WJEC A-Level Design and Technology Unit 4 Design and Make Project: a complete overview of the substantial A2 non-exam assessment

What Unit 4 actually demands

Unit 4 is the substantial A2 non-exam assessment, the project that draws the whole qualification together. It is self-directed: unlike the AS task, you identify your own context and a real client, so the quality of the opportunity is itself assessed. The project is more demanding than the AS task in every way - deeper investigation, sustained iterative development with a real client, and a higher standard of making - and it must be distinct from the AS task.

This guide walks through the stages and what moderators reward at A2. The single dot-point page covers the same ground in answer form with worked NEA-style questions; this overview ties the process together and points to the technical and design knowledge the project applies.

Identifying a self-directed opportunity

You choose the context and client. A strong opportunity is substantial and client-specific, with genuine scope to investigate and develop - real constraints such as space, safety standards or changing needs give the project room to show depth. A trivial object caps the marks.

Deep, selective investigation

Investigation goes deeper than at AS but stays selective and analytical: analyse existing products and the market gap, engage the real client through interview and observation, and gather anthropometric data, relevant standards and environmental considerations. Everything feeds the specification.

A justified, measurable specification

Turn the research into a justified, measurable specification covering function, performance, user and ergonomic needs, materials, manufacture, aesthetics, cost, sustainability and any standards, each point traced to the research and the client's needs.

Sustained iterative development

The heart of the A2 marks: develop the design through sustained iteration - model, prototype, test against the specification and with the client, and refine - resolving real technical problems over several improved versions. Evidence the journey with annotated models, tests, client feedback and revisions.

Planning and high-quality making

Produce a detailed manufacturing plan (sequence, materials, processes, quality control, health and safety), then make an accurate, well-finished, high-quality functioning prototype, using hand, machine and CAM skills as appropriate.

Critical evaluation

Test against the specification and with the client, evaluate critically and honestly (including what did not work), and suggest improvements and commercial considerations. Uncritical praise scores poorly at A2.

The distinctness rule

WJEC requires the A2 project to be distinct from and not built upon the AS design and make task. You may not resubmit, extend or use the AS work as a starting point; the A2 project must have its own brief, client and outcome.

Where the knowledge lives

The materials, properties, processes, finishes, structures, mechanisms, electronics, design theory and sustainability the project applies are covered in the Unit 1 and Unit 3 dot-points. Use them as the knowledge base; the project assesses how you apply them at depth.

For the official specification

WJEC publishes the full specification, assessment criteria and moderation guidance at wjec.co.uk. Always work from the current specification and the official guidance, because requirements are board-specific.