Key Stage 4

Year 10

GCSE Design and Technology

Design and Technology follows the AQA course and until June of Year 10, students will be investigating and practising manufacturing techniques in a wide range of materials (timber, polymers, metals, papers/boards, smart materials, modern materials, and textiles). Processes and finishes are explored along with product development, the work of others and industrial production as well as understanding the design process.

Homework will be set on a regular basis and will directly link to the theory and practical elements within the course.

What pupils learn by June of Year 10 will go on to define the work that they will start for their NEA which starts in June and is completed by half term in the following spring.

The non- exam assessment (NEA) makes up 50% of the qualification and the other 50% is a 2-hour exam at the end of Year 11.

GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition

Food Preparation and Nutrition follows the WJEC Eduqas course that focuses on practical cooking skills to ensure students develop a thorough understanding of nutrition, food provenance and the working characteristics of food materials. At its heart, this qualification focuses on nurturing students' practical cookery skills to give them a strong understanding of nutrition.

Students are assessed through 2 pieces of coursework worth 50% of their total grade and a written exam worth 50%.

Year 11

GCSE Design and Technology

Students continue with their chosen design brief started in Year 10. They will research, design, develop and make a product that solves a problem they have identified within the design briefs given. This project will make up 50% of your final grade in the GCSE.

After completing the non-exam, assessment students will start exam preparation and spend their lesson time revising and preparing for their final exam in the summer.

GCSE Food and Nutrition

Students’ first piece of coursework is to investigate the working properties of different ingredients and, through experimentation, prove a hypothesis to be correct. Their second piece of coursework requires the students to choose a design brief set by the exam board and design, develop and make a three-course meal for a chosen target audience. On completion of their coursework, students spend their lesson time revising and preparing for their final exam in the summer.

Useful links

 Past papers and examiners reports