Design Technology (AQA

Entry Requirements

Students should have gained at least a GCSE Grade 6 in GCSE Design and Technology. In certain circumstances the school will accept students on to this A Level course who have not previously studied Design and Technology at GCSE. Interested parties will be asked to complete an entry test to assess their suitability.

Product Design is everywhere!

Have you ever thought that you could improve a product that you use? Perhaps you dream of being the next Jonathan Ive, James Dyson or Elon Musk; perhaps you would love to develop stunning automotive solutions like Pininfarina; maybe you want to help save the planet by inventing products that clean our oceans of plastic waste; or maybe you are excited about the future of robotic limbs? If any of these possibilities resonate with you, then you should be taking A Level Design and Technology. As a Product Designer you will be focused on solving problems for different contexts through a range of skills and knowledge. You will need to be a creative thinker who brings all aspects of a product together to work in harmony. In addition to aesthetics and ergonomics, you’ll also need to know about how products function, manufacturing processes, material properties and how marketing impacts on their success.

This creative and thought-provoking qualification gives students the practical skills, theoretical knowledge and confidence to succeed in a number of careers, especially those in the creative and engineering industries. They will investigate social, cultural, environmental and economic influences on design and technology, whilst enjoying opportunities to put their learning into practice by producing designs, models and prototypes. Students will gain a real understanding of what it means to be a designer, alongside the knowledge and skills sought by higher education and employers.

This A Level is assessed through a design-and-make portfolio (a nonexamined assessment) which is worth 50% of the Grade and the remaining 50% comes from 2 written exams as outlined below:

Course Content

What’s assessed

Exam Paper 1 Technical principles

Exam Paper 2 Designing and making principles

Non-examined Assessment (NEA)

Practical application of technical principles, designing and making principles.

How it’s assessed

•Written exam: 2.5 hours • 120 marks • 30% of A Level

• Written exam: 1.5 hours • 80 marks • 20% of A Level

• Substantial design and make project • 100 marks • 50% of A Level

Details

Mixture of short answer and extended response.

Mixture of short answer and extended response questions. Section A: Product Analysis: 30 marks Up to 6 short answer questions based on visual stimulus of product(s). Section B: Commercial manufacture: 50 marks Mixture of short and extended response questions

Students identify a problem and a Client and photographic evidence of final prototype.

Design & Technology at Berkhamsted

We aim to provide an opportunity for students to develop their own creativity, capability and entrepreneurial skills and apply knowledge and understanding to a range of technological activities. Students are also expected to develop critical thinking and collaborative skills. A Level Design and Technology is an obvious complementary subject to Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, Business, and Art and Design. It can also be a good fit with humanities subjects like Psychology, Sociology, English, History, Geography and Modern Languages.

Future Prospects

Design and Technology A Level is fully recognised by universities and may lead to the following careers:

Product Design, Furniture Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Materials Science, any of the multitude of Engineering industries (when combined with Science and Mathematics), Robotics and Animatronics, Graphic Design, Computer Graphics, Set Design and Special Effects for TV, Film and Theatre, Automotive Design, and Architecture.