AS/A2 Design and Technology: Product Design

Design and Technology: Product Design

Level: AS and A2

Exam Board: AQA

Syllabus No: AS 5551, A2 6511

What will I study?

The course has been designed to encourage students to take a broad view of design and technology, to develop their capacity to design and make products and to appreciate aspects of design, materials, manufacture and marketing. The AS course contains two units of equal weighting:

• UNIT 1. Materials, components and application
• UNIT 2. Learning through designing and making


The A2 course also contains two units of equal weighting:
• UNIT 3. Design and manufacture
• UNIT 4. Design and making practice

The department is part of the CAD/CAM in Schools Initiative and students are taught to use Pro/DESKTOP, an industry standard CAD system, which links to our CNC router, lathe and laser cutter. Students on the course receive a free copy of the latest Pro/DESKTOP (v8) CAD software for home use. There are opportunities to have your designs displayed in impressive locations such as Christopher Pratts Fine Furnishings in Leeds. Students in the department have on-going access to excellent ICT facilities and use a Virtual Learning Environment to support their work in college and at home.

How is this course assessed?

AS One two hour written paper (50%) One electronically submitted portfolio of design coursework and practical outcome(s) (50%) A2 One two hour written paper (25% of overall A level mark) One electronically submitted portfolio of design coursework supporting a substantial making activity (25% of overall A level mark)

What next?

Students successfully completing this qualification have progressed onto a range of related Higher Education courses and careers. Recent examples include: Automotive Design at Coventry University, Industrial Design at Loughborough University and a range of Design courses at Huddersfield University.