We provide high quality resources that help pupils to improve their results in the STEM subjects. Our team includes award winning teachers and former senior and principal examiners from across a range of examination bodies. We understand that raising attainment and supporting the progress of learners is key to developing outstanding learning and teaching.
We provide high quality resources that help pupils to improve their results in the STEM subjects. Our team includes award winning teachers and former senior and principal examiners from across a range of examination bodies. We understand that raising attainment and supporting the progress of learners is key to developing outstanding learning and teaching.
Create outstanding customised starters and plenaries for your Design and Technology lessons in minutes!
This resource contains over 60 slides. Its objective is to support literacy in the new GCSE D&T, by focusing on key terms in energy and forces. The slides include picture recognition, cloze questions and anagrams. Simply copy and paste the appropriate slides for your own lessons.
This is suitable for use to support teaching of the new GCSE in D&T or at Key Stage 3. It has been written with direct reference to the AQA specification, which has been approved for first teaching in September 2017.
There are three keys to success in GCSE exams: subject knowledge, exam technique and confidence. Our GCSE homework packs have been written by former senior examiners and outstanding teachers. They contain a separate worksheet for every sub-section of the named GCSE specification, written in the style of exam questions. These are each supported by an associated mark scheme. The questions can be printed and set as homework activities to support the lessons covering each area of subject knowledge, or for revision. They can then be used as a peer assessment activity with students marking each others’ work, or marked by teachers.
By using these worksheets, learners can consolidate or develop their subject knowledge. They can also increase their understanding of what the questions are asking for and how to answer them – therefore also helping to increase their confidence. This addresses all three of the keys for success in their GCSE exams!
This resource includes:
Teachers' notes, suggesting how the resource can be used effectively.
A series of over 30 individual worksheets containing exam-style questions (one worksheet for each sub-topic of the specification).
Immediately following each work sheet, a mark scheme for that question.
BONUS - 10 additional multiple choice question and answer sheets.
What teachers have said about our homework packs:
'What a fantastic resource... I think it's brilliant!' - Steve Ridley, Middleton Technology College
'The homework packs are absolutely fantastic!' - James Longridge, Head of D&T - Heckmondwike Grammar School
'The homework pack is fab!! So glad you told me about it!' - KD, Staffordshire
'This pack made a huge difference to the performance of my students in the examination component of the course. This made all the difference to their overall results.' - MT, Manchester
Create outstanding customised starters and plenaries for your Design and Technology lessons in minutes!
This resource contains over 80 slides. Its objective is to support literacy and numeracy in the new GCSE D&T, by focusing on key terms in designing and design issues. The slides include picture recognition, cloze questions, anagrams and numeracy problems. Simply copy and paste the appropriate slides for your own lessons.
This is suitable for use to support teaching of the new GCSE in D&T or at Key Stage 3. It has been written with direct reference to the AQA specification, which has been approved for first teaching in September 2017.
Create outstanding customised starters and plenaries for your Design and Technology lessons in minutes!
This resource contains over 100 slides. Its objective is to support literacy in the new GCSE D&T, by focusing on key terms in manufacturing tools, equipment and processes. The slides include picture recognition, cloze questions and anagrams. Simply copy and paste the appropriate slides for your own lessons.
This is suitable for use to support teaching of the new GCSE in D&T or at Key Stage 3. It has been written with direct reference to the AQA specification, which has been approved for first teaching in September 2017.
For the new GCSE in Design and Technology - first teaching in September 2017. Written for the AQA specification. Pack of two practice examination papers for the new GCSE in Design and Technology (9-1) (written in the style of AQA).
What better way for students to prepare for their GCSE examinations than by completing our expertly written practice exam style papers? These papers are written by teachers and former senior examiners to support students in preparing for the examination in the new GCSE in Design and Technology (9-1).
Included in each pack:
Two practice exam style papers.
Associated mark schemes for each paper.
Teachers’ notes, suggesting how the resource can be used effectively.
What other teachers have said about our practice exam papers:
‘Thanks for these papers – they are fantastic!!’- AM, Shropshire
’The exam papers look like a great resource’ - DW, Middlesex
’Delighted with the papers, they will be extremely helpful’ - LD, Rutland
Pack of two practice examination papers for the new GCSE in Food Preparation and Nutrition (9-1) (written in the style of AQA).
