aqa design and technology coursework deadline

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GCSE Design and Technology

• Specification
• Planning resources
• Teaching resources
• Assessment resources
• Introduction
• Specification at a glance
• 3.1 Core technical principles
• 3.2 Specialist technical principles
• 3.3 Designing and making principles

Scheme of assessment

• Non-exam assessment administration
• General administration
• Appendix 1: Links to maths and science

Find past papers and mark schemes, and specimen papers for new courses, on our website at aqa.org.uk/pastpapers

This specification is designed to be taken over two years.

This is a linear qualification. In order to achieve the award, students must complete all assessments at the end of the course and in the same series.

GCSE exams and certification for this specification are available for the first time in May/June 2019 and then every May/June for the life of the specification.

All materials are available in English only.

Our GCSE exams in Design and Technology include questions that allow students to demonstrate their ability to:

• recall information
• draw together information from different areas of the specification
• apply their knowledge and understanding in practical and theoretical contexts.

Aims and learning outcomes

Courses based on this specification must encourage students to:

• demonstrate their understanding that all design and technological activity takes place within contexts that influence the outcomes of design practice
• develop realistic design proposals as a result of the exploration of design opportunities and users’ needs, wants and values
• use imagination, experimentation and combine ideas when designing
• develop the skills to critique and refine their own ideas whilst designing and making
• communicate their design ideas and decisions using different media and techniques, as appropriate for different audiences at key points in their designing
• develop decision making skills, including the planning and organisation of time and resources when managing their own project work
• develop a broad knowledge of materials, components and technologies and practical skills to develop high quality, imaginative and functional prototypes
• be ambitious and open to explore and take design risks in order to stretch the development of design proposals, avoiding clichéd or stereotypical responses
• consider the costs, commercial viability and marketing of products
• demonstrate safe working practices in design and technology
• use key design and technology terminology including those related to: designing, innovation and communication; materials and technologies; making, manufacture and production; critiquing, values and ethics.

Assessment objectives

Assessment objectives (AOs) are set by Ofqual and are the same across all GCSE Design and Technology specifications and all exam boards.

The exams and non-exam assessment will measure how students have achieved the following assessment objectives.

• AO1: Identify, investigate and outline design possibilities to address needs and wants.
• AO2: Design and make prototypes that are fit for purpose.
• design decisions and outcomes, including for prototypes made by themselves and others
• wider issues in design and technology.
• technical principles
• designing and making principles.

Assessment objective weightings for GCSE Design and Technology

Assessment weightings.

The marks awarded on the papers will be scaled to meet the weighting of the components. Students’ final marks will be calculated by adding together the scaled marks for each component. Grade boundaries will be set using this total scaled mark. The scaling and total scaled marks are shown in the table below.

Non-exam assessment

The Non-exam assessment will contribute towards 50% of the students overall mark. The NEA project in its entirety should take between 30-35 hours to complete and consist of a working prototype and a concise portfolio of approximately 20 pages of A3 paper, equivalent A4 paper or the digital equivalent.

Students' work should consist of an investigation into a contextual challenge, defining the needs and wants of the user and include relevant research to produce a design brief and specification. Students should generate design ideas with flair and creativity and develop these to create a final design solution (including modelling). A manufacturing specification should be produced to conclude your design findings leading into the realisation of a final prototype that is fit for purpose and a final evaluation. Students should investigate, analyse and evaluate throughout the portfolio and evidence all decisions made.

Six criteria are produced for assessment and there are a number of points within each. Each band should be viewed holistically when marking assessments. Students who produce no work for a criterion or work that is below a GCSE standard should be awarded zero.

The criteria should not be viewed as a linear process to be followed in a step by step manner. Rather, students should be encouraged to follow the iterative design process and assessors encouraged to award marks where they are deserved and can be evidenced. You should ensure that the criteria are assessed accurately and students are not rewarded for quantity of work but the quality of work produced.

With the assessment process being viewed holistically it is vital that students clearly record their work so it is clear where the marks can be awarded. It is also essential that teachers provide clear annotation to support their assessments.

Setting the task

Students will be required to undertake a small-scale design and make task and produce a final prototype based on a design brief produced by the student.

The contextual challenges for the task will be set by AQA and allow students to select from a list issued to schools via e-AQA. The contexts will change every year and will be released on 1 June in the year prior to the assessment being submitted.

