IGCSE Design & Technology Topics by Exam Board: Full List

If you're considering IGCSE Design & Technology, you're looking at a subject that combines creativity with practical problem-solving. Understanding exactly what you'll study and how the course differs between exam boards will help you prepare effectively and get the most from this hands-on qualification. This guide breaks down the topic areas for each board, so you know precisely what to expect.

After 27 years in education - as Head of GCSE, Head of Sixth Form, and a classroom teacher - I’ve learned that clarity and structure make all the difference. Students thrive when they know what’s expected, and teachers feel more confident guiding them. This guide comes from years of seeing what works in real classrooms.

Key Takeaways

• Cambridge (opens in a new tab) and OxfordAQA (opens in a new tab) are the main exam boards offering IGCSE Design & Technology, each with different approaches and content structures.

• Cambridge requires you to study core product design content plus one specialist option: Resistant Materials, Systems & Control, or Graphic Products.

• OxfordAQA focuses specifically on Product Design with coverage of core technical principles and specialist material categories.

• Both boards assess through a combination of written examinations and coursework projects that demonstrate your design and making skills.

Which Exam Boards Offer IGCSE Design & Technology?

Two main exam boards offer IGCSE Design & Technology: Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) (opens in a new tab) and OxfordAQA. (opens in a new tab)

Cambridge IGCSE Design & Technology (syllabus code 0445) (opens in a new tab) takes a broad approach with three distinct specialist pathways. All students study common product design content covering the design process from initial ideas through to final evaluation. 

You then specialise in either Resistant Materials (working with woods, metals, and plastics), Systems & Control (covering structures, mechanisms, or electronics), or Graphic Products (focusing on technical drawing, packaging, and visual communication). This structure gives you depth in your chosen area while maintaining solid foundations across the subject.

OxfordAQA International GCSE Design and Technology: Product Design (syllabus code 9252) concentrates specifically on product design from concept to manufacture. 

The course covers core technical principles that apply across all materials, then allows you to specialise by working with one or more material categories such as timber, metals, polymers, textiles, or electronic systems. This approach emphasises the iterative design process and real-world application of technical knowledge.

IGCSE Design & Technology Topic Lists by Exam Board

Both boards structure their content around developing your ability to design and make products that solve real problems. Here's what each covers.

Cambridge (CAIE)

Cambridge IGCSE Design & Technology (opens in a new tab) is built around common content that all students study, plus one specialist option.

Common Content: Product Design

This foundation content covers the complete design cycle:

• Design process: Identifying needs, developing design briefs and specifications, researching, generating ideas, selecting solutions, evaluating, and implementation

• Health and safety: Safe working practices, correct use of tools and equipment, designer responsibilities

• Communication: Technical drawing, sketching, modelling, written and visual communication of ideas

• Technology in design: CAD/CAM, computer-controlled machines, stock control, quality control

• Design and society: Social, environmental, and economic impacts, role of designers, meeting human needs

• Practical application: Production methods (one-off, batch, mass), function and aesthetics, anthropometrics and ergonomics

• Sustainability: Energy sources, material selection, recycling, product lifecycle, planned obsolescence

• Control systems: Input devices, processing, output devices, feedback

Specialist Options

Cambridge requires you to study core product design content plus one specialist option - typically Resistant Materials, Systems & Control, or Graphic Products (availability may vary by centre).

1. Resistant Materials

This option focuses on working with woods, metals, and plastics:

• Types of materials: Plastics (thermoplastics and thermosetting), natural and manufactured timbers, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, composites

• Smart and modern materials: Thermochromic materials, polymorph, shape memory alloys and polymers

• Preparation and measuring: Market forms, cutting, setting out, marking out, using measuring tools

• Shaping processes: Bending, casting, moulding, vacuum forming, lamination, wastage techniques

• Joining methods: Permanent and temporary joints, fabrication, adhesives, mechanical fixings, carcase construction

• Finishing: Surface treatments, paints, lacquers, stains, special finishes, electroplating, anodising

2. Systems & Control

This option covers structures, mechanisms, or electronics. You study key content across all three areas, then specialise in one:

Key content (all students):

• Types of structures and structural materials

• Frames, applied loads, reactions, tension, compression, shear

• Levers and linkages

• Transmission of motion using gears

• Friction and lubrication

• Types of motion: rotary, linear, reciprocating, oscillating

• Basic electronics concepts, circuit symbols, switches

Specialist focus areas (choose one):

• Structures: Moments, stress and strain, types of structural members, joints, factor of safety

• Mechanisms: Mechanical advantage, velocity ratio, gear systems, belts and pulleys, bearings, cams, cranks

• Electronics: Ohm's law, circuit building, resistors, transistors, diodes, capacitors, time delay circuits, logic gates.

3. Graphic Products

This option develops technical drawing and visual communication skills:

• Formal drawing: British Standards, orthographic projection (first and third angle), dimensioning

• Pictorial drawing: Isometric, planometric, perspective drawing

• Technical views: Sectional views, exploded views, assembly drawings

• Geometrical construction: Regular shapes, tangents, developments (nets), ellipses

• Presentation: Rendering techniques, lettering, layout, data graphics, signs and symbols

• Materials and modelling: Paper, card, plastics, foam, joining methods

• ICT applications: CAD/CAM, digital imaging, reprographics

Oxford AQA

OxfordAQA International GCSE Design and Technology: Product Design (opens in a new tab) is structured around core technical principles with specialist knowledge applied through different material categories.

