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A-Level Design Technology Tutoring & Prep Course

One-to-one A-Level Design Technology tutoring, with full past-paper practice and a personalised study plan built around your target grade.

Since 2008, TestPrep Europe has taught A-Level Design & Technology through one-to-one tutoring and small-group courses on its own online learning platform. The programme combines the A-Level syllabus with subject teaching, problem solving and past-paper practice.

One-to-one and small groups · Live online · Edexcel, AQA, OCR and Cambridge specifications

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From a TestPrep A-Level Design and Technology private lesson — ergonomics, anthropometrics and inclusive design, with a labelled office chair and a percentile diagram

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About the subject

A-Level Design & Technology: what it covers and who it suits

A-Level Design & Technology: Product Design (AQA 7552) covers the design process, materials, manufacturing and a substantial non-exam assessment (NEA) design-and-make project. It's a strong route for students aiming at engineering, architecture, product or industrial design. Other boards structure their papers differently: OCR's Product Design (H406), for example, has papers of 1 h 30 min and 1 h 45 min plus an Iterative Design Project.

  • Two written papers plus an NEA design-and-make project worth 50%
  • AQA exam: Paper 1 Technical principles (2 h 30 min, 30%) and Paper 2 Designing and making principles (1 h 30 min, 20%: product analysis and commercial manufacture)
  • NEA: brief → research → iterative design → prototype → evaluation, assessed from a design portfolio and photographs of the final prototype
Read more

A-Level Design & Technology (AQA 7552: Product Design) combines creativity with technical knowledge and suits students aiming at product design, industrial design, architecture or engineering.

A-Level Design & Technology challenges students to develop creative and technical solutions to real-world problems. In AQA 7552, Technical principles covers topics such as materials and their applications, performance characteristics of materials and digital design and manufacture; Designing and making principles covers design theory, responsible design and design for manufacture and project management. The NEA design-and-make project lets students demonstrate these skills end to end. Our programme provides NEA guidance and exam preparation in parallel, and the NEA always remains the student's own work.

One-to-one A-Level Design & Technology tutoring

Our one-to-one A-Level tutoring is built around your current grade, your target grade and the exam board you are sitting. Each lesson works on your weak topics, drills AQA, Edexcel, OCR past-paper questions and walks through mark schemes, so you know exactly how marks are awarded.

A private group for A-Level Design & Technology

There is no open group timetable for this subject. Bring 3 or more students together and we open a private group course for you. The price per student depends on how many subjects you take, with 30 hours of live lessons in each: 1 subject (30 hours) €1,027, 2 subjects (60 hours) €1,920, 3 subjects (90 hours) €2,678 and 4 subjects (120 hours) €3,482. Each student buys their own place online, and we let you know as soon as your group is ready.

Exam

A-Level Design & Technology exam format

Exam boards: AQA, Edexcel, OCR

  • Paper 1: Technical principles (AQA 7552)

    30%

    2 hours 30 minutes, 120 marks; short answer and extended response. Technical principles such as Materials and their applications, Performance characteristics of materials, Forming, redistribution and addition processes, Digital design and manufacture, and Health and safety.

  • Paper 2: Designing and making principles (AQA 7552)

    20%

    1 hour 30 minutes, 80 marks. Section A, Product Analysis (30 marks): up to six short answer questions on a visual stimulus of one or more products. Section B, Commercial manufacture (50 marks): short and extended response questions.

  • NEA: design and make project (AQA 7552)

    50%

    100 marks. A substantial design and make project, submitted as a written or digital design portfolio with photographic evidence of the final prototype.

One-to-One Tutoring

A-Level Design & Technology Private Tutoring

Fully customised one-to-one A-Level tutoring with experienced Cambridge / Edexcel specialists. A* preparation across every A-Level subject.

  • A fully personalised A-Level lesson plan
  • Maths, Further Maths, Sciences, Economics and every other subject
  • Past-paper and mock-exam-driven coaching
  • Flexible schedule and pacing

How it works

  1. 1

    Tell us your goal

    We start from your school syllabus, your exam date and the result you are aiming for.

  2. 2

    Your own plan

    We map out the lessons you need, unit by unit.

  3. 3

    Live one-to-one lessons

    Meet your tutor online at times that suit your week.

  4. 4

    Regular progress checks

    Homework and a short check after each lesson show how you are getting on.

Start one-to-one A-Level Design & Technology

Per lesson in a package, from

€85

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Ideal for students aiming at A*, Oxbridge or Russell Group universities, or anyone who needs help in specific subjects.

Book one-to-one lessons

No package needed — you can book a single lesson.

Even our newest A-Level tutor has been teaching A-Level prep since 2016.

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    Pay in EUR — local cards welcome, instalments available.

Lessons cancelled less than 3 hours before the start count as taken. Full terms

Included in lessons

Practice built into your A-Level Design & Technology lessons

Every topic you cover in A-Level Design & Technology is reinforced with question sets your tutor puts together for you. This programme has no separately sold question bank or practice test.

Mock exams included in the programme
  • Targeted questions on every topic
  • Practice sets built around your weak areas
  • Exam-style practice with past papers and mark schemes
  • Worked solutions and feedback on every question

Syllabus

A-Level Design & Technology topics

Topic names are those of the AQA 7552 specification; other exam boards order and name them a little differently.