What better way for students to prepare for their GCSE examinations than by completing our expertly written practice exam style papers? These papers are written by teachers and former senior examiners to support students in preparing for the examination in the new GCSE in Food Preparation and Nutrition (9-1).
Included in each pack:
Two practice exam style papers.
Associated mark schemes for each paper.
Teachers’ notes, suggesting how the resource can be used effectively.
What other teachers have said about our practice exam papers:
‘Thanks for these papers – they are fantastic!!’- AM, Shropshire
’The exam papers look like a great resource’ - DW, Middlesex
’Delighted with the papers, they will be extremely helpful’ - LD, Rutland
’They really test and stretch the students’ ability to apply their theory knowledge!’ - MF, London
This is a PowerPoint explaining the common command words that could be used in exam questions for the subject, alongside a sample question and answer for each type of question.
In order to maximise exam performance, it is vital that pupils fully understand the questions that they are being asked so that they are able to answer them effectively. This can make a huge difference to the grades that they achieve. In addition, with the increased emphasis on literacy in schools it is more important than ever that pupils can understand exactly what they are being asked to write and demonstrate a good command of the English language when presenting their answers.
This PowerPoint based resource, written by a former senior examiner, is designed to be used by teachers in class to guide pupils through the common command words that could be used in AQA GCSE Engineering examination questions. These include which, state, give, describe, explain and discuss. It can also be printed/placed on a VLE for students to use as part of their GCSE revision. In addition to an explanation of each command word, the resource also provides a sample question and answer for each, giving pupils clear examples of how to structure their answers to each type of question.
This is a 12 slide PowerPoint presentation prepared by an experienced, award winning teacher and former senior examiner to assist in the delivery of the systems approach knowledge as part of the Engineering and/or D&T GCSE 9-1 specifications. It could also be used as a training resource to support colleagues unfamiliar with or new to this area of the specifications.
Included is an overview of what makes a system, examples of input, process, driver and output devices, the use of block diagrams and feedback. Four exam style questions are presented so that students can test their knowledge and understanding.
This is a pack of resources designed to support Assessment for Learning in the new AQA 9-1 GCSE Design and Technology.
This resource presents an approach that has been proven in classrooms to raise attainment. It breaks down the NEA criteria into a series of easy to understand statements in pupil friendly language. It supports both self assessment and peer assessment, thus enabling students to identify their own areas for improvement.
It can also be used to support teachers in understanding and applying the assessment criteria for GCSE 9-1 D&T. It has been developed from an approach used for the previous GCSE D&T courses; this was developed by a former senior examiner and applied in his own classroom with great success, typically improving value added by more than one grade.
Included in this pack:
Teachers notes, including an introduction to using Assessment for Learning (AfL) and how to use the resource.
An editable version of tables listing the specific requirements to achieve the marks in each section of the NEA, written in ‘pupil-speak’, alongside tick boxes for self and peer assessment.
An editable ‘front section’ for a pupil AfL workbook, explaining how to use the resource and with spaces for setting appropriate targets.
Copies of KS3 and KS4 level and grade descriptor statements derived from the GCSE 9-1 D&T specification.
BONUS: Additional sheets detailing product analysis, specification writing and the use of SCARED for designing.
The ‘tick-box’ tables can be used either individually or as a booklet by students, to support improvements in their own attainment. They are not specific to an individual project, so can be used with any of the contexts provided by the exam board.
This is a pack of resources designed to support Assessment for Learning in the new AQA 9-1 GCSE Engineering.
This resource presents an approach that has been proven in classrooms to raise attainment. It breaks down the NEA criteria into a series of easy to understand statements in pupil friendly language. It supports both self assessment and peer assessment, thus enabling students to identify their own areas for improvement.
It can also be used to support teachers in understanding and applying the assessment criteria for GCSE 9-1 Engineering. It has been developed from an approach used for the previous GCSE Engineering course; this was developed by a former senior examiner and applied in his own classroom with great success, typically improving value added by more than one grade.
