← Design and Technology syllabus

EnglandDesign and Technology

4. Technical understanding

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How are electronic products built from inputs, processes and outputs, and what do sensors and microcontrollers do?

Electronic systems: the input, process and output model, sensors as inputs, processing with transistors and microcontrollers (including programmable control), and outputs such as LEDs, buzzers and motors.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Design and Technology J310 on electronic systems: the input, process and output model, sensors, transistors and microcontrollers, and how programmable control works.
9 min answer →

What forces act on products, and how can materials and structures be made to resist them?

Forces and stresses: tension, compression, bending, torsion and shear, how materials and structures are affected by them, and how they can be reinforced and stiffened using lamination, ribs, folding and triangulation.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Design and Technology J310 on forces and stresses: tension, compression, bending, torsion and shear, and the techniques used to reinforce and stiffen materials and structures.
9 min answer →

What are the four types of motion, and how do levers and linkages change force and movement?

Mechanisms and motion: the four types of motion (linear, rotary, reciprocating and oscillating), levers and the classes of lever, mechanical advantage, and linkages that change the direction or type of motion.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Design and Technology J310 on mechanisms and motion: the four types of motion, levers and lever classes, mechanical advantage, and linkages that change motion.
9 min answer →

How do gears, pulleys and cams change speed, force, direction and type of motion?

Rotary motion systems: gears and gear trains, gear ratios and how they change speed and torque, pulley and belt systems, and cams and followers that convert rotary motion into reciprocating or oscillating motion.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Design and Technology J310 on gears, gear ratios, pulleys and cams: how each changes speed, force, direction and type of motion, with a worked gear-ratio calculation.
10 min answer →

How are new technologies changing how products are designed, made and used, and what are the wider impacts?

New and emerging technologies: CAD/CAM and digital manufacture (3D printing, laser cutting, CNC), automation and robotics, smart and modern materials, and the impact of new technologies on industry, society and the environment.
A focused answer to OCR GCSE Design and Technology J310 on new and emerging technologies: CAD/CAM and digital manufacture, automation and robotics, smart materials, and their impact on industry, society and the environment.
9 min answer →