Taking the task

With reference to the context, students will be expected to develop a specific brief that meets the needs of a user, client or market.

The task must be of an appropriate level of complexity and contain a degree of uncertainty of the outcome so that students can engage in an iterative process of designing, making, testing, improving and evaluating.

Students must produce a final prototype based on the design brief that they have developed, along with a written or digital design folder or portfolio.

Students must produce a written or digital design folder clearly evidencing how the assessment criteria have been met, together with photographic evidence of the final manufactured prototype.

Students should produce a concise folder. We recommend that this folder does not exceed 20 pages of A3 paper, equivalent A4 paper or the digital equivalent.

Students who do not follow these guidelines will penalise themselves by not meeting the expectations of the assessment appropriately.

Students that exceed the recommended length will self-penalise by not being appropriately focused on the demands of the task. Students that produce work that is shorter than the recommended page count will self-penalise by not allowing appropriate coverage of the assessment objectives.

Time limits

We recommend that students should spend 30–35 hours on their NEA unless there are specific access requirements that should be considered.

We expect students to be selective in their choice of material to include, and to manage their time appropriately.

Students are free to revise and redraft a piece of work before submitting the final piece for assessment. You can review draft work and provide generic feedback to ensure that the work is appropriately focussed. In providing generic feedback you can :

• provide feedback in oral and/or written form
• explain syntax in general terms
• advise on resources that could be used
• remind students of the key sections that should be included in their final folder

In providing generic feedback you cannot :

• correct a student’s work
• provide templates, model answers or writing frames
• provide specific guidance
• provide specific feedback to students on how to improve their projects to meet the requirements of the marking criteria
• give examples of how to implement
• provide feedback where a student has produced an incomplete stage and this is sufficient to allow progression to the next stage.

A clear distinction must be drawn between providing feedback to students as part of work in progress and reviewing work once it has been submitted by the student for final assessment. Once work is submitted for final assessment it cannot be revised. It is not acceptable for you to give, either to individual students or to groups, feedback and suggestions as to how the work may be improved in order to meet the marking criteria.

In accordance with the JCQ Instructions for conducting NEAs, any support or feedback given to individual students which has not been provided to the class as a whole must be clearly recorded on the CRF and the student’s mark must be appropriately adjusted to represent the student’s unaided achievement.

Assessment criteria

Guidance on applying the marking criteria

Level of response marking instructions are broken down into mark bands , each of which has a descriptor. The descriptor for the mark band shows the average performance for the level required . Before you apply the mark scheme to a student’s project, review both the prototype and portfolio and annotate it and/or make notes on it to show the qualities that are being looked for. You can then apply the marking criteria. Start at the lowest band of the marking criteria and use it as a ladder to see whether the work meets the descriptor for that band . The descriptor for the band indicates the different qualities that might be seen in the student’s work for that level. If it meets descriptors for the lowest band then go to the next one and decide if it meets this, and so on, until you have a match between the band descriptor and the student's work. You can compare your student’s work with the standardisation examples to determine if it is the same standard, better or worse. When assigning a level you should look at the overall quality of the work. If the project covers different aspects of different levels of the mark scheme you should use a best fit approach for defining the level and then use the variability of the work to help decide the mark within the band .

• where the student’s work fully meets all statements, the highest mark should be awarded
• where the student’s work mostly meets all statements, the most appropriate mark in the middle of the range should be awarded
• where the learner’s work just meets the majority of statements, the lowest mark should be awarded.

There will be instances where a student fully meets for example 3/4 statements but only just meets the other. In this scenario a best-fit approach should be taken. If, in this scenario, the range of marks within the band was 16-20, then a mark of 18/19 would be appropriate.

The assessment criteria for the NEA are split into six sections as follows.

Section A: Identifying & investigating design possibilities (10 marks)

By analysing the contextual challenge students will identify design possibilities, investigate client needs and wants and factors including economic and social challenges. Students should also use the work of others (past and/or present) to help them form ideas. Research should be concise and relate to their contextual challenge. Students are also advised to use a range of research techniques (primary/secondary) in order to draw accurate conclusions. Students should be encouraged to investigate throughout their project to help inform decisions.

Section B: Producing a design brief & specification (10 marks)

Based on conclusions from their investigations students will outline design possibilities by producing a design brief and design specification. Students should review both throughout the project.

