Specification at a glance

This qualification is linear. Linear means that students will sit all their exams and submit all their non-exam assessment at the end of the course.

Subject content

Paper 1
What's assessed Core technical principles Specialist technical principles Designing and making principles
How it's assessed Written exam: 2 hours 100 marks 50% of GCSE
Questions Section A – Core technical principles (20 marks) A mixture of multiple choice and short answer questions assessing a breadth of technical knowledge and understanding. Section B – Specialist technical principles (30 marks) Several short answer questions (2–5 marks) and one extended response to assess a more in depth knowledge of technical principles. Section C – Designing and making principles (50 marks) A mixture of short answer and extended response questions.

Paper 1

What's assessed

How it's assessed

Questions

Section A – Core technical principles (20 marks)

A mixture of multiple choice and short answer questions assessing a breadth of technical knowledge and understanding.

Section B – Specialist technical principles (30 marks)

Several short answer questions (2–5 marks) and one extended response to assess a more in depth knowledge of technical principles.

Section C – Designing and making principles (50 marks)

A mixture of short answer and extended response questions.

Non-exam assessment (NEA)
What's assessed Practical application of: Core technical principles Specialist technical principles Designing and making principles
How it's assessed Non-exam assessment (NEA): 30–35 hours approx 100 marks 50% of GCSE
Task(s) Substantial design and make task Assessment criteria: Identifying and investigating design possibilities Producing a design brief and specification Generating design ideas Developing design ideas Realising design ideas Analysing & evaluating In the spirit of the iterative design process, the above should be awarded holistically where they take place and not in a linear manner Contextual challenges to be released annually by AQA on 1 June in the year prior to the submission of the NEA Students will produce a prototype and a portfolio of evidence Work will be marked by teachers and moderated by AQA

Non-exam assessment (NEA)

What's assessed

Practical application of:

How it's assessed

Task(s)

Substantial design and make task
Assessment criteria:
- Identifying and investigating design possibilities
- Producing a design brief and specification
- Generating design ideas
- Developing design ideas
- Realising design ideas
- Analysing & evaluating
In the spirit of the iterative design process, the above should be awarded holistically where they take place and not in a linear manner
Contextual challenges to be released annually by AQA on 1 June in the year prior to the submission of the NEA
Students will produce a prototype and a portfolio of evidence
Work will be marked by teachers and moderated by AQA