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Design and TechnologyQ&A by dot point
A short Q&A bank for every Wales Design and Technology syllabus dot point. Each question and answer is drawn directly from our worked dot-point page, so you can scan key concepts before opening the long-form answer.
Unit 1: Core technical principles
- Energy generation from fossil fuels, nuclear power and renewable sources, the advantages and disadvantages of each, and energy storage in batteries and cells for portable products.2Q&A pairs
- The four types of motion, levers and linkages, rotary systems of gears, pulleys and belts, and cams and followers, with mechanical advantage and gear ratio.2Q&A pairs
- The impact of new and emerging technologies on industry, enterprise, sustainability, people, culture, society and the environment, including automation, and the choice between meeting needs and wants.2Q&A pairs
- Smart materials that respond to a change in their environment, modern materials developed through new processes, and composite materials that combine two or more materials for improved properties.2Q&A pairs
- The systems approach of input, process and output, the function of sensors and output devices, and the use of programmable components such as microcontrollers in electronic products.2Q&A pairs
Unit 2: Design and make task (NEA)
Unit 1: Designing principles
- Methods of communicating design ideas, including freehand sketching, isometric and orthographic drawing, working drawings, modelling, and computer-aided design and manufacture (CAD/CAM).2Q&A pairs
- Identifying needs and wants, the design context and target market, writing a design brief, and producing a design specification with measurable, justified criteria.2Q&A pairs
- Sustainability and the 6 Rs, the life cycle of a product, the ecological and social footprint of design, and ethical issues such as fair trade and responsible sourcing.2Q&A pairs
- The work of past and present designers and companies, major design movements and styles, and how studying the work of others informs and inspires new design.2Q&A pairs
Unit 1: Manufacturing and production
- Ergonomics and anthropometrics, the use of body measurement data and percentiles, and how designers apply them to make products comfortable, safe and usable.2Q&A pairs
- Processes for shaping materials including cutting and wasting, forming such as vacuum forming and casting, joining and assembly, and surface finishing, and how these suit different materials and scales.2Q&A pairs
- The four scales of production, one-off, batch, mass and continuous, their features, advantages and disadvantages, and how to match a scale to a product and quantity.2Q&A pairs
- The forces of tension, compression, bending, shear and torsion, how structures resist them, and ways to reinforce and stiffen a structure such as triangulation, webbing and folding.2Q&A pairs
Unit 1: Materials and their properties
- Ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys, named examples such as mild steel, aluminium, copper, brass and stainless steel, their properties and why alloys are made.2Q&A pairs
- Common papers and boards including layout, cartridge, tracing and grid paper, and corrugated card, foam board, mount board and duplex board, their properties, weights and uses.2Q&A pairs
- Thermoforming and thermosetting polymers, named examples such as acrylic, HIPS, PET, PP and epoxy resin, their properties and uses, and the difference in how they respond to heat.2Q&A pairs
- The physical and mechanical properties of materials, including strength, hardness, toughness, ductility, malleability, elasticity, density and conductivity, and how they guide material selection.2Q&A pairs
- Natural, synthetic and regenerated fibres and named examples, woven, knitted and non-woven fabric construction, and why fibres are blended.2Q&A pairs
- Hardwoods and softwoods, named examples and their properties, and manufactured boards such as plywood, MDF and chipboard, with their advantages and uses.2Q&A pairs