What are the main papers and boards, and what is each one used for?
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.
A focused answer to the WJEC GCSE Design and Technology content on papers and boards, covering layout, cartridge, tracing and grid papers and corrugated, foam, mount and duplex boards, how paper and board are measured, and what each is used for in designing and modelling.
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What this topic is asking
WJEC's materials content includes papers and boards, the materials designers use most for sketching, presenting and modelling. You need to name common types, know how they are measured, and match each to a task. This is core knowledge for Unit 1, and especially relevant to the Product Design route and to design communication.
How paper and board are measured
Common papers
Common boards
Matching paper or board to a task
The choice follows the task and the property it needs: thin layout paper for fast, cheap idea sketches; cartridge for a quality presentation; grid paper for accurate scale drawing; corrugated card to protect fragile goods; foam board for stiff, light models; duplex for printed food packaging. Cost matters too, so designers use cheap layout paper for the many early ideas and save the more expensive cartridge paper and boards for accurate work and final models.
Try this
Q1. State the unit used to measure paper and board, and the approximate threshold above which it is called board. [2 marks]
- Cue. Grams per square metre (gsm); above about 200 gsm.
Q2. Name a suitable board for a light, rigid architectural model. [1 mark]
- Cue. Foam board.
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-style3 marksName a suitable paper or board for each task and give a reason: a presentation drawing, a model of a building, and protective packaging for a vase.Show worked answer →
A three mark application question, one material and reason for each. Presentation drawing: cartridge paper, because it is thick and slightly textured, takes pencil, ink and paint well without buckling (1 mark). Model of a building: foam board, because it is light, rigid and easily cut, giving clean stiff walls (1 mark). Packaging for a vase: corrugated card, because its fluted middle layer absorbs shock and protects fragile contents (1 mark). Markers reward a sensible match plus a property-based reason. A common error is to name a material without justifying it.
WJEC-style2 marksExplain how paper and board are measured and where the dividing line between them lies.Show worked answer →
A two mark knowledge question. Paper and board are measured by weight in grams per square metre (gsm), which describes the mass of one square metre of the material (1 mark). The general rule is that anything above about 200 gsm is called board and anything below is called paper (1 mark). Markers reward the gsm measure and the 200 gsm threshold. Thickness in microns is also accepted as a measure for board.
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