Section C: Generating design ideas (20 marks)

Students should explore a range of possible ideas linking to the contextual challenge selected. These design ideas should demonstrate flair and originality and students are encouraged to take risks with their designs. Students may wish to use a variety of techniques to communicate. Students will not be awarded for the quantity of design ideas but how well their ideas address the contextual challenge selected. Students are encouraged to be imaginative in their approach by experimenting with different ideas and possibilities that avoid design fixation. In the highest band students are expected to show some innovation by generating ideas that are different to the work of the majority of their peers or demonstrate new ways of improving existing solutions.

Section D: Developing design ideas (20 marks)

Students will develop and refine design ideas. This may include, formal and informal 2D/3D drawing including CAD, systems and schematic diagrams, models and schedules. Students will develop at least one model, however marks will be awarded for the suitability of the model(s) and not the quantity produced. Students will also select suitable materials and components communicating their decisions throughout the development process. Students are encouraged to reflect on their developed ideas by looking at their requirements; including how their designs meet the design specification. Part of this work will then feed into the development of a manufacturing specification providing sufficient accurate information for third party manufacture, using a range of appropriate methods, such as measured drawings, control programs, circuit diagrams, patterns, cutting or parts lists.

Section E: Realising design ideas (20 marks)

Students will work with a range of appropriate materials/components to produce prototypes that are accurate and within close tolerances. This will involve using specialist tools and equipment, which may include hand tools, machines or CAM/CNC. The prototypes will be constructed through a range of techniques, which may involve shaping, fabrication, construction and assembly. The prototypes will have suitable finish with functional and aesthetic qualities, where appropriate. Students will be awarded marks for the quality of their prototype(s) and how it addresses the design brief and design specification based on a contextual challenge.

Section F: Analysing & evaluating (20 marks)

Within this iterative design process students are expected to continuously analyse and evaluate their work, using their decisions to improve outcomes. This should include defining requirements, analysing the design brief and specifications along with the testing and evaluating of ideas produced during the generation and development stages. Their final prototype(s) will also undergo a range of tests on which the final evaluation will be formulated. This should include market testing and a detailed analysis of the prototype(s).

9705 D&T coursework examples

Topic outline.

A range of coursework submissions (for both components) for this Syllabus have been included here along with a breakdown of the marks awarded, and a moderator commentary explaining how the marks were decided. You should always refer to the syllabus for specific details about the requirements for and assessment of coursework. Additionally, the Cambridge Handbook sets out the process and requirements for submitting coursework for moderation by Cambridge International.

• Component 2
• Component 4

AQA GCSE Design and Technology Past Papers

This section includes recent GCSE (9-1) Design and Technology (8552) past papers from AQA. You can download each of the AQA GCSE Design and Technology past papers and marking schemes by clicking the links below.

June 2022 GCSE (9-1) AQA Design and Technology (8552) Exam Past Papers (Labelled as June 202 1)

8552/W Paper 1: Design and Technology Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme

November 2021 GCSE (9-1) AQA Design and Technology (8552) Exam Past Papers (Labelled as June 202 1)

November 2020 GCSE (9-1) AQA Design and Technology (8552) Exam Past Papers (Labelled as June 2020)

8552/W Paper 1: Design and Technology Download Past Paper    -    Download Mark Scheme  

June 2019 GCSE (9-1) AQA Design and Technology (8552) Exam Past Papers

GCSE (9-1) AQA Design and Technology (8552) Specimen Papers

8552/1 Paper 1: Design and Technology Download Past Paper    -     Download Mark Scheme

Programmes & Qualifications

Cambridge igcse design & technology (0445).

• Syllabus overview

The Cambridge IGCSE Design and Technology syllabus enables learners to identify, consider and solve problems through creative thinking, planning and design, and by working with different media, materials and tools. As a result, learners gain greater technical and design awareness, while developing skills such as initiative, resourcefulness, enquiry and ingenuity. They also develop the communication skills central to design making and evaluation.

Cambridge IGCSE Design and Technology provides an ideal basis for further study, and prepares learners for their future within a rapidly changing technological society.

The syllabus year refers to the year in which the examination will be taken.

