We want students who: are creative and enjoy designing. If a student is the sort of person who looks at a product and wonders how it is made or thinks about how it could be improved, then Product Design might be for them. If they take things apart to see how they work, then they might have the sort of enquiring mind which would suit this course.

Students would not need to have studied GCSE Product Design or Engineering to access this course.

How will students be assessed?

AQA Design and Technology; Product Design 7552

This is a linear course, which means that candidates will be assessed at the end of Year 13.

They will take three papers.

Paper One is a mixture of short, multiple choice, and extended questions based on core design and technology knowledge, and is worth 25% of the A-Level.

Paper Two is a mixture of short, multiple choice, and extended questions based on specialist knowledge, technical designing and making principles, and is worth 25% of the A-Level.

Paper Three is the non-examination assessment. This is an extended design and make project, which allows candidates to demonstrate their research and analytical skills as well as their creative designing and making skills.  This section is worth 50% of the A-Level.

What other courses does it complement?

Product Design matches well with sciences, Maths and Art.

Next steps - what this course can lead to

There are many career opportunities including creative design, for example Product Design, Graphic Design, Theatre or Stage Design, Publishing, Television, Film or Radio Software, Games Design and Design Architecture. There are also a variety of pathways available in Engineering; these include Mechanical, Electrical, Electronic, Civil, Marine, Production, Design and many more.

St Benedict’s,

Sixth Form