AQA GCSE Design & Technology specification (8552)
Understanding the exam specification is key to doing well in your AQA GCSE Design & Technology exam. It lays out exactly what you need to learn, how you'll be assessed, and what skills the examiners seek. Whether you're working through the course for the first time or revising for your final exams, the specification helps you stay focused and confident in your preparation.
We've included helpful revision tools to support you in putting the specification into practice. Wherever you're starting from, you'll find everything you need to feel prepared, from the official specification to high-quality resources designed to help you succeed.
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In the next section, you'll find a simplified summary of the official AQA GCSE Design & Technology specification, along with a breakdown of key topics, assessment structure, and useful study resources. We've also included links to topic-level guides and revision tools to help you put the specification into practice.
Contents
Disclaimer
This page includes a summary of the official AQA GCSE Design & Technology (8552) specification, provided to support your revision. While we've made every effort to ensure accuracy, Save My Exams is not affiliated with the awarding body.
For the most complete and up-to-date information, we strongly recommend consulting the official AQA specification PDF.
Specification overview
The GCSE Design and Technology specification from AQA prepares students to participate confidently in a rapidly changing technological world. It fosters critical thinking, creativity, and informed design decision-making across various contexts such as historical, social, cultural, environmental, and economic influences. Students develop a broad knowledge of materials and manufacturing, with opportunities to specialise. The course centres on the iterative design process—exploring, creating, evaluating—and emphasises both theory and practical application. It supports progression to further education and careers in engineering, product design, architecture, and related fields:contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}.
Subject content breakdown
3.1 Core technical principles
- Understand new/emerging technologies and their impact on industry, enterprise, society, and environment
- Know different energy sources and storage: fossil fuels, nuclear, renewables, batteries
- Understand developments in modern, smart, composite and technical materials
- Study systems approach: inputs (sensors), processes (microcontrollers), outputs (lamps, buzzers)
- Understand mechanical devices: movement types, levers, linkages, cams, gears
- Know properties and categories of materials: papers/boards, timbers, metals, polymers, textiles
3.2 Specialist technical principles
- Selection of materials/components based on function, aesthetics, ethics, etc.
- Understand forces, stresses and reinforcement (e.g. lamination, folding)
- Consider ecological and social footprint (e.g. deforestation, pollution, the six Rs)
- Know sources/origins and conversion of materials
- Understand physical/mechanical properties in commercial use
- Learn stock forms/types/sizes and material efficiency
- Understand scales of production (prototype to continuous)
- Study tools, equipment, processes: shaping, joining, deforming, surface treatments
- Learn commercial processes and quality control measures
3.3 Designing and making principles
- Use data to investigate needs and write design briefs/specifications
- Consider environmental, social, economic challenges in design
- Analyse work of key designers (e.g. Zaha Hadid, William Morris) and companies (e.g. Dyson, Apple)
- Apply strategies: user-centred, iterative, systems approach
- Communicate design ideas using sketching, CAD, models, exploded views, orthographic drawings
- Develop prototypes: test, evaluate, justify material/component choices
- Apply tolerances, material management and efficient marking out
- Use specialist tools, techniques, surface finishes safely and effectively:contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
Assessment structure
Paper 1
- Written exam: 2 hours
- 100 marks
- 50% of GCSE
- Section A: Core technical principles (20 marks)
- Section B: Specialist technical principles (30 marks)
- Section C: Designing and making principles (50 marks)
- Includes multiple choice, short and extended responses
- At least 15% maths and 10% science content
Non-exam assessment (NEA)
- Design and make task based on contextual challenge
- Approx. 30–35 hours
- 100 marks
- 50% of GCSE
- Tasks: investigate, brief/specification, idea generation, development, making, evaluation
- Produce working prototype and design portfolio (max 20 pages A3 or equivalent)
- Internally assessed, externally moderated:contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
Key tips for success
Doing well in your AQA GCSE Design & Technology isn't just about how much you study, but how you study. Here are a few proven tips to help you stay on track
- Start with a clear plan: Break the subject into topics and create a revision schedule that allows enough time for each. Start early to avoid last-minute stress.
- Focus on understanding, not memorising: Use our revision notes to build a strong foundation in each topic, making sure you actually understand the material.
- Practise regularly: Attempt past papers to familiarise yourself with the exam format and timing. Mark your answers to see how close you are to full marks.
- Be strategic with your revision: Use exam questions by topic to focus on weaker areas, and flashcards to reinforce important facts and terminology.
- Learn from mistakes: Whether it's from mock exams or practice questions, spend time reviewing what went wrong and why. This helps prevent repeat mistakes in the real exam.
- Stay balanced: Don't forget to take regular breaks, eat well, and get enough sleep, a healthy routine makes revision much more effective.
With the right approach and consistent practice, you'll build confidence and improve your chances of exam success.
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