How do I plan, design, make and evaluate a prototype for the AS non-exam assessment?
Apply the designing and making principles in the AS design and make task: respond to a context, investigate, design, develop, plan, manufacture and evaluate a working prototype with a portfolio of evidence.
An overview of WJEC A-Level Design and Technology Unit 2, the AS design and make task (non-exam assessment), covering how to respond to a context, investigate, design, develop, plan, make and evaluate a working prototype with a supporting portfolio, and how the task is assessed.
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What this dot point is asking
Unit 2 is the AS non-exam assessment (NEA), a substantial design and make task set in response to a context released by WJEC. It is where the designing and making principles are put to work: you investigate a real need, develop a justified design through iterative modelling, plan and manufacture a working prototype, and evaluate it against your specification and with the user. The assessment is of the whole process, evidenced in a concise portfolio, not just the final outcome.
This overview gives you the shape of the task and what the markers reward. The technical knowledge it draws on (materials, properties, processes, finishes, sustainability, and the design theory in Unit 3) lives in the dot-points for those units; this page ties the process together.
The answer
What the task is
A context is deliberately broad (for example "the home", "leisure", "storage"). You interpret it, find a real user or client, and define your own brief, which is part of the skill being assessed.
The stages of the task
WJEC assesses the task against the designing and making principles, which form a natural sequence:
- Identifying and investigating. Analyse the context, identify a genuine need and user, analyse existing products, gather primary data (user, anthropometrics, standards), and write a justified, measurable design specification.
- Designing. Generate a range of ideas against the specification, then develop the best through iterative modelling and prototyping, testing each version and refining it.
- Making. Produce a manufacturing plan (sequence, materials, tools, processes, quality control, health and safety), then make an accurate, safe, functioning prototype, showing skill in working materials and using equipment.
- Analysing and evaluating. Test the prototype against the specification and with the user, evaluate honestly, and suggest improvements.
Iterative design at the heart of it
What the markers reward
Evidence quality over quantity: selective, analytical investigation; a specification whose points are measurable and justified; a development that is clearly testing-led; accurate, safe making; and an honest evaluation. A common weakness is a thick portfolio of unfocused research that never drives a decision.
Examples in context
Example 1. A specification point that earns marks. "Must be durable" is weak; "must withstand daily wiping with a damp cloth and survive a one-metre drop without damage, using a wipeable, impact-resistant polymer" is measurable and justified by research, which is what moderators credit.
Example 2. Evidence of iteration. A page showing a card model, a note that the shelf flexed under load during a user test, and a revised CAD version with a stiffening rib demonstrates the model, test, refine cycle far better than a finished render alone.
Try this
Q1. State three things a good design specification criterion should be. [3 marks]
- Cue. Measurable, justified by research, and relevant to the user or context (specific rather than vague).
Q2. Explain why a prototype is tested with the intended user before it is finalised. [3 marks]
- Cue. To check it actually meets the user's real needs in use (fit, function, ergonomics, usability), revealing problems the designer may not foresee, so the design can be refined before it is finished.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC NEA20 marksFor the AS design and make task, explain how you would investigate a design context and produce a justified design specification before generating ideas.Show worked answer →
The task rewards a focused, evidence-led investigation that leads to a specification you can defend, not a scrapbook.
Start from the context (a broad scenario, not a fixed product) and identify a genuine need and a likely user or client. Investigate that need: analyse existing products for how they perform, their materials, manufacture, ergonomics, cost and shortcomings; gather data from the user through interviews or a questionnaire; and research relevant anthropometric data, standards and any environmental considerations.
Turn the findings into a design specification: a list of measurable, justified criteria covering function, performance, user and ergonomic needs, materials, manufacture, aesthetics, cost and sustainability. Each criterion should trace back to a piece of research, so the specification is justified rather than assumed.
Markers reward investigation that is selective and analytical, primary evidence from a real user, use of anthropometric or standards data, and a specification whose points are measurable and clearly justified by the research.
WJEC NEA20 marksDescribe how iterative design and prototyping are used to develop and refine a design idea during the design and make task.Show worked answer →
Iterative design means repeatedly modelling, testing and improving a design rather than committing to one idea, and a strong answer shows that cycle.
Generate a range of initial ideas against the specification, then model the promising ones using sketch models, card and foam mock-ups, CAD models or partial prototypes. Test each model against specification criteria and with the user, record what works and what fails (fit, function, ergonomics, strength, assembly), and feed those findings into the next, improved version.
Repeat the cycle, each loop resolving problems and adding detail, until a resolved design emerges that can be manufactured. Evidence the journey with annotated photographs of models, test results and decisions, so the development is clearly driven by testing, not chance.
Markers reward a genuine cycle (model, test, evaluate, refine), testing against the specification and with the user, and decisions justified by the test outcomes rather than personal preference.
Related dot points
- Classification of papers and boards, timbers, metals, polymers and textiles into families, and the criteria used to select a material for a given product and context.
A focused answer to WJEC A-Level Design and Technology Unit 1 classification and selection of materials, covering the main material families (papers and boards, timbers, metals, polymers and textiles), how each splits into sub-groups, and the criteria used to justify a material choice for a product.
- Physical and mechanical working properties of materials - strength, hardness, toughness, ductility, malleability, elasticity, plasticity, density, durability, electrical and thermal conductivity - and how they govern selection and processing.
A focused answer to WJEC A-Level Design and Technology Unit 1 working properties of materials, covering the physical properties (density, conductivity, durability) and mechanical properties (strength, hardness, toughness, ductility, malleability, elasticity, plasticity) and how each affects material selection and processing.
- The main categories of manufacturing process - wasting, shaping by casting and moulding, deforming and reforming, fabrication and joining - and how the chosen process depends on material, form and scale.
A focused answer to WJEC A-Level Design and Technology Unit 1 manufacturing processes, covering wasting, casting and moulding, deforming and reforming, fabrication and joining, with named processes such as injection moulding, vacuum forming, casting, turning and laminating, and how process choice depends on material and scale of production.
- The 6 Rs (rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle) and the ecological and social footprint of products, including finite and non-finite resources and responsible material sourcing.
A focused answer to WJEC A-Level Design and Technology Unit 1 sustainability, covering the 6 Rs (rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle), finite and non-finite resources, the ecological and social footprint of products, and responsible sourcing such as FSC timber.
- Design strategies (user-centred, iterative and collaborative design) and methods of communicating design ideas - freehand and formal drawing, modelling, CAD and CAM - and their roles in development.
A focused answer to WJEC A-Level Design and Technology Unit 3 design thinking and communication, covering design strategies (user-centred, iterative and collaborative design) and the methods designers use to generate, develop and communicate ideas, including freehand sketching, formal drawing systems, modelling, CAD and CAM.
- Apply the designing and making principles in the substantial A2 design and make project: identify a context and client, investigate, specify, develop iteratively, plan, manufacture and evaluate a high-quality prototype, distinct from the AS task.
An overview of WJEC A-Level Design and Technology Unit 4, the substantial A2 design and make project (non-exam assessment), covering how to identify a context and client, investigate, specify, develop iteratively, plan, manufacture and evaluate a high-quality prototype that is distinct from the AS task, and how the project is assessed.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC AS/A Level Design and Technology specification — WJEC (2017)