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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.
| 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) |
| 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.
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 |
What to include:
Top tip: Quality over quantity. Two detailed product analyses are worth more than six shallow ones.
What to include:
Top tip: Show YOUR thinking. Annotate everything — explain WHY you made each decision. Blank sketches with no notes do not earn marks.
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