A Level Design and Technology Tutoring for Students in the UAE
The project is worth about half the A Level, and it is marked on the folder rather than on the object.
- 3 examined components, weighted as shown below
- 9 syllabus areas mapped to your scheme of work
- Taught by a specialist in this subject, not a generalist
- 90-minute online lessons, scheduled in UAE time
How it is examined
The components, what each one is worth, and what it asks for. Planning revision without this in front of you is how students spend weeks on the part that carries the fewest marks.
| Component | Weight | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1: Technical Principles | 30% | 2 hours 30 minutes on materials science, manufacturing methods and environmental impact. |
| Paper 2: Designing & Making Principles | 20% | 1 hour 30 minutes on the design process, ergonomics, aesthetics and production planning. |
| Non-Exam Assessment (NEA) | 50% | Independent design-and-make project: research, design, prototyping and evaluation. |
What the syllabus covers
Unit by unit, in the awarding body’s own terms so you can match it against your school’s scheme of work.
Materials and Manufacturing
Wood, metal, polymer and composite materials · CAD/CAM technology · Batch and mass production
Design Principles
Human factors and ergonomics · Sustainable design · Aesthetic and functional balance
Project Development
User research and brief development · Prototyping and iterative design · Testing, evaluation and presentation
Where marks are actually lost
A beautifully made outcome with a thin portfolio scores badly, and a modest outcome with rigorous documentation scores well. The marks are in identifying a real client and need, testing ideas against stated criteria, recording iterations honestly — including the ones that failed — and evaluating against the original brief. Students photograph the finished piece and reconstruct the process afterwards, which examiners recognise immediately.
The written paper is the other half and is often treated as an afterthought. Materials and their properties, manufacturing processes, sustainability and design history are examined as recall and application, and they cannot be inferred from having made something. Splitting revision time between the two, rather than letting the project absorb everything, is the planning decision that most affects the grade.
Tell us the board first
Design and Technology is offered by AQA, Edexcel, OCR, and they do not examine it the same way — different options, different papers, different mark schemes. A tutor matched to the subject without the board may be teaching the wrong specification, so it is the first thing we ask.
Frequently asked questions
The questions UAE students and parents ask us most often about this program.
Related programs
Other preparation tracks students often combine with this one.
A Level Tutoring
One-to-one A Level tutoring across the sciences, mathematics and economics, matched to your exact board and specification. Lessons are online and built around past papers and mark schemes.
A Level Pricing
A Level tutoring is priced per subject at the same rate for every subject and every board. What changes the total is when in the two years you start.
How it works
Every student starts with a free consultation and ends with a plan that has a date on it. What happens in between depends on which exam you are sitting.
Tell us where Design and Technology is going wrong
Send a recent piece of marked work or a test paper with the marks on it. That shows us more in five minutes than a description of the problem does in an hour.