NEA (Non-Exam Assessment): Planning Your 30–35 Hour Design and Make Project and Portfolio Structure

The NEA is worth 25% of your AQA GCSE Design and Technology (8552) grade. It is a substantial project completed during the course (typically Year 11), where you respond to a contextual challenge set by AQA. This lesson helps you plan your project effectively and structure your portfolio for maximum marks.

NEA Overview

Detail	Information
Weighting	25% of total GCSE
Total marks	100 marks
Time	30–35 hours of supervised time in school
Portfolio size	Approximately 20 A3 pages (or digital equivalent)
Set by	AQA releases contextual challenges each year (June, for the following year)
Marked by	Your teacher (internally), moderated by AQA (externally)

AQA NEA Mark Scheme Breakdown

Section	Marks	What Examiners Look For
Investigating	10	Thorough research; clear brief; detailed, justified specification
Designing	20	Range of creative ideas; detailed development; modelling and testing
Making	20	Skilled, accurate making; appropriate tools and processes; quality finish
Analysing and Evaluating	10	Testing against specification; honest evaluation; improvements identified
Quality of communication	Embedded	Technical vocabulary, clear presentation, well-organised portfolio throughout

AQA Exam Tip: The mark allocation tells you where to focus your effort. Designing and Making are worth 20 marks each — spend the majority of your time on these two sections. Do NOT spend 15 pages on research and only 5 on design development.

Portfolio Structure: The 20-Page Plan

Here is a recommended page allocation for a 20 A3-page portfolio:

Pages	Section	Content
1	Title page and context	Contextual challenge statement; your interpretation; initial thoughts
2–3	Investigation	Primary research (questionnaire results, interview, product analysis, user profiles); secondary research (existing products, materials, market data)
4	Design brief and specification	Clear brief; detailed specification with justified criteria (ACCESS FM)
5–8	Idea generation	6–10 diverse initial ideas with detailed annotation; sketches, CAD, mood boards
9–11	Design development	Developing the chosen concept; modelling (physical and CAD); testing; refinement; iterative design evidence
12–13	Final design	Fully detailed final design with dimensions, materials, manufacturing plan; orthographic/isometric drawing or CAD render
14–17	Making	Photographic diary of the making process; annotation explaining tools, techniques, quality control, problems encountered and how they were solved
18–19	Testing and evaluation	Testing the product against each specification point; user feedback; honest evaluation of strengths and weaknesses
20	Improvements and conclusion	Proposed modifications based on testing; reflection on the design process; what you would do differently

Section-by-Section Guidance

1. Investigating (10 marks)

What to include:

Primary research: Questionnaire (show results in graphs/charts), interview with a client or stakeholder, observation, product analysis (ACCESS FM on 2–3 existing products), user profile.
Secondary research: Market trends, material properties, relevant processes, competitor analysis.
Design brief: A clear statement of what you are going to design and make.
Design specification: 8–12 specific, measurable, justified criteria.

Top tip: Quality over quantity. Two detailed product analyses are worth more than six shallow ones.

2. Designing (20 marks)