• -->2023 Electrical and electronic symbols list (PDF, 447KB)
• -->2023 Syllabus Update (PDF, 166KB)
• -->2024-2026 Syllabus Update (PDF, 167KB)

Syllabus support

• -->Support for Design & Technology (PDF, 891KB)

Important notices

Please note that if you make an entry for the A*-G grading scale, it is not then possible to switch to the 9-1 grading scale once the entries deadline has passed. If you find that you have accidentally made an entry for the A*-G syllabus, you must withdraw and re-enter before the entries deadline.

For some subjects, we publish grade descriptions to help understand the level of performance candidates’ grades represent.

We paused the publication of grade descriptions in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the temporary changes to the awarding standard in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

As the awarding standard has now returned to the pre-pandemic standard, we are working to produce up-to-date grade descriptions for most of our general qualifications. These will be based on the awarding standards in place from June 2023 onwards.

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• Past papers, examiner reports and specimen papers
• Published resources

Victor Mukhin

• Scientific Program

Title : Active carbons as nanoporous materials for solving of environmental problems

However, up to now, the main carriers of catalytic additives have been mineral sorbents: silica gels, alumogels. This is obviously due to the fact that they consist of pure homogeneous components SiO2 and Al2O3, respectively. It is generally known that impurities, especially the ash elements, are catalytic poisons that reduce the effectiveness of the catalyst. Therefore, carbon sorbents with 5-15% by weight of ash elements in their composition are not used in the above mentioned technologies. However, in such an important field as a gas-mask technique, carbon sorbents (active carbons) are carriers of catalytic additives, providing effective protection of a person against any types of potent poisonous substances (PPS). In ESPE “JSC "Neorganika" there has been developed the technology of unique ashless spherical carbon carrier-catalysts by the method of liquid forming of furfural copolymers with subsequent gas-vapor activation, brand PAC. Active carbons PAC have 100% qualitative characteristics of the three main properties of carbon sorbents: strength - 100%, the proportion of sorbing pores in the pore space – 100%, purity - 100% (ash content is close to zero). A particularly outstanding feature of active PAC carbons is their uniquely high mechanical compressive strength of 740 ± 40 MPa, which is 3-7 times larger than that of  such materials as granite, quartzite, electric coal, and is comparable to the value for cast iron - 400-1000 MPa. This allows the PAC to operate under severe conditions in moving and fluidized beds.  Obviously, it is time to actively develop catalysts based on PAC sorbents for oil refining, petrochemicals, gas processing and various technologies of organic synthesis.

Victor M. Mukhin was born in 1946 in the town of Orsk, Russia. In 1970 he graduated the Technological Institute in Leningrad. Victor M. Mukhin was directed to work to the scientific-industrial organization "Neorganika" (Elektrostal, Moscow region) where he is working during 47 years, at present as the head of the laboratory of carbon sorbents.     Victor M. Mukhin defended a Ph. D. thesis and a doctoral thesis at the Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia (in 1979 and 1997 accordingly). Professor of Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. Scientific interests: production, investigation and application of active carbons, technological and ecological carbon-adsorptive processes, environmental protection, production of ecologically clean food.   

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30 Best universities for Mechanical Engineering in Moscow, Russia

Updated: February 29, 2024

• Art & Design
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Environmental Science
• Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Mathematics

Below is a list of best universities in Moscow ranked based on their research performance in Mechanical Engineering. A graph of 269K citations received by 45.8K academic papers made by 30 universities in Moscow was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Moscow State University

For Mechanical Engineering

2. Bauman Moscow State Technical University

3. National Research University Higher School of Economics

4. Moscow Aviation Institute

5. N.R.U. Moscow Power Engineering Institute

6. National Research Nuclear University MEPI

7. National University of Science and Technology "MISIS"

8. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

9. Moscow State Technological University "Stankin"

10. RUDN University

11. Moscow Polytech

12. Moscow State University of Railway Engineering

13. Finance Academy under the Government of the Russian Federation

14. Moscow Medical Academy

15. Russian State University of Oil and Gas

16. mendeleev university of chemical technology of russia.

17. Russian National Research Medical University

18. Plekhanov Russian University of Economics

19. National Research University of Electronic Technology

20. Moscow State Pedagogical University

21. Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration

22. State University of Management

23. Moscow State Institute of International Relations

24. Russian State Geological Prospecting University

25. russian state agricultural university.

26. New Economic School

27. Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation

28. Russian State University for the Humanities

29. Russian State Social University

30. Moscow State Linguistic University

Universities for Mechanical Engineering near Moscow

Engineering subfields in moscow.