A Level Design and Technology Topics by Exam Board: Full List

A Level Design and Technology – currently offered by AQA (opens in a new tab), Pearson Edexcel (opens in a new tab), OCR (opens in a new tab) and WJEC (Eduqas (opens in a new tab) in England and CBAC (opens in a new tab) in Wales) – has different topics depending on which endorsement you select. You’ll either choose Product Design (offered by all exam boards), Fashion and Textiles (available for AQA, OCR and WJEC), Design Engineering (offered by OCR) or Engineering Design (offered by WJEC CBAC).

This article includes an official and complete breakdown of the topics you need to revise for A Level Design and Technology. We’ve summarised the subject content from each exam board to show you exactly what you need to know, and how you can use topic lists for effective revision.

Key Takeaways

• AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC (Eduqas in England and WJEC in Wales) all currently offer A Level Design and Technology

• Avoid revising unnecessary content by only looking at your exam board’s specification

• Use topic lists to create a revision plan and organise your notes

Why It's Important to Know Your Exam Board

Although subject content often overlaps across exam boards, each exam board has a different syllabus. This means that the same subject can be taught very differently in one exam board compared to another, with varying topics, skills and assessment methods.

Knowing exactly which topics your exam board covers means you can create a focused revision plan. You won't waste time studying content that won't be tested, and you'll know exactly what to expect when it comes to exams.

AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC (Eduqas in England and WJEC in Wales) all currently offer A Level Design and Technology. Ask your teacher if you’re not sure which exam board you’re using.

AQA A Level Design and Technology Topics (7552: Product Design and 7562: Fashion and Textiles)

Whether you choose Product Design (opens in a new tab) or Fashion and Textiles (opens in a new tab), you’ll study the following: 

1. Technical principles

• Materials and their applications

• Performance characteristics and enhancement of materials

• Forming, redistribution and addition processes (Product Design) 

• Methods of joining and use of components (Fashion and Textiles)

• Use of finishes

• Modern industrial and commercial practice

• Digital design and manufacture

• Requirements for design and development

• Health and safety

• Protecting designs and intellectual property

• Design for manufacturing, maintenance, repair and disposal

• Feasibility studies

• Enterprise and marketing in the development of products

• Design communication
  
  

2. Designing and making principles

• Design methods and processes

• Design theory

• How technology and cultural changes can impact on the work of designers

• Design processes

• Critical analysis and evaluation

• Selecting appropriate tools, equipment and processes

• Accuracy in design and manufacture

• Responsible design

• Design for manufacture and project management

• National and international standards in product design

The table below shows what comes up in each paper:

Pearson Edexcel A Level Design and Technology Topics (9DT0)

Product Design (opens in a new tab), which is currently the only Pearson Edexcel endorsement, consists of the following topics:

1. Principles

• Materials and their performance characteristics

• Processes and techniques

• Digital technologies

• Factors influencing the development of products

• Effects of technological developments

• Potential hazards and risk assessment

• Features of manufacturing industries

• Designing for maintenance and the cleaner environment

• Current legislation

• Information handling, modelling and forward planning

2. Independent design and make project

• Identifying and outlining possibilities for design

• Designing a prototype

• Making a final prototype 

• Evaluating own design and prototype

The table below shows what comes up in each component:

OCR A Level Design and Technology Topics (H404-H406)

Design Engineering (H404), Fashion and Textiles (H405) and Product Design (H406) all consist of 9 topics, which are broken down into key questions (considerations): 

1. Identifying requirements

• What can be learnt by exploring contexts that design solutions are intended for?

• What can be learnt by undertaking stakeholder analysis?

• How can usability be considered when designing prototypes?
  
  

2. Learning from existing products and practice

• Why is it important to analyse and evaluate products as part of the design and manufacturing process?

• Why is it important to understand technological developments and both past and present developments?

• What can be learnt by examining lifecycles of products?
  
  

3. Implications of wider issues

• What factors need to be considered when designing and manufacturing products to overcome possible conflicts between moral and commercial factors? (Design Engineering)

• What factors need to be considered whilst investigating design possibilities? (Fashion and Textiles and Product Design)

• What factors need to be considered when developing design solutions for manufacture, manufacturing and distributing products to markets?

• What energy factors need to be considered when developing design solutions? (Design Engineering)

• How can skills and knowledge from other subject areas, including mathematics and science, inform decisions?
  
  

4. Design thinking and communication

• How do designers and designer engineers use annotated 2D and 3D sketching and digital tools to graphically communicate ideas?

• How do industry professionals use digital design tools to support and communicate the exploration, innovation and development of design ideas?

• How do designers and design engineers use different approaches to design thinking to support the development of design ideas?
  
  

5. Material considerations

• What factors influence the selection of materials that are used in products?

• What materials/components should be selected when designing and manufacturing products and prototypes?

• Why is it important to consider the properties/characteristics of materials when designing and manufacturing products?
  
  

6. Technical understanding

• What considerations need to be made about the structural integrity of a design solution?

