How do I run a substantial, self-directed design and make project for the A2 non-exam assessment?
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.
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What this dot point is asking
Unit 4 is the A2 non-exam assessment (NEA): a substantial, self-directed design and make project that is the centrepiece of the A2 year. You identify your own context and real client, investigate deeply, develop a design through sustained iteration and client feedback, plan and manufacture a high-quality working prototype, and evaluate it critically. It is more demanding than the AS task in scope, depth and quality, and WJEC requires it to be distinct from and not built upon the AS task. This page is a single concise overview; the technical and design knowledge it applies lives in the Unit 1 and Unit 3 dot-points.
The answer
What the project is
Unlike the AS task, the A2 project is self-directed: you choose the context and client, so the quality of the opportunity you identify is part of the assessment.
The stages, at A2 depth
The project follows the designing and making principles, but with more depth, rigour and quality than the AS task:
- Identifying and investigating. Identify a substantial opportunity and a real client or user group; investigate deeply but selectively (existing products, market gap, client needs, anthropometrics, standards, environmental factors); write a justified, measurable specification.
- Designing. Generate and develop ideas through sustained iteration: model, prototype, test against the specification and with the client, and refine, resolving real technical problems.
- Making. Produce a detailed manufacturing plan (sequence, materials, processes, quality control, health and safety) and make an accurate, well-finished, high-quality functioning prototype, using hand, machine and CAM skills appropriately.
- Analysing and evaluating. Test against the specification and with the client, evaluate critically and honestly, and suggest improvements and commercial considerations.
What lifts an A2 project
The distinctness rule
Examples in context
Example 1. A client-led brief that scores well. "Design a charging and storage station for a luthier's hand tools in a 1.2 m wide alcove, safe for lithium chargers and adjustable as the tool set grows" is substantial, client-specific and rich in investigation and development, exactly what A2 rewards.
Example 2. Evidence of A2-level development. A sequence showing a CAD model, a material trial that revealed the shelf sagged, a client test that flagged awkward access, and a revised, stiffened, reorganised prototype demonstrates the sustained, evidence-led iteration that separates A2 from AS work.
Try this
Q1. State two things that make an A2 design opportunity suitable compared with a trivial one. [2 marks]
- Cue. It is substantial with genuine scope to investigate and develop, and it has a real client or user group whose needs can be researched and tested against.
Q2. Explain why the A2 project must be distinct from the AS design and make task. [2 marks]
- Cue. WJEC rules require it: the A2 project may not reuse, extend or be built upon the AS task, so it must have its own separate brief, client and outcome to be creditable as independent A2 work.
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 A2 design and make project, explain how you would identify a substantial design opportunity and a real client, and produce a justified specification.Show worked answer →
The A2 project is self-directed and substantial, so the opportunity must be genuine and rich enough to sustain a full project, and the work must be distinct from the AS task.
Identify a real context and a real client or user group whose needs you can investigate directly, choosing a problem with enough scope and complexity for A2 (not a trivial product). Investigate thoroughly but selectively: analyse existing products and the gap in the market, interview and observe the client, and gather anthropometric data, relevant standards and environmental considerations.
Turn the findings into a justified, measurable design specification covering function, performance, user and ergonomic needs, materials, manufacture, aesthetics, cost, sustainability and any standards the product must meet, with each point traced to the research and to the client's needs.
Markers reward a genuine, substantial opportunity, a real client engaged throughout, selective analytical research, and a measurable specification justified by evidence and the client's requirements.
WJEC NEA20 marksExplain how iterative development, testing and client feedback are used to refine a design and reach a high-quality outcome in the A2 project.Show worked answer →
The A2 project rewards depth of development and a clear, evidence-led journey to a resolved, high-quality prototype.
Generate and develop ideas against the specification, then model and prototype iteratively using sketch models, CAD, partial prototypes and material trials. Test each iteration against specification criteria and with the client, gathering feedback on function, ergonomics, aesthetics and usability, and record what works and what fails. Feed each finding into the next, improved version, resolving technical problems (fit, strength, assembly, finish) along the way.
Plan the manufacture (sequence, materials, processes, quality control, health and safety), then make an accurate, well-finished, functioning prototype, and evaluate it honestly against the specification and with the client, suggesting further improvements and commercial considerations.
Markers reward a sustained iterative cycle driven by testing and client feedback, resolution of real technical problems, accurate high-quality making, and a critical evaluation against the specification and client needs.
Related dot points
- 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.
- 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.
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A focused answer to WJEC A-Level Design and Technology Unit 3 on the wider impact of design, covering social, moral and ethical issues, inclusive and ergonomic design, standards and legislation, planned obsolescence and consumerism, fair trade and the role of enterprise and the designer's responsibilities.
- Life cycle assessment (raw materials, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal) and design strategies that lower impact across the life cycle, including design for disassembly, repair and recycling.
A focused answer to WJEC A-Level Design and Technology Unit 3 life cycle assessment, covering the five stages of a product's life (raw materials, manufacture, distribution, use, disposal) and how design for disassembly, repair and recycling lowers environmental impact across the whole life cycle.
- 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.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC AS/A Level Design and Technology specification — WJEC (2017)