Subject · GCSE
Design and Technology
Which schools in England make Design and Technology a big part of the curriculum, and where results are strongest. Entries and grades from the 2025 performance tables.
What the data says
Design and Technology GCSE was taken in 2,408 schools in England in 2025, with 77,039 entries — about 11% of the Year 11 cohort.
Nationally 23% of entries achieved grade 7 or above. The tables below show the schools where the largest share of pupils take the subject, and where grades are highest (schools with at least 20 entries).
At Jaamiatul Imaam Muhammad Zakaria (Bradford) 96% of the year group took Design and Technology.
GCSE: schools with the highest share of grades 7–9
Schools with at least 20 entries. England: 23% of entries graded 7–9. High grades often reflect who is admitted (selective and independent schools) as much as teaching.
What pupils learn in Design and Technology, stage by stage
England has no national year-by-year syllabus: exam boards and schools set the order within each stage. These are the statutory blocks from the Department for Education, so a parent can see what a child meets in Years 7–9, what every GCSE candidate must cover, and what waits in the sixth form.
Years 7–9Key Stage 3
23learning outcomes · National Curriculum, taught in every maintained schoolYears 10–11GCSE
38learning outcomes · statutory GCSE subject content; Higher-tier-only outcomes are markedYear 12A level, typically first year
no outcomes at this stageYear 13A level, second year
57learning outcomes · A level-only contentWhat Key Stage 3 Design and Technology teaches · Years 7–9
23 learning outcomes from the Department for Education’s statutory subject content, grouped by topic. Each outcome belongs to one of twelve fields of knowledge used across startfrom.today: Arts & Humanities (9), Engineering & Manufacturing (9), Health & Safety (4), Green & Sustainability (1). Exam boards add detail on top of these; the outcomes themselves are the same whichever board a school uses.
Design8
- investigate user needs through research into different cultures — cultural research, user need
- identify design problems in their own project work — design problem
- propose solutions to their own design problems — design problem, solution
- reformulate design problems set by others — design brief, problem reformulation
- develop specifications for innovative and functional products — design specification, product requirement
- generate creative design ideas using approaches such as biomimicry — biomimicry, creative idea, user-centred design
- develop design ideas using sketches, plans and 3-D modelling — annotated sketch, design model
- communicate design ideas using digital presentations and computer-based tools — design communication, digital presentation
Make2
- select and use specialist tools and equipment, including computer-aided manufacture — computer-aided manufacture, specialist tool
- select materials, components and ingredients based on their properties — component selection, material property
Evaluate5
- analyse the work of past and present design professionals — design history, professional design work
- investigate new and emerging technologies — emerging technology
- test their products against a design specification — design specification, product testing
- refine designs based on feedback from intended users — design refinement, user feedback
- explain how design and technology affects individuals, society and the environment — designer responsibility, environmental impact, societal impact
Technical knowledge4
- explain how the properties of materials affect structural performance — material property, structural element
- explain how mechanical systems create movement and force in products — force, mechanical system, movement
- explain how electrical and electronic systems can power products — electrical system, electronic system
- apply computing and electronics to control product outputs — actuator, programmable component, sensor
Cooking and nutrition4
- apply the principles of nutrition and health when planning meals — healthy eating, nutrition principle
- cook a repertoire of savoury dishes for a healthy varied diet — savoury dish, varied diet
- use a range of cooking techniques competently — cooking technique, food preparation
- explain the source, seasonality and characteristics of ingredients — ingredient sourcing, seasonality
Source: DfE National Curriculum in England, Open Government Licence v3.0. Outcomes are split into single actions and rewritten only where the original bundled several; wording otherwise follows the DfE text. Methodology.
What GCSE Design and Technology teaches · Years 10–11
38 learning outcomes from the Department for Education’s statutory subject content, grouped by topic. Each outcome belongs to one of twelve fields of knowledge used across startfrom.today: Engineering & Manufacturing (19), Mathematics & Statistics (8), Green & Sustainability (7), Arts & Humanities (4). Exam boards add detail on top of these; the outcomes themselves are the same whichever board a school uses.