• How do mechanisms provide functionality to products and systems? (Design Engineering)

• How can products be designed to function effectively within their surroundings? (Fashion and Textiles and Product Design)

• What forces need consideration to ensure structural and mechanical efficiency? (Design Engineering)

• What opportunities are there through using smart materials, e-textiles and technical textiles within products? (Fashion and Textiles)

• What opportunities are there through using smart and modern technologies within products? (Product Design)

• How can electronic systems offer functionality to design solutions? (Design Engineering)

• How can programmable devices and smart technologies provide functionality in system design? (Design Engineering)
  
  

7. Manufacturing processes and techniques

• How can materials and processes be used to make iterative models, final prototypes and commercial products?

• How is manufacturing organised and managed for different scales of production?

• How is the quality of products controlled through manufacture?
  
  

8. Viability of design solutions

• How can design engineers assess whether a design solution meets its stakeholder requirements?

• How can designers and design engineers assess whether a design solution meets the criteria of technical specifications?

• How do designers, design engineers and manufacturers determine whether design solutions are commercially viable?
  
  

9. Health and safety

• How can safety be ensured when working with materials in a workshop environment?

• What are the implications of health and safety legislation on product manufacture?

The table below shows what comes up in each component:

WJEC Eduqas A Level Design and Technology Topics (A601QS: Fashion and Textiles and A602QS: Product Design)

Whether you choose Fashion and Textiles or Product Design, you’ll study the following: 

1. Technical principles

• Designing and innovation

• Materials and components

• Processes

• Industrial and commercial practice

• Product analysis and systems

• Human responsibility

• Public interaction
  
  

2. Design and making principles

• User-centred design, circular economy, systems thinking and design theory

• Product development process

• The impact of current and historic technological developments and social, moral and ethical factors on the work of designers and technologists

• Iterative design and make processes and design for manufacture

• Use of specialist tools, techniques, processes, equipment and machinery appropriate to the design and manufacture of domestic, commercial and industrial products and systems

• Accuracy and precision required for products to perform as intended

• Prototype/product evaluation

• Strategies, techniques and approaches to explore, create and evaluate design ideas

• Approaches to project management

• Environmental factors and application of relevant standards to design tasks

• Stages of a product life cycle

The table below shows what comes up in each paper:

WJEC CBAC A Level Design and Technology Topics (1601QS: Engineering Design, 1602QS: Fashion and Textiles and 1603QS: Product Design)

Engineering Design, Fashion and Textiles and Product Design all share the following topics:

1. Technical principles

• Main features of manufacturing industries

• Regulatory and legislative framework for health and safety

• Feasibility studies

• Design for manufacturing, repair or maintenance, and product life

• Optimum use of materials and components

• Implications of intellectual property, registered designs, registered trademarks, copyright, design rights and patents

• The role of marketing, enterprise, innovation and collaboration in product development
  
  

2. Design and making principles

• User-centred design, circular economy and systems thinking

• Approaches to project management

• Design for manufacture

• Environmental factors

• Application of relevant standards to design tasks

• Stages of a product life cycle

The table below shows what comes up in each A Level unit:

How to Use Topic Lists for Revision

Create a revision plan

Print or write out the topics for your endorsement into a checklist. Use the traffic light system (opens in a new tab) to prioritise weaker areas, and tick each area off as you revise. Seeing progress is really motivating, and it stops you from accidentally skipping anything important.

Organise your notes and revision materials

Group your notes, including your maths and science knowledge and skills, by topic. You’ll find it much easier to put your theoretical knowledge into practice with well-organised notes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to revise all A Level Design and Technology topics for the exam?

Yes, you’ll need to revise both the technical and design and making principles for your one chosen endorsement (e.g. Product Design or Fashion and Textiles).

Are these topics the same across all exam boards?

No. Though technical and design and making principles overlap across exam boards, endorsements and their content vary, so each exam board is distinct.

How do I know which topics I struggle with most?

Complete past paper questions and check how you did against the mark scheme. You can then use the traffic light system to prioritise revising whichever areas you’re least confident in.

Do all topics come up in every exam paper?

You won’t find every single topic for every endorsement in the exams, but the written paper is designed to test a wide range of principles. The NEA also assesses how effectively you apply these principles in practice, so you shouldn’t skip any topics for your endorsement.

Final Thoughts

Using topic lists to structure your A Level Design and Technology revision means you'll know exactly what to study, and how to allocate your time between each area.

Bookmark or print this page, and use it as your roadmap. Work through each topic, tick it off as you go, practise answering past paper questions, and persevere to improve your knowledge and skills for the exams.

References

• How to Use the Traffic Light System to Improve Your Marks (opens in a new tab)

• AQA A Level Design and Technology (opens in a new tab)

• Pearson Edexcel A Level Design and Technology (opens in a new tab)

• OCR A Level Design and Technology (opens in a new tab)

• WJEC Eduqas A Level Design and Technology (opens in a new tab)

• WJEC CBAC A Level Design and Technology (opens in a new tab)