WJEC A-Level Design and Technology Unit 2 Design and Make Task: a complete overview of the AS non-exam assessment

What Unit 2 actually demands

Unit 2 is the AS non-exam assessment: a single substantial design and make task set in response to a context that WJEC releases. It is where everything from the technical units is applied to a real problem. You are not assessed only on the object you make; you are assessed on the whole journey - how you investigated a need, how your design developed through testing, how well and how safely you made the prototype, and how honestly you evaluated it.

This guide walks through the stages of the task and what moderators reward. 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 knowledge the task draws on.

Responding to the context

The context is broad on purpose. You interpret it, find a genuine user or client and a real need, and define your own brief. Choosing a sharp, well-scoped problem is half the battle: a vague brief leads to a vague project.

Identifying and investigating

Investigation must be selective and analytical, not a scrapbook. Analyse existing products for performance, materials, manufacture, ergonomics, cost and shortcomings; gather primary data from your user (interview, questionnaire); and research anthropometric data, relevant standards and environmental factors. Turn it all into a justified design specification of measurable criteria, each traced to a finding.

Designing and developing

Generate a range of ideas against the specification, then develop the strongest through iterative modelling and prototyping. Sketch models, card and foam mock-ups, CAD and partial prototypes let you test fit, function, ergonomics and assembly, feed the findings back, and refine. The marks are in the loop, not in a single polished render.

Planning and making

Produce a manufacturing plan: the sequence of operations, materials, tools and processes, quality control checks, and health and safety controls. Then make an accurate, safe, functioning prototype, demonstrating skill in working materials and using tools and equipment, including CAM where appropriate.

Analysing and evaluating

Test the prototype against each specification point and with the user, evaluate honestly (including what did not work), and suggest realistic improvements. A genuine, evidenced evaluation scores far better than uncritical praise of your own work.

How Unit 2 is assessed

The task is internally marked and externally moderated against the designing and making principles. WJEC requires the work to be your own, and the AS task must be distinct from the A2 design and make project - it cannot be reused, extended or used as a starting point.

Where the technical knowledge lives

The materials, properties, processes, finishes, sustainability and design theory the task relies on are covered in the Unit 1 and Unit 3 dot-points. Use them as the knowledge base while the task itself assesses how you apply them.

For the official specification

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