1

3.1 Technical principles

  • Materials and their applications
  • Performance characteristics of materials
  • Enhancement of materials
  • Forming, redistribution and addition processes
  • The use of finishes
  • Modern industrial and commercial practice
  • Digital design and manufacture
  • The requirements for product design and development
  • Health and safety
  • Protecting designs and intellectual property
  • Design for manufacturing, maintenance, repair and disposal
  • Feasibility studies
  • Enterprise and marketing in the development of products
  • Design communication
2

3.2 Designing and making principles

  • Design methods and processes
  • Design theory
  • How technology and cultural changes can impact on the work of designers
  • Design processes
  • Critical analysis and evaluation
  • Selecting appropriate tools, equipment and processes
  • Accuracy in design and manufacture
  • Responsible design
  • Design for manufacture and project management
  • National and international standards in product design

Approach

How we teach A-Level Design & Technology

Study plan

  1. 1

    Phase 1 — Technical principles

    Year 12 foundation

    • Materials and their applications; performance characteristics
    • Forming, redistribution and addition processes
    • Design theory: design movements and influential designers
  2. 2

    Phase 2 — Mini projects

    Iteration reflex

    • 3–4 short design briefs
    • CAD practice (SolidWorks / Fusion 360)
  3. 3

    Phase 3 — NEA part 1

    NEA start

    • Brief + research
    • User interviews
    • Concept sketches and development
  4. 4

    Phase 4 — NEA part 2 + mock

    NEA finish + papers

    • Prototype build
    • Portfolio writing
    • Theory papers timed mock

How lessons work

  • Iteration discipline

    Every concept is developed and tested more than once, and students learn to record what they tried, what they learned and what they changed: the iterative process the NEA is built on.

  • CAD + hand sketching balance

    We teach SolidWorks / Fusion 360 alongside hand drawing: AQA's Design communication topic covers 2D/3D sketching and rendering, and Digital design and manufacture covers CAD.

  • Sustainability as default

    Every design decision is evaluated through a circular-economy lens, as AQA's Responsible design topic asks, so students can justify the environmental impact of their material and manufacturing choices.

Advice

A-Level Design & Technology: common mistakes and study tips

  • MistakeWriting the NEA brief without real user research.

    FixAQA expects the brief to meet the needs of a user, client or market; evidence that need with primary and secondary research such as surveys, interviews, product analysis and disassembly.

  • MistakeSkipping visible iteration in the design process.

    FixShow how ideas developed through sketches, models and test photos. AQA expects an iterative process of designing, making, testing and evaluating, and Development of design proposal(s) and Development of design prototype(s) carry 25 marks each.

  • MistakeChoosing materials on aesthetic grounds alone.

    FixJustify each material decision on function, performance characteristics, cost and environmental impact.

  • MistakeFinal evaluations that only list strengths.

    FixTest the prototype against the specification and user feedback; record what works, what doesn't and what you would change next. Analysing and evaluating is worth 20 marks.

Study tips

  • Plan your NEA from the start of the year — it is 50% of the grade.
  • Become fluent in at least one CAD tool (Fusion 360, SolidWorks).
  • Document every stage of your design process with photos and sketches; AQA recommends that the design folder should not exceed 45 pages, so be selective.
  • Study real products and how they are manufactured — Paper 2 has a Product analysis section and a Commercial manufacture section.

Ready to raise your A-Level Design & Technology grade?

You can start one-to-one A-Level Design & Technology lessons with a single lesson. Every package and price is on one page.

  • Live one-to-one lessons online
  • No package needed — book a single lesson
  • Lesson times that fit your school week
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FAQ

A-Level Design & Technology Prep — Frequently Asked Questions

The questions students ask most about A-Level Design & Technology preparation.

AQA asks students to develop their own context and design brief. Choose a real need of a user, client or market, with an outcome that is not certain from the start, so the project takes you through several rounds of designing, making, testing and evaluating.

It is directly relevant to industrial design, product design, architecture and engineering. Engineering degrees usually also ask for Mathematics and often Physics, so check each university's entry requirements.

Yes. AQA expects the final prototype to be made under supervision in school or college; specialist processes or equipment outside school can be used but must be recorded on the Candidate Record Form. Plan the NEA through your school.

CAD is not used in the written papers, but questions can ask how CAD is used (Digital design and manufacture). In the NEA portfolio, CAD models and renders help show how the design developed; SolidWorks, Fusion 360 and Rhino are common choices.

D&T + Maths + Physics is a strong combination, but many architecture programmes also ask for an art or drawing portfolio. Some students take A-Level Art & Design in parallel; check each programme's entry requirements.

A-Levels are widely accepted for university entry outside the UK, but which subjects count, the grades required and any portfolio or aptitude test vary by university and country. Check the entry requirements of each programme you apply to.

The money-back guarantee covers live lessons. If you are not satisfied after your first private lesson, we refund your payment in full.

Lessons cancelled less than 3 hours before the start count as taken and are not refunded. A lesson that has not been paid for 3 hours before it starts is cancelled automatically.

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