AS & A2
EDEXCEL AS/A2 LEVEL 8095/9095
The A level completes the 7 year programme in Technology. It is a continuation of what is offered at GCSE level. Students should have a broad academic background and should have undertaken a course that provides a solid foundation for the AS/A2 course. The GCSE Design & Technology examination would provide a suitable foundation.
Students should have a strong interest in designing, modeling, making, evaluating products or systems and an interest in the processes and products of design and technological activity. An added interest in Computer Aided Design would be an advantage.
An important feature of this subject is that it integrates naturally much of the experience of young people. In the development of a design task, knowledge and skills from other subjects and combined with personal interests and put to use. In addition, its particular emphasis is the made world of artifacts, systems and environments so that its contribution to young people's understanding is sharply focused.
A natural extension is to consider the effects of technology on the development of society - and our own lives - and to appreciate the balance of advantage and disadvantage in those developments.
Design and technology is a very broad school subject. Students will have begun to specialize in particular aspects of their subject during their AS and A2 courses, which lead directly to specialized courses in higher education such as product design, engineering, graphic products and textiles. In addition design and technology also provides a useful platform for further study in areas such as architecture, management, ergonomics, occupational therapy, urban planning and education.
The course is in fact divided into the AS level whereby the first 3 units are covered and the A2 level that covers the second 3 units.
This ensures that the syllabuses build on the demands of the National Curriculum in D&T by developing skills, knowledge and understanding to a greater depth and extending these skills, knowledge and understanding to new areas of application. It also ensures that D&T is treated as an integrated activity which requires students to design and make products which can be tested and evaluated.
Students should have a strong interest in designing, modeling, making, evaluating products or systems and an interest in the processes and products of design and technological activity. An added interest in Computer Aided Design would be an advantage.
An important feature of this subject is that it integrates naturally much of the experience of young people. In the development of a design task, knowledge and skills from other subjects and combined with personal interests and put to use. In addition, its particular emphasis is the made world of artifacts, systems and environments so that its contribution to young people's understanding is sharply focused.
A natural extension is to consider the effects of technology on the development of society - and our own lives - and to appreciate the balance of advantage and disadvantage in those developments.
Design and technology is a very broad school subject. Students will have begun to specialize in particular aspects of their subject during their AS and A2 courses, which lead directly to specialized courses in higher education such as product design, engineering, graphic products and textiles. In addition design and technology also provides a useful platform for further study in areas such as architecture, management, ergonomics, occupational therapy, urban planning and education.
The course is in fact divided into the AS level whereby the first 3 units are covered and the A2 level that covers the second 3 units.
This ensures that the syllabuses build on the demands of the National Curriculum in D&T by developing skills, knowledge and understanding to a greater depth and extending these skills, knowledge and understanding to new areas of application. It also ensures that D&T is treated as an integrated activity which requires students to design and make products which can be tested and evaluated.
The topics covered are as follows:
- The Design Process using Problem Solving Techniques
- Product Analysis
- Visual Communication
- Graphical Analysis
- Systems and Control
- Ergonomics and Anthropometrics
- Materials and their working properties
- Consequences of D&T
- Economics, Industrial and Commercial practices
- Computer Aided Design
- D&T in Society
- Advertising and Marketing
- Social, Political and Ethical influences on design
ASSESSMENT
Year 1, AS levelUnit 1- Product Analysis 10%
Unit 2- Project 1 25%
Unit 3- Theory 15%
Year 2, A2 level
Unit 4- Theory 10%
Unit 5- Project 2 25%
Unit 6- Design 15%
