Lady Lumley's School - Product Design

KS5 Product Design

Why choose DT: Product Design A/AS Level?

“Creativity is more important than knowledge” - Albert Einstien

A level DT: Product Design is an exciting and creative subject. It will give you an opportunity to develop your skills in designing and problem solving as well as skills in working with a range of different materials such as wood, metal, plastics and card. It will help you to gain confidence as an independent thinker and will enable you to become better at organising your time and taking control of your learning. It will also teach you to become appreciative of good design and well made quality products and have a better understanding of the role of the designer in all of the products we use and take for granted on a day to day basis.

Your modules

Post 16 DT: Product Design is divided into four units which make up the complete A-level

AS Examination

Unit 1 – PROD1 Materials, Components and Application
This unit develops your knowledge of the materials, components and processes that designers need to understand to design and manufacture products. It also looks at the role of the designer in the wider context and the responsibility they have with regard to such things as environmental sustainability, inclusive design and consumer safety.
Unit 2 – PROD2 Learning through Designing and Making
This unit will involve you in practical design and make activities which make up the coursework for the subject

A2 Examinations

Unit 3 – PROD3 Design and Manufacture
This further increases your knowledge and understanding of how designers operate in the real world and also looks at some aspects of the history of design, iconic products and current products and designers.
Unit 4 – PROD4 Design and Making Practice
This is a full-on design and make activity in which you will design, make and evaluate a single prototype product of your choice.

On your marks...

Year 12	Raw Score Max Mark	UMS	Examination
PROD1	80	100	2 hour written
PROD2	80	100	Coursework (50 hours approx)
			Coursework (50 hours approx)
Year 13
PROD3	84	100	2 hour written
PROD4	85	100	Coursework (60 hours approx)
			Coursework (60 hours approx)

To put this in perspective…

Year 12 (AS Level)	UMS	Grade
	160	A
	140	B
	120	C
	100	D
	80	E
Year 13 (A Level)	UMS	Grade
	320	A
	280	B
	240	C
	200	D
	160	E

You can also achieve an A* in your A Level if you achieve an A overall and you average 90% in your A2 modules.

We follow the AQA (www.aqa.co.uk) specification. You can see the whole specification in detail and see examples of examination papers etc by visiting their website

Who takes this course?

We advise that anyone who achieves a grade B or above in a DT related subject but students who have studied DT: Product Design, Resistant Materials or Graphic Products would have a distinct advantage.

What skills will I learn?

You will learn many skills directly associated with designing and making products such as:

Drawing skills to help you communicate ideas effectively
Computer Aided Design to enable you to execute highly professional structured images in both 2 and 3D
Making skills with a whole variety of materials including woods, metals, plastics card and modelling materials but you could also include textiles, glass or ceramics if appropriate
Computer Aided Manufacture to enable you to manufacture through the use of ICT to achieve high quality accurate outcomes
ICT skills for presenting and communicating your work
Many, many more

You will also have excellent opportunities for applying the skills and knowledge you acquire in other subject when designing and problem solving.

What could this lead to in the future?

DT: Product Design is an excellent lead in to any design based university course or career but the problem solving nature of the design process will also equip you superbly for any career where you need to be creative and ‘think on your feet’. Past students have gone on to university to study Product Design, Architecture, Industrial Design, Civil Engineering, Packaging Design, Textiles Design and many more design related areas. But they have also used their problem solving skills to pursue a wide range of other careers such as Teaching, Advertising and Home Cinema Installation!

How will this fit into my life?

Students who take DT: Product Design can mix it with almost any other subject depending on preference or skill. Someone with an engineering future in mind may want to combine it with Maths or Science based subjects whereas someone preferring a more arts based approach may combine it with Art & Design or English. It really doesn’t matter!

What do I do now?

Talk to your DT teacher and get some advice as to whether the course could be right for you. Making an appointment to see your school careers advisor is also a good idea.

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Page last modified on: 04/23/12 09:34:19

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