Design starts from a need or opportunity
Design begins not with a product idea but with a need — a real problem a specific user has (an elderly person who cannot open jars) — or an opportunity, a gap in the market or a chance to improve a product. The first job is to identify WHO has the problem, WHAT they are trying to do, and WHERE it is used. Naming a specific user and environment turns a woolly idea into a designable problem; a vague need solves nothing.
Brief versus specification
The design brief comes first: short and open, it states what is to be designed, for whom and why, but deliberately does NOT fix the solution, so many ideas stay possible. The design specification comes later, after research: a detailed list of specific, testable criteria the product must meet, grouped under design factors (function, cost, safety, size, materials). The brief opens the problem up; the specification pins down what success looks like.
What makes a spec point score
A specification point earns credit only when it is specific (it names a quantity, material or standard) and testable (the product can be checked against it), e.g. "must weigh under 500 g". A strong specification spreads across the design factors (function, size, safety, cost, materials) rather than repeating one, and anchors each point to the real user and environment. A point that fits almost any product ("must be nice") is not testable and scores nothing.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Repeating the brief scores nothing
The most-repeated Paper 1 fault: candidates re-state a requirement the brief has ALREADY given ("it must be portable", "must hold three coins") and score nothing. A point earns credit only when it is additional and specific. Check each against the brief; if it already said it, make it precise — turn "portable" into "must weigh under 1 kg and fit a 300 mm bag".
Paper 1 part (a): the most repeated fault was re-stating points already given in the brief, which gained no marks (s23 P11 Q1a; s23 P13 Q2a).
Generic, subjective spec points
Words like "nice", "cheap" and "easy to use" are too generic to score — they fit almost any product and cannot be tested. Fix each by tying it to something checkable: "cheap" becomes "must cost under a stated amount to make"; "easy to use" becomes "must be operable with one hand". The test: could two people check the product against the point and agree? If not, it is too vague.
Paper 1 part (a): generic words such as nice, cheap and easy to use, which fit almost any product, gained no marks (s23 P11 Q1a; s23 P12 Q1a).
Confusing brief with specification
Asked for specification points, candidates write one loose sentence like a brief; asked for the brief, they list detailed constraints. Keep them straight: the brief stays open (what, for whom, why); the specification comes after research and closes it into separate, measurable requirements. Each point is its own checkable requirement, not a restatement of the aim.
Describing instead of evaluating
In the select/evaluate part (d), candidates describe each proposal instead of evaluating it — weighing its positive AND negative features and reaching a judgement. Assertions like "it would work well" or "it is best" score nothing without a reason. Say what each idea does well, where it falls short, and why you choose one — each idea its own judgement, not one verdict repeated.
Paper 1 part (d): unjustified assertions such as "it would work well" scored nothing without a reason; candidates described rather than evaluated (s23 P12 Q2d; s23 P13 Q3d).
Too few or identical ideas
Design-idea parts ask for a set number of DIFFERENT ideas (commonly three). A recurring lost mark is producing only two, or three that are the same idea redrawn. Ideas must also meet ALL the requirements — one that satisfies only part of the brief is capped. Generate distinct approaches, each answering the whole brief; near-identical variations are not separate ideas.
Paper 1 part (c): producing only two ideas, or three near-identical ideas, was a recurring lost mark (s23 P11 Q3c; s23 P12 Q1c).
Sketches without informative notes
When a question says "use sketches AND notes", sketches alone cannot reach full marks — and the notes must ADD information (materials, dimensions, how a part works or is joined), not restate what the drawing shows ("this is the handle"). Treat them as two halves of one answer: the drawing shows form, the notes explain the thinking and detail lines alone cannot show.
Paper 1 part (b): where a question says use sketches AND notes, sketches alone cannot reach full marks and notes must add information (s23 P11 Q1b).
Generic material names score zero
In the material-choice part (f), generic names — "metal", "wood", "plastic" — score nothing; name a SPECIFIC material (mild steel, aluminium, acrylic, pine, MDF) with a property-linked reason. Consumables such as "paint" do not count as construction materials. The same applies in the specification: a "materials" point must name a specific material, not a category.
Paper 1 part (f): generic names (metal, wood, plastic) scored nothing; a specific material with a property-linked reason was required (s23 P11 Q1f; s23 P12 Q1f).
Specification is not a description
A common wrong belief: that the specification is just a description — the same as the brief. In fact it is a structured list of separate, testable requirements, each checkable against the product. Candidates then write vague descriptions ("a nice, easy-to-use jar opener") when credit goes to points like "must be operable with one hand". Only checkable requirements count.
Make every spec point count
Write each spec point to clear three hurdles: additional (not in the brief), specific and testable (a quantity, material or standard to test against, e.g. "grip lids 40 to 90 mm"), and anchored to the user and environment. Spread across the design factors.
Evaluate, do not just describe
When a part says "evaluate" or "select", do not just describe. For each idea weigh a positive AND a negative feature against the specification, then give a reasoned judgement — each idea its OWN verdict, not one repeated for all three. "It is best" without a reason earns nothing.
Name the tools, give dimensions
Later parts reward specifics weak answers omit. In manufacture parts NAME the actual tools — vague descriptions miss those marks. The final drawing must let "a skilled third party make it": include construction detail and key DIMENSIONS. Read the marks; one point per mark.
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