Design and Technology (Product Design)

Course summary

The Design and Technology A-level builds on the experience of GCSE and allows students to further their studies through Product Design. We will investigate historical, social, cultural, environmental and economic influences on design and technology, whilst enjoying opportunities to put the learning into practice by producing artefacts. Students will gain a real understanding of what it means to be a designer, alongside the knowledge and skills sought by higher education and employers, especially those in the creative industries. The course is closely linked to the real world of product/system manufacture whilst offering opportunities to acquire and demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the world of designing and making. Students will develop an awareness of the responsibilities that designers and technologists have and the potential that exists to change and shape lives. There are clear links between aspects of the specification content and other subject areas such as Computer Science (‘The use of computer systems’ and ‘Digital design and manufacture’); Business Studies (‘Enterprise and marketing in the development of products’); Art and Design (‘Design communication’) and History (‘Design Theory’). Students must also demonstrate maths and science skills through their written papers and their non-exam assessment. This is not an exhaustive list, and there are other opportunities within the specification for students to integrate and apply their wider learning and understanding from other subject areas studied during Key Stage 4, as well as those subjects that they are studying alongside A-level Design and Technology.