WJEC GCSE Design and Technology (Wales): complete guide to the technical principles, the design and make task and the exam
A complete guide to WJEC GCSE Design and Technology for Wales, taught from 2017. Covers the three endorsed routes (Engineering Design, Fashion and Textiles, Product Design), the core technical principles, materials, manufacturing and designing principles tested in the Unit 1 written exam, and the Unit 2 design and make task (NEA), plus how to revise each area.
WJEC GCSE Design and Technology (taught from 2017) gives learners in Wales the chance to identify and solve real problems by designing and making products. It is offered in three endorsed routes that share a common core: Engineering Design, Fashion and Textiles, and Product Design. This page is the index: below is a map of the content areas, the two units, the assessment objectives, and how to study each area, with a direct link to every dot point.
The three routes and the shared core
All three routes study the same core technical principles and designing and making principles, then focus on the materials, processes and contexts of their own area. Engineering Design leans towards metals, systems and mechanisms; Fashion and Textiles towards fibres, fabrics and garment construction; Product Design towards a broad mix of materials and consumer products. Whichever route you take, the core knowledge on these pages is the same.
The content areas
The course is built from a shared core, grouped here into five areas.
- Core technical principles
- New and emerging technologies, energy generation and storage, smart, modern and composite materials, the systems approach to electronics, and mechanical devices and motion.
- Materials and their properties
- The physical and mechanical properties of materials, and the six material families: papers and boards, timbers, metals, polymers and textiles.
- Manufacturing and production
- The four scales of production, the main manufacturing and shaping processes, structures and the forces acting on them, and ergonomics and anthropometrics.
- Designing principles
- Communicating design ideas and CAD/CAM, sustainability and the 6 Rs, learning from the work of others, and investigation leading to a brief and specification.
- The design and make task (Unit 2 NEA)
- A concise overview of the practical, internally assessed design and make project.
Exam structure
WJEC GCSE Design and Technology is assessed by two units, each worth 50 percent of the qualification.
- Unit 1 - written examination. Tests the technical principles, with a route-specific paper for Engineering Design, Fashion and Textiles, or Product Design. 50 percent. Calculators are allowed.
- Unit 2 - design and make task (NEA). A practical project responding to a contextual challenge, internally assessed and externally moderated. 50 percent.
The written paper mixes short and structured questions with extended-response questions that reward analysis and evaluation. The design and make task is judged on the whole process, from investigation to evaluation, not just the finished prototype.
Assessment objectives
The same four assessment objectives apply across the qualification.
| Assessment objective | What it rewards |
|---|---|
| AO1 | Identify, investigate and outline design possibilities |
| AO2 | Design and make prototypes that are fit for purpose |
| AO3 | Analyse and evaluate design decisions, outcomes and wider issues |
| AO4 | Demonstrate and apply knowledge and understanding of technical and designing principles |
Unit 1 focuses on AO3 and AO4 (analysis, evaluation and technical knowledge), while the Unit 2 design and make task carries AO1 and AO2 (investigating, designing and making) most heavily.
How to study WJEC Design and Technology
Design and Technology rewards secure technical knowledge, applied reasoning and clear evaluation.
- Work from the specification. Each statement is a checklist; exam questions are written from them.
- Learn materials as examples. Know named papers, timbers, metals, polymers and textiles with a property and a use each, ready for selection questions.
- Drill the few calculations. Gear ratio and mechanical advantage are the main sums; practise them until automatic.
- Apply, do not just list. Extended-response marks (such as the 6 Rs) reward applying ideas to a named product.
- Practise past papers and the NEA. Sit WJEC past papers for your route, and apply the same principles in your design and make task.
The content, area by area
Each area has specification-statement-level answer pages with worked exam questions and cross-links, plus an overview guide and a quiz. Browse the full set at /wjec-gcse/design-and-technology/syllabus.
Core technical principles
- New and emerging technologies
- Energy generation and storage
- Smart, modern and composite materials
- Systems approach and electronic systems
- Mechanical devices and motion
Materials and their properties
- Properties of materials
- Papers and boards
- Timbers and manufactured boards
- Metals and alloys
- Polymers
- Textiles and fibres
Manufacturing and production
- Scales of production
- Manufacturing and shaping processes
- Structures, forces and stresses
- Ergonomics and anthropometrics
Designing principles
- Design communication and CAD
- Sustainability and the 6 Rs
- The work of others and design movements
- Investigation, briefs and specifications
The design and make task
For the official specification
WJEC publishes the full specification, past papers and mark schemes at wjec.co.uk. Always revise from the current specification and WJEC's own past papers for your route, because the routes and question style are board-specific. Note that a new WJEC GCSE Design and Technology is being introduced for teaching from 2026; check which specification your course follows.
Design and Technology guides
In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.
- WJEC GCSE Design and Technology Core technical principles: new and emerging technologies, energy, smart materials, electronic systems and mechanical devices
A deep-dive WJEC GCSE Design and Technology guide to the core technical principles tested in Unit 1. Covers new and emerging technologies, energy generation and storage, smart, modern and composite materials, the systems approach with electronic components, and mechanical devices and motion, the knowledge common to all three routes.
14 min readRead β - WJEC GCSE Design and Technology Designing principles: communication and CAD, sustainability, the work of others, investigation and specifications
A deep-dive WJEC GCSE Design and Technology guide to the designing principles. Covers communicating ideas through sketching, drawing, modelling and CAD/CAM, sustainability and the 6 Rs, learning from the work of others and design movements, and investigating a problem to write a brief and a measurable design specification.
13 min readRead β - WJEC GCSE Design and Technology Manufacturing and production: scales of production, processes, structures and human factors
A deep-dive WJEC GCSE Design and Technology guide to manufacturing and production. Covers the four scales of production, the main processes for cutting, forming, joining and finishing, the forces acting on structures and how to reinforce them, and ergonomics and anthropometrics, the human factors that make products fit people.
13 min readRead β - WJEC GCSE Design and Technology Materials and their properties: papers and boards, timbers, metals, polymers and textiles
A deep-dive WJEC GCSE Design and Technology guide to materials and their properties. Covers physical and mechanical properties, papers and boards, hardwoods, softwoods and manufactured boards, ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys, thermoforming and thermosetting polymers, and natural, synthetic and regenerated textile fibres, with the selection reasoning WJEC rewards.
14 min readRead β - WJEC GCSE Design and Technology Unit 2 design and make task (NEA): an overview of the iterative process and assessment
A concise overview guide to the WJEC GCSE Design and Technology Unit 2 non-exam assessment. Covers the design and make task, the contextual challenges, the iterative stages from investigation to evaluation, how the work is internally assessed and externally moderated, and how it links to the designing principles.
11 min readRead β
Design and Technology practice quizzes
Multiple-choice drills with worked answer explanations. Your scores stay on this device.
- WJEC GCSE Design and Technology Core technical principles overview quiz15 questionsStart β
- WJEC GCSE Design and Technology Unit 2 design and make task (NEA) overview quiz12 questionsStart β
- WJEC GCSE Design and Technology Designing principles overview quiz15 questionsStart β
- WJEC GCSE Design and Technology Manufacturing and production overview quiz15 questionsStart β
- WJEC GCSE Design and Technology Materials and their properties overview quiz15 questionsStart β
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