This WJEC modular specification provides an interesting and stimulating subject for study for sixth form students, and the knowledge, understanding and skills gained will be of great benefit for your personal lives, and further studies and work that you undertake in fields such as Engineering, Design and Technology, Industrial and Product Design, Architecture, Graphic Design, Advertising, Marketing, Three-Dimensional Design, Interior and Furniture Design and other related disciplines.
During this two year course, you will gain an awareness and understanding of economic, political, social, aesthetic, cultural, health and environmental factors relevant to this subject area, in addition to acquiring skills and knowledge associated with the modern Design and Technological world in which we live.
Design is seen as an integrating process involving consideration of human needs, responding to them, and shaping human values. The course enables you to learn how to apply a variety of appropriate technologies within production processes, and recognise the need to take account of external pressures which constrain designers’ opportunities to bring about positive change in products, systems and environments.
The Design and Technology specification offered at Advanced Subsidiary (AS) and Advanced level (AL) is designed to offer candidates opportunities to study, design and manufacture prototype solutions closely linked to the real world of product/system manufacture. There is therefore much opportunity for project based work.
Modular assessment of the course consists of three units for AS in the first year and three units for AL in the second year. Advanced Subsidiary can be taken as a stand alone specification or as part of the full A level course.
AS Units: 1. DT1 Written Paper - 2.5 hours2. DT2 Design and Make Tasks - approximately 40 hours3. DT3a Case StudyorDT3b Product Analysis
AL Units: 4. DT4 Written Paper - 3 hours5. DT5 Designing - Coursework Project DT5 and DT6 are a 6. DT6 Making - Coursework Project combined project
The AL coursework will involve a major project, and the nature of this will be chosen by the candidate.
In recent years students have studied Design and Technology with a range of other ‘A’ levels. Some take Maths, Physics and Design & Technology for Engineering, Industrial Design and Design and Technology Courses; some take it with Art and are interested in Fine Art, Architecture, Interior Design, 3D Design etc. Others take it with Economics and Geography for openings in business and other fields.
You should do your best to ensure that you take the best combinations of subjects for particular courses and careers you might like to pursue when leaving school. The Department has literature about courses at Universities and other Colleges of Higher Education, as does the excellent Careers Department in the School.