Internet of Things, pollution and the demand on natural resources.10 min answer →
- How can the 6 Rs and sustainable thinking reduce the environmental impact of a product?Sustainable design thinking and the 6 Rs (Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle) used to lower the environmental impact of new technologies and products, linked to natural resources, pollution and waste.9 min answer →
Material category 7 Timbers (1DT0/1F)
Module overview →- How do forces and stresses act on timber, and how can it be reinforced and stiffened?The impact of forces and stresses (compression, tension, shear) on natural and manufactured timbers and the techniques used to reinforce and stiffen them, including frame structures, lamination, bracing and composites.10 min answer →
- How is timber processed at different scales of production, and what techniques aid quantity production?Processes to manufacture timber products at different scales of production (one-off, batch, mass, continuous) and the techniques for quantity production, including marking out, jigs, templates, CAM, quality control and working within tolerance.10 min answer →
- What factors influence the selection of a timber for a specific application?The factors that influence the selection of natural and manufactured timbers, including aesthetic, environmental, availability, cost, social, cultural and ethical factors such as seasoning, upcycling and built-in obsolescence.10 min answer →
- What specialist tools, techniques and joints shape, fabricate and assemble a high-quality timber prototype?Specialist techniques, tools, equipment and processes used to shape, fabricate, construct and assemble high-quality timber prototypes, including shaping processes, lamination, adhesives, the main timber joints and assembly fittings.11 min answer →
- What surface treatments and finishes are applied to timber for function and appearance?Appropriate surface treatments and finishes for natural and manufactured timbers for functional and aesthetic purposes, including painting, staining, varnishing, waxing, oiling and the use of preservatives.9 min answer →
- Where do timbers come from, and what are their social and ecological footprints?The sources, origins, physical and working properties of natural and manufactured timbers and their social and ecological footprint, including additional timbers, geographical origins, the physical characteristics and the impact of logging and deforestation.10 min answer →
- What stock forms and sizes does timber come in, and how is the required quantity calculated?Typical stock forms, types and sizes of natural and manufactured timbers used to calculate and determine the required quantity, including regular sections, mouldings, dowels and sheets, with cross-sectional area and board-size calculations.11 min answer →