Core Technical Principles (Section A)

All students study these foundational topics:

• Materials and their working properties: Understanding material characteristics, selection criteria, and performance

• Sources and origins: Where materials come from, extraction, processing, environmental impact

• Stock forms and sizes: Available forms, standard sizes, commercial availability

• Design for manufacture: Production methods, tolerances, quality control, manufacturing systems

• Forces and stresses: Tension, compression, bending, torsion, shear, structural design

• Ecological and social issues: Sustainability, lifecycle assessment, carbon footprint, ethical manufacture, planned obsolescence

• Design processes and strategies: Identifying problems, research, developing specifications, generating ideas, modelling, testing, evaluation

• Communication of design ideas: Technical drawing, CAD, rendering, annotation, presentation techniques

Specialist Technical Principles (Section B)

These are taught through one or more material categories that your school chooses to focus on:

• Timber-based materials: Natural timbers, manufactured boards, properties, working techniques, joining methods, finishes

• Metal-based materials: Ferrous and non-ferrous metals, alloys, properties, forming techniques, joining, surface treatments

• Polymers: Thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers, properties, moulding processes, joining, finishing

• Textiles: Natural and synthetic fibres, fabric construction, properties, construction techniques, decoration

• Electronic systems: Input devices, processors, output devices, circuit design, programmable components

• Mechanical systems: Motion, mechanisms, mechanical advantage, gears, cams, linkages

The specialist content is applied practically as you design and make products using your chosen material categories. This integrated approach means you develop deep knowledge of specific materials while understanding how they fit within broader product design principles.

Assessment Overview

Both Cambridge and OxfordAQA assess through a combination of written examinations and practical coursework. Understanding the structure helps you allocate your time and effort effectively.

Cambridge IGCSE Design & Technology

• Paper 1 – Product Design (25%): 1 hour 15 minutes written/drawing paper testing common content. Answer one design question from a choice of three.

• Component 2 – Project (50%): Internally assessed coursework. A substantial design and make project completed over two terms, including design folder and made product.

• Paper 3, 4, or 5 – Specialist Option (25%): 1 hour written paper testing your chosen specialist option plus common content. Section A contains compulsory questions; Section B offers a choice.

OxfordAQA International GCSE Design and Technology

• Paper 1 – Core Technical Principles (50%): 2 hours written examination covering Section A content. Mix of multiple choice, short answer, and extended response questions.

• Paper 2 – Specialist Technical Principles (50%): This includes the Non-Exam Assessment (NEA), a practical design-and-make project assessed separately from the written paper.

Here's a direct comparison:

How To Know Which Exam Board You're Studying

If you're not sure which exam board your school uses for IGCSE Design & Technology, here's how to find out:

• Ask your Design & Technology teacher: This is always the quickest and most reliable method. Your teacher will know immediately whether you're following Cambridge or OxfordAQA.

• Check your course handbook or syllabus: Your department should have given you documentation at the start of the course that states the exam board and syllabus code.

• Look at past papers or practice materials: Cambridge papers will show syllabus code 0445 and Cambridge International branding. OxfordAQA materials will show code 9252 and OxfordAQA branding.

• Check your school website: Many schools publish information about the exam boards they use for different subjects.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a coursework or project in IGCSE Design & Technology?

Yes, coursework forms a substantial part of both exam boards' assessments. For Cambridge, the project accounts for 50% of your final grade and involves creating a design folder alongside a made product over approximately two terms. You identify a problem, research it, develop design ideas, plan production, make your product, and evaluate the outcome. 

OxfordAQA's Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) also represents 50% of your grade and follows a similar design-and-make process. Both boards want to see evidence of your practical making skills and your ability to work through the complete design process independently.

Which exam board is best for IGCSE Design & Technology?

There isn't a universally 'best' board – it depends on your school's resources and your interests. Cambridge offers clearly defined specialist options which work well if you know you want to focus on electronics, technical drawing, or traditional resistant materials. The three distinct pathways mean you get real depth in one area. 

OxfordAQA's approach gives more flexibility to work across different materials within a product design framework, which suits schools with varied workshop facilities or students who want to explore multiple materials. The quality and recognition of both qualifications are equally strong. Your choice is typically made by your school based on their facilities and expertise, rather than by individual students.

Do I need to be good at drawing or CAD to take IGCSE D&T?

You don't need to start the course as an accomplished artist or CAD expert, but you do need to be willing to develop these communication skills. Design & Technology requires you to communicate ideas visually through sketches, technical drawings, and increasingly through CAD. Most students develop these skills throughout the course with practice and guidance. If you choose Cambridge's Graphic Products option, drawing skills become more central to the assessment. 

For other pathways, sketching and CAD are tools to communicate your design thinking rather than ends in themselves. The key is being prepared to work on these skills systematically. Students who struggle often improve dramatically when they practice regularly and learn to see drawing as design thinking made visible, not fine art.

Final Thoughts

Understanding IGCSE Design & Technology topics by exam board gives you a clear picture of what lies ahead. Whether you're following Cambridge's specialist pathways or OxfordAQA's product design focus, success comes from engaging fully with both the theoretical content and practical making throughout your course. 

The students I've worked with who do best are those who start their projects early, seek feedback regularly, and treat the subject as genuine problem-solving rather than just making things. Use this topic breakdown to plan your revision for written exams and ensure your project work addresses all the assessment criteria. Design & Technology rewards those who think creatively, work systematically, and aren't afraid to learn from mistakes along the way. With clear understanding of what your specific board expects, you're well-positioned to make the most of this practical and creative qualification.

References: 

https://www.oxfordaqa.com/subjects/design-and-technology/ (opens in a new tab)

https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/programmes-and-qualifications/cambridge-igcse-design-and-technology-0445/past-papers/ (opens in a new tab)