**Included in this pack: **
Teachers notes, including an introduction to using Assessment for Learning (AfL) and how to use the resource.
An editable version of tables listing the specific requirements to achieve the marks in each section of the NEA, written in ‘pupil-speak’, alongside tick boxes for self and peer assessment.
An editable ‘front section’ for a pupil AfL workbook, explaining how to use the resource and with spaces for setting appropriate targets.
Copies of KS3 and KS4 level and grade descriptor statements derived from the GCSE 9-1 Engineering specification.
KS3 and KS4 ‘I can’ statements derived from GCSE Engineering.
BONUS: Additional sheets detailing product analysis, specification writing and the use of SCARED for designing
The ‘tick-box’ tables can be used either individually or as a booklet by students, to support improvements in their own attainment. They are not specific to an individual project, so can be used with any of the contexts provided by the exam board.
Pack of two practice examination papers for the new GCSE in Design and Technology (9-1) (written in the style of AQA).
What better way for students to prepare for their GCSE examinations than by completing our expertly written practice exam style papers? These papers are written by teachers and former senior examiners to support students in preparing for the examination in the new GCSE in Design and Technology (9-1).
Included in each pack:
Two practice exam style papers.
Associated mark schemes for each paper.
Teachers’ notes, suggesting how the resource can be used effectively.
What other teachers have said about our practice exam papers:
‘Thanks for these papers – they are fantastic!!’- AM, Shropshire
‘The exam papers look like a great resource’ - DW, Middlesex
‘Delighted with the papers, they will be extremely helpful’ - LD, Rutland
‘They really test and stretch the students’ ability to apply their theory knowledge!’ - MF, London
A 60 slide presentation, this pack has two purposes: reducing teacher workload and improving teacher understanding. It is designed to help reduce teacher workload and save time in sourcing and finding resources relevant to the NEA and context stated above.
It can be used to support the training of teachers regarding approaches to the NEA, for example, through presentation at department meetings or in teacher CPD time, or by individual teachers to develop their own knowledge and understanding of the NEA component of the AQA GCSE Design and Technology course.
Included in this resource:
Notes on how to use the resource.
General information about the NEA and context.
Example design briefs for the context.
Useful weblinks related to the context.
Example products for product analysis, related to the context.
Slides detailing what is required by each section of the NEA portfolio.
Suggested delivery routes for the NEA.
BONUS: Additional sheets detailing product analysis, specification writing and the use of SCARED for designing.
A 60 slide presentation, this pack has two purposes: reducing teacher workload and improving teacher understanding. It is designed to help reduce teacher workload and save time in sourcing and finding resources relevant to the NEA and context stated above.
It can be used to support the training of teachers regarding approaches to the NEA, for example, through presentation at department meetings or in teacher CPD time, or by individual teachers to develop their own knowledge and understanding of the NEA component of the AQA GCSE Design and Technology course.
Included in this resource:
Notes on how to use the resource.
General information about the NEA and context.
Example design briefs for the context.
Useful weblinks related to the context.
Example products for product analysis, related to the context.
Slides detailing what is required by each section of the NEA portfolio.
Suggested delivery routes for the NEA.
BONUS: Additional sheets detailing product analysis, specification writing and the use of SCARED for designing.
Schools use attainment criteria to facilitate the assessment of progress. However, the Secretary of State for education has disapplied the attainment criteria previously used for Key Stage 3 Design & Technology. One of the weaknesses of the previous attainment criteria was that there was no direct link to progression at Key Stage 4/GCSE Engineering. This disapplication gives the opportunity to adopt new assessment criteria, which more accurately reflect the development of skills that will be assessed in GCSE Engineering.
The following descriptor statements are based on the NEA assessment criteria in the new GCSE 9-1 Engineering specification. They were developed by a group of examiners for use in their own classrooms. They were not prepared by, and have not been approved by, any exam board.
This resource is an example of a departmental maintenance schedule. It was prepared by an experienced Head of Design & Technology and Engineering (HOD) and a Health & Safety Consultant. It was initially intended for use in the HODs own school, to provide guidance to the technician on which activities to carry out on a daily/weekly/termly basis.
In use, the technician enters the date on the relevant table and ticks off the activities carried out. This allows monitoring of the activities and provides a record of the maintenance carried out.
