This course allows you to explore the multi-faceted world of product design and manufacturing. Creativity is at the heart of this course and its combination with technology makes it exciting and dynamic.
Design and Manufacture provides you with skills in designing and communicating design proposals, allowing you to refine and resolve your design ideas effectively. The course stresses the integration of designing and making, highlighting the close relationship between designing, making, testing, and refining design ideas.
The skills you learn in this course give you a broad range of potential for jobs or careers; in the expressive arts, mathematics, science, information technology, as well as in craft, design, engineering and graphics.
Career Pathways
To see what career areas this subject could lead to and the routes to get there, download and view these career pathways:
The school or college will decide on the entry requirements for the course. You would normally have achieved:
This course provides a broad practical introduction to design, and materials and manufacturing processes. You will develop design skills, as well as skills in making models, prototypes and products. And, you will look at the life cycle of a product; from idea through design, manufacture, and use, including its disposal or re-use. You will learn to appreciate the tensions that exist between factors such as aesthetics, function, economics and the environment.
The course comprises two areas of study.
Design
You will:
Manufacture
You will:
Course Assessment
The course assessment has three components totalling 180 marks:
For the design assignment component, you will develop a design proposal in response to a set brief. For the practical assignment component, you will then create your design prototype.
Assignment component 1 (Design) will be set and externally assessed by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). Assignment component 2 (Practical) will be assessed by your teacher and subject to verification by SQA.
The question paper will be set and marked externally by the SQA.
The grade awarded is based on the total marks achieved across all course assessment components.
The course assessment is graded A-D.
If you complete the course successfully, it may lead to:
Further study, training or employment in:
Your school will give your parents an Options or Choices information booklet, which has detailed information on the curriculum and the individual subjects or courses you can study. It will also invite them along to a Parents’ Information Evening.
They can also read the information leaflet(s):
Nationals in a Nutshell - Design and Manufacture (National 5)
