GCSE Product Design - any DCs taken it - what did they think?

[Porka]

DD has signed up for GCSE Product Design (AQA) which she will take alongside Art GCSE as a one year course when she is in year 10 in September.

She just got an introductory workpack from the teacher and it looks like about 60% of the final mark involves creating a product or products and 40% is a written paper. The written paper involves knowing about different types of materials, impact on the environment, methods of manufacture etc.

It is not quite what DD expected which was a more practical course i.e. making things. I just wondered if anyone else's DC had taken the course and what they thought of it. Thanks!

My DD did Product design GCSE and she has just said to me- most of the course is practical. She absolutely loved it and is now half way through the A level course and is thinking about going onto do a degree in it.

Most of the theory is relatively easy (most of it can be learned out of the book- DD says she had about ten hours of theory for the whoile two year course!) but one word of warning- it is sooooooooo boring. (I was the one who helped DD to revise this for both the GCSE and the AS course.) Snoooze fest. She agrees but loves the design side of it so much it didn't really bother her.

But it is largely practical and if your DD does art it should be relatively straight forward.

DS took this at GCSE and just finished at A2.
For his GCSE project he designed and made a lightweight trolley / portable BBQ for festival goers. So you could stack your tent, clothes etc on it and pull it along to your pitch. Then it converted to an off-ground barbie for cooking. He has loved doing both courses.

My DD is in Y11 and has completed Aqa Product Design predicted A*
She sat the written paper last June whilst in Y10 and got an A and her design and product which she made with portfolio etc has been submitted so will get final result in August but her tutor thinks she will maintain her A
She enjoyed the course but said it was very intensive.

There is a lot of written course work to back up the design process,so if she is doing art as well it is quite a lot of work.

My DC is a bit behind with it (yr 10) and has had to spend the last few weeks catching up because next year he will need to produce a finished sheet every two weeks so that he doesn't fall behind again.
A lot of it is about the process but they do make models and finished pieces so lots of time in the workshop.

DC is enjoying it but the written worksheets are bit boring.

Thank you all so much for all your reassurance and interesting comments - love the festival trolley/BBQ.

DD brought home what looked like most of a CGP book photocopied in colour to work through over the summer and it did look a bit boring. Hopefully as it is a one year course and they have it for 4 days out of 5, they will spend more time in class working on the actual product.

Dd1 has just finished her gcse, and in her words, it's "been the bane of her life"! She's really not a project/coursework kind of girl ;-) but a tech is compulsory at her school. To be fair, I think she enjoyed the practical aspect, but producing a good project was a daunting task for her (ended up doing most of it in the month before it had to be handed in). The theory work just got fitted in here and there, and then after the project was completed they had plenty of time for revision.

She should do ok in it, and I do think producing the project involves lots of useful skills.

Anyway, I have a completely untouched CGP AQA "exam practice workbook" (plus answers) here - pm me if you'd like them!

Aww thanks that's really nice of you!