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AQA GCSE Design and Technology Past Papers
Official question papers, mark schemes and examiner reports.
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Navigator’s note
Using Generic Adjectives Without Qualification
You must qualify your answers.
All 4 examiner tipsAQA GCSE Design and Technology papers by session
November 2020
1 paperLatest seriesExaminer InsightsAQA GCSE Design and Technology
Examiner tips.
Practical advice to help you avoid common mistakes and write stronger answers.
Using Generic Adjectives Without Qualification
One of the most frequent errors is using words like "strong," "cheap," "hard," "thick," or "looks nice" without explaining their relevance to the specific product.
“looks nice”
How to improve
You must qualify your answers.
For example, instead of just saying a material is "strong," state that it is "strong to stop the package from splitting if dropped". Always link the property to the product's function or the user's needs
Check the command word before you write.
Mathematical Errors in Calculations
Students often lose marks by failing to round up to the nearest whole number (especially for items like paving stones or material needs) or rounding to the wrong decimal place (e.g., rounding to the nearest 10p instead of 1p).
How to improve
Carefully read the rounding instructions in the question.
If a question involves purchasing materials, always round up to the next whole unit to ensure you have enough. Additionally, check if the final answer needs to be converted to different units, such as millimetres to centimetres.
Check the command word before you write.
Failing to Show Working Out
Many students provide only a final answer, which means that if the answer is incorrect, they lose all potential marks.
How to improve
Always show your working out.
This allows examiners to award method marks even if the final calculation is wrong.
Check the command word before you write.
Incorrect Use of Motion and Gear Terms
Students frequently use non-technical language like "sideways," "back and forth," or "turning left" when describing movement.
“back and forth”
How to improve
Use the four specific forms of motion: rotary, oscillating, reciprocating, or linear.
When describing gears, use "clockwise" or "anti-clockwise" and specify if the speed is increasing or decreasing based on the gear ratio.
Check the command word before you write.
Frequently asked questions
What changes for AQA GCSE Design and Technology (8552) in 2027?
The core curriculum and exam structure remain identical to 2026 — Paper 1 is still a 2-hour written exam (50%) and NEA coursework is still a ~30–35 hour design-and-make project (50%). The only change is the NEA Contextual Themes, which refresh annually. For Summer 2027, AQA has released entirely new themes that form the basis of students' Section A investigations and design briefs. You cannot recycle 2026 project briefs; you'll need to update brainstorming, client profiling, and initial design templates to align with the new contexts. The exact theme titles are held on the secure AQA teacher portal (Centre Services) until teachers release them to classrooms.
When was AQA GCSE Design and Technology (8552) last structurally reformed, and what has changed since?
The last major overhaul was September 2017 (first exams Summer 2019). It consolidated four separate qualifications (Electronic Products, Graphic Products, Resistant Materials, Textiles) into one GCSE Design and Technology with a unified Core curriculum, a Specialist material pathway choice, and a 50/50 split between written exam and NEA coursework. Since 2017, the syllabus structure and exam framework have remained unchanged. The only updates have been minor: temporary pandemic adjustments to prototype requirements (now rolled back) and annual NEA theme rotations (released June 1st each year), which refresh project contexts but don't alter the underlying syllabus or marking criteria.
How much math is actually on a Design & Technology paper?
Exactly 15% of the total exam marks are explicitly math-based. You will need to calculate material quantities, total costs, percentages from user surveys, areas/volumes of shapes, or scaling ratios. Always bring a calculator and show your working out—you can win method marks even if your final number is slightly off.
What is the NEA and how long do I have to work on it?
The Non-Exam Assessment is a substantial design-and-make project. AQA releases three broad contextual themes annually. You choose one, investigate a problem within it, and spend roughly 30 to 35 hours of class time designing, prototyping, and testing a physical product. You will hand in a portfolio of around 20 pages of A3 digital design sheets alongside your actual physical model.
What do the AQA GCSE Design and Technology codes 8552, 8552/W, and 8552/C mean?
8552 is the overarching specification code for the entire qualification — this is what appears on your enrollment form. 8552/W is the code for the Written Paper component (the 2-hour exam, 50% of your grade). 8552/C is the code for the Non-Exam Assessment component (the NEA coursework, 50% of your grade).
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