Layout — organise for impact and clarity
A layout arranges images, text and space so a page grabs attention AND reads clearly. Use a focal point (the boldest element), a visual hierarchy (size and position order title, sub-heading, then body), alignment to a grid so edges line up, balance so weight is spread, and white space to avoid clutter. Consistency ties it together. Justify by WHO reads it and WHERE — a distant poster needs a bold focal point and few large words.
Lettering — consistent height, even spacing
Good lettering is judged on consistency. Two rules: every letter the same height (between a baseline and a cap line), and gaps set for even optical spacing, not identical gaps. Serif (small feet) suits body text, sans-serif suits headings and signage. Three methods: dry-transfer letters burnished off a sheet, stencils drawn or sprayed through, and computer-generated lettering output by printer or cutter (most consistent).
Drafting aids — accuracy, consistency, speed
Manual drafting aids make hand drawing accurate, consistent and fast. A technical pen has a fixed-width nib, so it lays a constant, even line (a pencil varies as it wears); sizes give the thick/thin hierarchy. A template repeats a shape at one size. A radius aid gives consistent rounded corners without resetting a compass. A flexicurve (or French curve) draws a smooth NON-circular curve — a free-form curve a compass cannot make.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Vinyl cutter counts as CAD/CAM
When a task bars CAD/CAM, candidates still answer with a vinyl cutter, vinyl stickers or laser cutting and score nothing — those ARE computer-aided manufacture (a computer sets out the letters, then drives the machine). The expected manual methods are stencils, dry-transfer lettering, hand markers, and spray paint through a stencil.
s23 P52 QB5 — CAD/CAM barred, but candidates answered with vinyl stickers or laser cutting and scored nothing; the expected manual methods were stencils, markers and spray paint.
CAD/CAM lettering isn't just typing
Asked how lettering is made by computer-generated means, candidates say "type the letters" but cannot describe the stages that follow, where the marks sit: save/export the file the machine reads, transfer the data to the CAM machine (vinyl cutter, plotter or laser), set the parameters (material, speed), then run it. Only-typing caps the mark.
w23 P51/P52 QB4c · s23 P53 QB4b(i) — describing CAD/CAM lettering was a headline weakness; candidates named typing but not saving/formatting, transferring data, setting parameters and running.
Thick line put on internal detail
A technical pen builds the thick/thin line hierarchy, but candidates ink everything one weight, or put the thick line on internal parts. The rule: a thick line for the outer visible outline only; thin lines for internal detail, dimension and projection lines (dashed = hidden, chain = centre). On a mould, the thick weight traces just the outer silhouette.
w23 P53 QB5d(i) · s23 P52 QA2a — thick/thin technique on a mould drawing applied to the outer edge only, and line conventions frequently wrong or absent.
Vinyl process stops after cutting
For self-adhesive vinyl the marks continue AFTER the cut, and candidates leave the finishing out. Once the cutter has run you must weed the waste vinyl from around the letters, apply transfer/application tape over them, position it on the surface, then peel the tape away, leaving the letters stuck down. Stopping at "cut it out" loses the application marks.
s23 P53 QB5 · w23 P51/P52 QB4c — the self-adhesive vinyl process (weeding waste, transfer tape, apply, remove tape) is described incompletely.
Hand-lettering without guidelines
Skipping the pencil guidelines is why hand lettering looks amateur. Without a baseline the letters wander off the line; without a cap line they end up different heights. Using identical gaps rather than even optical spacing (adjusted for letter shapes) makes the word look uneven. Draw both guidelines first, then work letter by letter.
Flexicurve does not draw circles
A flexicurve (or French curve) is NOT for circles or arcs. It draws smooth NON-circular curves — free-form curves (a car-body outline, a cam profile) whose radius keeps changing, which a compass cannot make. Circles and arcs use a compass, circle template or radius aid. The tell: constant radius → compass/template; changing radius → flexicurve.
Name the specific aid and justify it
Do not name a generic "tool" — name the specific aid and justify it: a flexicurve because the curve is not a circular arc, a radius aid for equal rounded corners, a technical pen for a constant line width a pencil cannot give. Name-plus-reason earns the marks.
Give the whole CAM sequence
For any computer-generated / vinyl answer, give the whole sequence — marks are spread across the stages: format, save/export, transfer to the cutter, set parameters, run, then weed and apply. Stopping at the first click leaves most marks unclaimed.
Obey the restriction in the question
Read any restriction and answer inside it. "Without CAD/CAM" rules out vinyl cutters and lasers — give stencils, dry transfer, markers or spray. "By hand" or "one-off" points to manual lettering. Answering outside the constraint scores nothing, however neat.
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