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This is your final revision guide for AQA GCSE Design and Technology (8552). Use this checklist to ensure you have covered everything, and follow the exam day preparation advice to perform at your best.
| Topic | Revised? | Confident? |
|---|---|---|
| New and emerging technologies (automation, AI, IoT, CAD/CAM, drones, 3D printing) | ||
| Energy generation and storage (fossil fuels, nuclear, renewable, batteries, kinetic) | ||
| Developments in new materials (graphene, smart materials, composite materials, technical textiles) | ||
| Systems approach to designing (input → process → output → feedback; open/closed loop) | ||
| Mechanical devices (gears, cams, linkages, pulleys, levers — types, calculations) | ||
| Materials and working properties (all 6 material areas) |
| Topic | Revised? | Confident? |
|---|---|---|
| Selection of materials and components | ||
| Forces and stresses (tension, compression, shear, torsion, bending) | ||
| Ecological and social footprint (6 Rs, LCA, carbon footprint, Fair Trade) | ||
| Sources and origins of materials (timber from trees, metals from ores, polymers from oil) | ||
| Using and working with materials (marking out, cutting, shaping, joining for each area) | ||
| Stock forms, types and sizes (sheet, bar, rod, tube, angle, channel, fabric rolls) | ||
| Scales of production (one-off, batch, mass, continuous) | ||
| Specialist techniques and processes (jigs, fixtures, moulds, quality control, go/no-go) | ||
| Surface treatments and finishes (timbers, metals, polymers, textiles) |
| Calculation | Formula | Practised? |
|---|---|---|
| Gear ratio | Driven teeth ÷ Driver teeth | |
| Output speed | Input RPM ÷ Gear ratio | |
| Mechanical advantage | Load ÷ Effort | |
| Velocity ratio | Varies by system | |
| Efficiency | (MA ÷ VR) × 100 | |
| Electrical energy | Power × Time | |
| Electrical power | Voltage × Current | |
| Energy cost | Power (kW) × Time (h) × Price per kWh | |
| Stress | Force ÷ Area |
AQA Exam Tip: Tick each box as you revise each topic. Any gaps in the "Confident?" column should be your priority in the final week.
| Topic | Revised? | Confident? |
|---|---|---|
| Investigation methods (primary and secondary research, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups) | ||
| Product analysis (ACCESS FM framework) | ||
| Human factors (ergonomics, anthropometrics, percentile data) | ||
| Environmental, social and economic challenges (6 Rs, Fair Trade, planned obsolescence, LCA) | ||
| Influential designers (at least 2 in depth with products, philosophy, influence) | ||
| Influential companies (at least 2 in depth with products, approach, ethics) | ||
| Design strategies (user-centred design, iterative design, systems thinking, collaboration, design fixation) | ||
| Communication techniques (freehand sketching, isometric, perspective, orthographic, exploded diagrams) | ||
| 2D and 3D modelling (CAD software, physical modelling, rendering) | ||
| Annotation and design specifications | ||
| Prototype development (form vs function, aesthetics, innovation, marketability) |
| Material | Category | Key Property | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oak | Hardwood | Hard, durable, attractive grain | Furniture, flooring |
| Pine | Softwood | Easy to work, cheap, widely available | Construction, furniture |
| MDF | Manufactured board | Smooth, consistent, no grain | Cabinets, shelving |
| Mild steel | Ferrous metal | Strong, cheap, easy to weld | Car bodies, structural steel |
| Aluminium | Non-ferrous metal | Lightweight, corrosion-resistant | Aircraft, drinks cans |
| Stainless steel | Ferrous alloy | Corrosion-resistant, hygienic | Kitchen sinks, surgical tools |
| ABS | Thermoplastic | Tough, good surface finish | Phone cases, LEGO bricks |
| Acrylic (PMMA) | Thermoplastic | Transparent, rigid, laser-cuttable | Signage, display cases |
| Polypropylene (PP) | Thermoplastic | Living hinge, flexible, cheap | Bottle caps, food containers |
| Epoxy resin | Thermoset | Strong, bonds well, heat-resistant | Adhesive, composite matrix |
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