The course has two main component areas.

Design and Manufacture: Design.

In this component you will:

• cover the product design process from brief to resolved design proposals, including specification
• learn how to initiate, develop, articulate and communicate design proposals
• learn about the design/make/test process
• appreciate the importance of evaluating and resolving work on an ongoing basis
• understand design concepts and the various factors that influence the design of products.

Design and Manufacture: Materials and Manufacturing.

In this component you will:

• cover the product design process from design proposals to prototype or product
• learn to  ‘close the design loop’ by manufacturing your design ideas
• develop the practical skills you need for the design/make/test process
• appreciate the properties and uses of materials, as well as simple manufacturing techniques
• refine and resolve design and manufacturing solutions.

Assessment:

Course Assessment.

Your work will be assessed on an ongoing basis throughout the course to support learning and evaluate progress.

Items of work might include:

• practical work – such as creating ideas using computer software or by hand, keeping a portfolio of work
• written or spoken work – such as giving verbal presentations, producing short reports or taking part in group discussions
• projects or assignments – such as designing ideas for products in response to a brief.

The course assessment for this course consists of two components:

• assignment 1 – Design (55 marks)
• assignment 2 – Manufacture (45 marks)
• question paper (80 marks).

For the assignment 1 component, you will be asked to produce a design portfolio based on your solution to a design brief. This assignment component will be set by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and marked externally by the SQA.

For the assignment 2 component, you will be asked to produce a prototype in order to evaluate your design solution in response to a design brief. The assignment component will be set by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and marked by a visiting SQA assessor.

The question paper will be set and marked externally by the SQA.

The course assessment is graded A-D.