AQA Product Design GCSE

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AQA GCSE Product Design Textiles Year 11
Assessment Booklet
AQA Product Design GCSE
Name
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Product Design Course Introduction

GCSE Product
Design is a relatively new course, which has been
written to allow you to use any suitable
materials throughout the course. The emphasis of
this course is on commercial Product Design. Most
commercial products require some form of
labeling, packaging or instructions and
consequently an element of graphic design will be
required for your product to be complete. In your
own designing and making you will need to take
into account how commercial products are designed
and manufactured. You have chosen to focus your
coursework on a textile product. You will
therefore need to be conversant with a number of
textile products and textile materials. In order
to be successful in the exam you will also learn
about a range of other materials such as paper
and card.
Course Aims The Course encourages you a. to
demonstrate fully your design and technology
capability, which requires you to combine skills
with knowledge and understanding in order to
design and make quality products. b. acquire
and apply knowledge, skills and understanding
through analysing and evaluating
products and processes engaging in
focused tasks to develop and demonstrate
techniques engaging in
strategies for developing ideas, planning and
manufacturing products
considering how past and present design and
technology, relevant to a designing
and making context, affects society
regognising the moral, cultural and environmental
issues inherent in design and
technology. Course Objectives You should be
able to demonstrate your design and technology
capability through acquiring and applying
knowledge, skills and understanding a. of
materials, components, processes, techniques and
industrial practice b. when
designing and making quality products in
quantity c. when evaluating processes and
products and examining the wider effects
of design technology on society.
Product Design GCSE Course Outline
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Coursework In the last term of year 10 you
start on your major project, you will continue to
work on this project during year 11 until its
completion deadline in March the following
year. Your coursework involves undertaking a
single project which investigates the designing,
making and testing of a new product. This project
will consist of a concise design folder which
includes designing to a brief and situation, the
research you undertake, the specification for the
product, the ideas you think up and how you
develop them towards a final design. It will also
need a work plan which should be detailed enough
for someone else to follow, you will finally test
your product and complete a final evaluation of
the project. As part of the manufacturing process
you will produce samples of construction
techniques and a model or prototype before
constructing your final textile product. This
work will account for 60 of your final GCSE
grade. It will be marked by your teacher,
moderated by the other teachers in the
department, then moderated by the Exam Board.
Your design folder should provide the
following A Design Situation and Design
Brief, explaining what your project is about
Details of the research you intend to undertake
and what you are going to do with it.
Your Analysis of the problem and research
materials collected A specification for your
product A range of initial ideas which meet
the specification The development of one or
more of your ideas A final design proposal
and production plan in enough detail for the
moderator to follow Testing and
evaluation throughout the project How the
product would be manufactured commercially The
design folder should show your industrial
understanding and your ability to communicate
your thinking. It is expected that you will use a
variety of ICT and manual communication
techniques were appropriate. You should also show
your wider understanding of Design and Technology
issues such as the environmental implications of
your project. The Written Exam Paper This will
take place at the end of year 11 and will make up
40 of your final GCSE grade. At the beginning of
year 11 you will sit a mock exam paper. There is
only one exam paper, you will be entered either
for the higher tier or the Foundation tier. The
foundation tier will not allow you to gain more
than a grade C. The Higher tier is focused on
students expected to gain grade C or above. Which
tier you are entered for is usually done in
January of Year 11, before you complete your
coursework. Students who are behind at this stage
can be expect to be entered for the foundation
tier and their parents contacted, so do not leave
all your work for the last couple of weeks. Both
Higher and Foundation papers will be two hours in
duration so you will need to prepare thoroughly
for this part of the assessment. The Examiner
will write the paper to test your Knowledge and
understanding relating to designing and
manufacturing of commercial products. As a
general guide, they plan questions to earn you a
mark a minute, if you have a 10 mark question,
you are expected to spend roughly ten minutes
answering that question.
Coursework and Written Paper
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Coursework Deadline Dates Major Project
Research Complete 11th September 2009 Major
Project Concept Ideas Complete 9th October
2009 Major Project Development Complete
27th November 2009 Major Project
Manufacturing Complete 26th February
2010 Major Project Final Hand In 26th March
2010 Essential Equipment List A3 Folder

HB
2H Pencils
Rubber
Sharpener
Ruler

A
range of Coloured Pencils

A fine Line Black Pen

A Can of Spray Mount You will need to
purchase all your fabrics, trims, zips etc, that
you need to make your final product. Please speak
to your teacher for advise on where to purchase
your fabrics.
Important Dates Equipment List
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• Coursework Criteria
• As described in the coursework outline, your
  design folder should provide a range of
  information and examples of your knowledge and
  skills. Below is a brief description of what each
  section of your folder should provide.
• Task Research Analysis - A Design Situation
  and Design Brief, explaining what your project is
  about. You should analyse the task and research
  materials logically, thoroughly and effectively,
  showing evidence of your thought process and
  planning.
• Research - Details of the research you intend to
  undertake and what you are going to do with it,
  including market research, product environment
  research, User/ client advice, professional
  advice and analysis of this material
• Detailed Specification After your research
  analysis you will have a better understanding of
  what you will be designing, you can now write a
  more detailed specification which will include
  specific fabrics, style, colours, how much it
  will cost, what techniques you will use, quality,
  quantity and target audience information.
• Design Ideas Always design with your
  specification in mind. Use your understanding of
  sketching and rendering techniques to enhance
  your presentation. Remember to annotate your
  designs, explaining all of your design decisions.
• Development of Final Design Develop at least
  three design proposals. Annotate as you develop
  your designs. Use sketches, CAD models to
  explain your concept.
• Production Plan Produce a flow chart plan for
  making your product, taking into account time,
  processes, materials and tools to be used.
  Explain how you intend to manufacture and
  achieve accuracy and quality assurance.
• Testing and Evaluation When you have finished
  your product, carry out a critical evaluation of
  the product and the process of designing and
  manufacturing it. Compare your product to the
  original specification, point by point. Make
  suggestions for modifications or improvements to
  your final product.
• Communication Your folder should communicate
  your design thoughts and ideas, both to yourself
  and to other people. In order to do this
  effectively, you should use a variety of
  presentation techniques and media.

Major Project Coursework Criteria
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Year 11 Project Tracker Suggestions for
Amendments
Task Research Analysis Starting Point Mind
map Design Situation Brief Initial
Specification Research Plan Time Plan Theme
Research Mood Board Market Research Letters/Email
Survey/Questionnaire Survey/Questionnaire
Results Product Environment Product
Analysis Research analysis Detailed
Specification Design Ideas Development Ideas At
least three ideas developed Final presentation
design. Focused Fabric/Component
research Industrial practice/construction
techniques Production Planning Manufacturing
Specification Product Plan Materials Components
list Costings Evaluation / Testing Final Product
Photos Client Interview Feedback / Survey Final
Evaluation with Suggested Improvements Communicat
ion and Modeling
Year 11 Project Tracker