Introduction to GCSE Design and Technology

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Introduction to GCSE Design and Technology

• t.flynn

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Introduction

• This is a guide to explain your GCSE coursework.
• You will learn about each section of the
  coursework project.
• You will be able to see examples of work, and
  will find out where to get extra information.

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Whats in the Guide?

• A general introduction to your Major project.
• A guide to each section of the project.
• Examples of work.
• Links to useful websites and resources.

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Overview

• Your GCSE Coursework (sometimes called the Major
  Project) is a detailed and wide ranging piece of
  work, consisting of research, design, making, and
  evaluation. You must design and make high quality
  products.
• Coursework is worth 60 of your final mark.
• Because of the size and complexity of the work,
  it is divided into sections called Objectives.
• Each objective is worth a different amount.

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Vocabulary

• Glossary of terms
• Coursework A design folder and Practical work.
  Worth 60 of your total marks.
• Objective One of the sections of coursework.
• Marks Coursework is marked out of 105.
• Each objective is worth a different number of
  marks, ranging from 4 to 52!
• Target Market The person or group of people for
  whom you are designing.

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Objective One

• Identify a need and write a Design Brief (4
  Marks)
• You must find an everyday problem where you think
  you could design a solution, for example, storage
  in the living room, toys for babies, snack foods,
  bags for sports equipment, packaging for perfumes
  etc.
• You research the problem and write about your
  findings.
• You decide what type of people you are designing
  for, the people who need the product. This is
  sometimes called the User or Target Market
• You write a statement saying what you intend to
  do in order to solve the Design problem.

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Objective 1 Examples

• Food
• Textiles
• Resistant Materials
• Graphic Products

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Objective Two

• Research which leads to a Specification. (12
  Marks)
• You have to find out important information to
  help you with your designing e.g. sizes,
  materials, what people want to pay etc.
• You must analyse products which are similar to
  the one you wish to design. This helps you to get
  better ideas, and to see how other designers have
  solved problems.
• You must do a survey to find out what
  consumers/target market/users want you to design.
  This will help you to make the project more
  realistic.
• Finally, you have to sum up your research and
  write a Specification, which is a list of all the
  things your product must do e.g. must be stable,
  must hold p.e. kit, must appeal to babies etc.

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Objective 2 Examples

• Food
• Textiles
• Resistant Materials
• Graphic Products

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Objective Three

• Generation of Design Ideas. (12 Marks)
• In this section you have to produce a wide range
  of design ideas which solve the problem you have
  identified.
• You have to write Evaluative comments about each
  idea. This means writing about the good and bad
  points of the design and saying what you could
  improve.
• You must label your ideas to make them easy to
  understand.
• You need to use a variety of techniques to show
  your design skills, for example, 3D sketching,
  colour, texture, and Computer Aided Design ( Like
  ProDesktop or Speedstep)

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Objective 3 examples

• Food
• Textiles
• Resistant Materials
• Graphic Products

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Objective Four

• Developing your design. (12 Marks)
• In this section you have to find out all you need
  to know in order to make your product.
• You must make models and test your ideas, or
  model selected important features of your design.
  Try out new techniques of making, and show
  evidence of these in your folder.
• Include information about Materials, joining,
  tools/equipment, Health and Safety, time needed,
  and how you can make more than one product (Batch
  Production).
• You need to produce full and detailed information
  about your product, so that someone else would be
  able to make it using your instructions.
• This means you need to show detailed drawings,
  measurements, ingredients, components, and
  methods of construction/making.

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Objective 4 examples

• Food
• Textiles
• Resistant Materials
• Graphic Products

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Objective Five

• Planning and Realisation (Making) (52 Marks)
• In this section, you have to produce plans
  showing how you will make your product, and then
  you have to make your final product.
• You must produce written instructions,
  flowcharts, GANTT charts, and sequence drawings
  (step-by-step) to show each stage of the making
  process.
• You should include estimates of the time needed
  for each step of the work.
• You should show/name the tools and equipment you
  will use.
• Your product must be complete, must be of high
  quality, and must solve the original design
  problem. It must function as intended!

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Objective 5 examples

• Food
• Textiles
• Resistant Materials
• Graphic Products

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Objective Six

• Testing and Evaluation (8 Marks)
• In the final section you must test your product
  to ensure that it works as intended. Does it
  solve the original design problem you identified?
  How can you prove that it does?
• Show evidence of testing, e.g photos of the
  product being used/worn.
• Try conducting some tests based on British
  standards tests for strength, durability,
  resistance to water etc.
• Write about the results of your tests, and dont
  forget to include diagrams to help explain your
  tests.

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Objective Six (Continued)

• Evaluation against specification.
• Look at your original design Specification and
  judge how well your product meets each point for
  example, if your product was meant to hold ten
  DVDs, how many can it hold? If your product was
  meant to be modern in style, how well do you
  think you have met this aim?
• For this part of the work, you can use a short
  survey to gather the opinions of other
  people/Users.
• Finally, having completed this project, suggest
  modifications or improvements you could make to
  your product. Include drawings to show your ideas.

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Presentation of work

• There are marks available for presentation.
• You must use a variety of Graphic techniques and
  drawing types to present your ideas, for example
  Isometric drawing, freehand, Orthographic,
  exploded drawings etc.
• You must also include work produced using ICT,
  e.g ProDesktop work, Speedstep, and
  Word/Publisher work. You will probably have
  produced graphs and charts as part of your
  research, and should include these.
• You must make sure your folder work is in the
  correct order, and is all complete and tidy.
  Dont spend time doing fancy borders, just make
  it presentable!

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Summary

• You now know about your GCSE coursework project
  and about how it is split into different sections
  or Objectives.
• You should now be able to tackle each Objective
  with confidence, using this guide to help to
  check your progress.
• Remember, if you need guidance or explanation,
  ask your teacher!

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Where to Get More Information

• Ask your teacher!
• Ask other students, perhaps theyre doing similar
  projects.
• Look in a textbook.
• Go to the school library or Public Library.
• Write to/telephone companies for advice and help.
• Use the Internet.

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Useful websites

• www.ocr.org.uk
• www.bbc.co.uk
• www.dtonline.org.uk
• www.baddesigns.com
• www.howstuffworks.com
• www.flying-pig.co.uk
• www.technologystudent.com