Please note that for use in other schools, it will need to be edited and customised for the specific processes available and working environment. Some blank lines have also been included for school-specific additions.
A 60 slide presentation written by a former senior examiner, this pack has two purposes: reducing teacher workload and improving teacher understanding. It is designed to help reduce teacher workload and save time in sourcing and finding resources relevant to the NEA and context stated above.
It can be used to support the training of teachers regarding approaches to the NEA, for example, through presentation at department meetings or in teacher CPD time, or by individual teachers to develop their own knowledge and understanding of the NEA component of the AQA GCSE Design and Technology course.
Included in this resource:
Notes on how to use the resource.
General information about the NEA and context.
Example design briefs for the context.
Useful weblinks related to the context.
Example products for product analysis, related to the context.
Slides detailing what is required by each section of the NEA portfolio.
Suggested delivery routes for the NEA.
BONUS: Additional sheets detailing product analysis, specification writing and the use of SCARED for designing.
A 60 slide presentation written by a former senior examiner, this pack has two purposes: reducing teacher workload and improving teacher understanding. It is designed to help reduce teacher workload and save time in sourcing and finding resources relevant to the NEA and context stated above.
It can be used to support the training of teachers regarding approaches to the NEA, for example, through presentation at department meetings or in teacher CPD time, or by individual teachers to develop their own knowledge and understanding of the NEA component of the AQA GCSE Design and Technology course.
Included in this resource:
Notes on how to use the resource.
General information about the NEA and context.
Example design briefs for the context.
Useful weblinks related to the context.
Example products for product analysis, related to the context.
Slides detailing what is required by each section of the NEA portfolio.
Suggested delivery routes for the NEA.
BONUS: Additional sheets detailing product analysis, specification writing and the use of SCARED for designing.
A 60 slide presentation written by a former senior examiner, this pack has two purposes: reducing teacher workload and improving teacher understanding. It is designed to help reduce teacher workload and save time in sourcing and finding resources relevant to the NEA and context stated above.
It can be used to support the training of teachers regarding approaches to the NEA, for example, through presentation at department meetings or in teacher CPD time, or by individual teachers to develop their own knowledge and understanding of the NEA component of the AQA GCSE Design and Technology course.
Included in this resource:
Notes on how to use the resource.
General information about the NEA and context.
Example design briefs for the context.
Useful weblinks related to the context.
Example products for product analysis, related to the context.
Slides detailing what is required by each section of the NEA portfolio.
Suggested delivery routes for the NEA.
BONUS: Additional sheets detailing product analysis, specification writing and the use of SCARED for designing.
This resource is designed to support Assessment for Learning in OCR A-Level Design and Technology.
This resource, written by a former senior examiner, presents an approach that has been proven in classrooms to raise attainment. It breaks down the NEA criteria into a series of easy to understand statements in student friendly language. It supports both self assessment and peer assessment, thus enabling students to identify their own areas for improvement.
It can also be used to support teachers in understanding and applying the assessment criteria for A-Level D&T. It has been developed from an approach used for GCSE D&T courses; this was developed by a former senior examiner and applied in his own classroom with great success, typically improving value added by more than one grade.
Included in this pack:
Teachers notes, including an introduction to using Assessment for Learning (AfL) and how to use the resource.
Tables listing the specific requirements to achieve the marks in each section of the NEA, written in ‘student-speak’, alongside tick boxes for self and peer assessment.
An editable version of the tables to allow for teacher customisation.
The ‘tick-box’ tables can be used either individually or as a booklet by students, to support improvements in their own attainment.
This resource is a PowerPoint presentation designed to improve teacher understanding of systems theory and systems diagrams.
This resource includes an introduction to systems and key terms such as input, process, output, sub-system and feedback. It also provides an additional 23 slides showing examples of systems diagrams ranging from simple three block systems typical of the level found at key stage 3 Engineering and/or D&T, to complex systems including sub-systems and feedback, typical of the higher end of GCSE Engineering.
This resource can be used to support the training of teachers in this topic area, for example, through presentation at department meetings or in teacher CPD time, or by individual teachers to develop their own knowledge and understanding of this topic.