Technical principles12
- explain the impact of emerging technologies on industry and sustainability — emerging technology, sustainability
- evaluate new and emerging technologies to inform design decisions — design decision, technology evaluation
- explain how energy sources are generated, stored and used to power products — energy source, power system
- describe developments in modern, smart and composite materials and technical textiles — composite material, smart material, technical textile
- explain how electronic and programmable components provide and customise functionality — control device, programmable component, sensor
- explain how mechanical devices change the magnitude and direction of forces — gear, lever, mechanism
- classify materials by type and physical properties — metal, paper and board, polymer, timber
- explain the ecological and social footprint of a chosen material or component category — ecological footprint, social footprint
- explain factors that influence the choice of materials or components — cost, material selection, sustainability
- explain the impact of forces and stresses on materials and how they are reinforced — force, reinforcement, stress
- calculate the quantity of materials or components required from stock forms and sizes — quantity calculation, stock form
- select manufacturing processes appropriate to different scales of production — manufacturing process, scale of production
Designing and making principles13
- identify client and user needs through primary and secondary research — primary data, secondary data, user need
- write a design brief and specification from user needs — design brief, specification
- investigate factors that create design opportunities and constraints — design constraint, design opportunity
- develop and evaluate design ideas through testing and critical analysis — critical analysis, design idea
- analyse the work of design and technology professionals and companies to inform ideas — industry analysis, professional practice
- apply design strategies such as collaboration and user-centred design to generate ideas — collaboration, systems thinking, user-centred design
- communicate design ideas using drawings, diagrams, models and computer-based tools — diagram, model, sketch
- design and make a prototype that is fit for purpose, functional and marketable — functionality, marketability, prototype
- evaluate feedback on prototypes to identify potential for further development — feedback, prototype improvement
- select and work with appropriate materials and components to produce a prototype — component, material selection
- apply accurate marking-out methods including templates, jigs and tolerances — marking out, template, tolerance
- use specialist tools and equipment to shape, fabricate and assemble a prototype — fabrication, specialist tool
- apply surface treatments and finishes for functional and aesthetic purposes — finish, surface treatment
Links to mathematics6
- calculate quantities, costs and sizes using decimals and standard form — decimal, standard form
- use ratios, fractions and percentages to scale drawings and analyse survey data — percentage, ratio, scale drawing
- calculate surface area and volume to determine quantities of materials — surface area, volume
- present and interpret data using tables, charts and graphs — chart, data table, graph
- use angular measures and geometric calculations for marking out and tessellated patterns — angle, geometry, tessellation
- visualise and represent two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms — 2d representation, 3d representation
Links to science7
- use scientific vocabulary, units and SI prefixes when specifying materials — scientific terminology, si unit
- classify metals and non-metals by their physical and chemical properties — material property, metal, non-metal
- apply life-cycle assessment principles to select materials and components — life-cycle assessment, recycling
- explain the causes of corrosion and oxidisation and how materials are protected — corrosion, oxidisation, surface protection
- select alloys and materials appropriate to their properties and uses — alloy, material property
- explain how renewable and non-renewable energy sources are used in products — non-renewable energy, renewable energy
- explain how levers and gears transmit and transform forces — force transmission, gear, lever
Source: DfE GCSE design and technology subject content (2015), Open Government Licence v3.0. Outcomes are split into single actions and rewritten only where the original bundled several; wording otherwise follows the DfE text. Methodology.
What A level Design and Technology teaches · Years 12–13
57 learning outcomes from the Department for Education’s statutory subject content, grouped by topic. Each outcome belongs to one of twelve fields of knowledge used across startfrom.today: Engineering & Manufacturing (27), Mathematics & Statistics (10), Digital & ICT Skills (4), Natural Sciences (4) and others. Exam boards add detail on top of these; the outcomes themselves are the same whichever board a school uses.
Core technical principles14
- select materials, processes and techniques to realise a designYear 13 — material selection, process
- evaluate design decisions against a specification for fitness for purposeYear 13 — fitness for purpose, specification
- apply ergonomics and anthropometrics to product design decisionsYear 13 — anthropometrics, ergonomics
- communicate design decisions through drawing, sketching and written reportsYear 13 — design report, technical drawing
- use CAD and CAM in digital design and manufactureYear 13 — computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacture
- apply safe working practices and risk assessment in the workshopYear 13 — risk assessment, safe working practice
- apply mathematical and scientific knowledge to inform design decisionsYear 13 — mathematics, science
- explain quality assurance and quality control in manufacturing industriesYear 13 — quality assurance, quality control
- explain the regulatory framework for health and safety in designYear 13 — health and safety regulation
- evaluate the feasibility of proposed design solutionsYear 13 — feasibility study
- design for manufacture, repair, maintenance and product lifeYear 13 — design for manufacture, product life
- calculate the optimum use of materials considering cost, form and production scaleYear 13 — material cost, scale of production
- explain intellectual property protections such as patents and registered designsYear 13 — intellectual property, patent
- explain the role of marketing and enterprise in product developmentYear 13 — enterprise, marketing
Core designing and making principles14
- analyse user needs to produce a design brief and specificationYear 13 — design brief, user-centred design
- explain key historic design movements and figuresYear 13 — design history, design movement
- apply an iterative product development process to design and evaluate prototypesYear 13 — iterative design, prototype
- evaluate the social, moral and ethical impact of technological developmentsYear 13 — ethics of technology
- evaluate design ideas and decisions during iterative design and make processesYear 13 — iterative evaluation
- select and safely use specialist tools, equipment and machinery for manufactureYear 13 — machinery safety, specialist tool
- measure and apply required degrees of accuracy and precision to productsYear 13 — accuracy, precision
- evaluate prototypes against the views of potential users and clientsYear 13 — prototype evaluation, user feedback
- apply strategies such as circular economy and systems thinking to design ideasYear 13 — circular economy, systems thinking
- apply project management techniques such as critical path analysisYear 13 — critical path analysis, project management
- plan production for accuracy and efficiency at different manufacturing scalesYear 13 — production scale
- evaluate the environmental impact of waste, disposal and material useYear 13 — sustainability, waste disposal
- apply British Standards and ISO standards to design tasksYear 13 — bsi standard, iso standard
- describe the stages of a product life cycleYear 13 — product life cycle
Product design5
- explain the working properties of materials used in product designYear 13 — material property, product design material
- select adhesives, fixings, surface finishes and coatings for a productYear 13 — adhesive, surface finish
- explain production processes such as moulding, extrusion and castingYear 13 — casting, extrusion, moulding
- explain industrial and commercial manufacturing practice for product designYear 13 — industrial practice, quality control
- explain modular production, just-in-time manufacturing and standardised partsYear 13 — just-in-time manufacturing, modular production
Fashion and textiles5
- explain fibre groups, fabrics and yarns used in textile designYear 13 — fabric, fibre, yarn
- select joining and fastening methods for fabricsYear 13 — fabric joining, fastening
- explain the performance characteristics of fibres and fabricsYear 13 — elasticity, tensile strength
- explain applications of smart materials and e-textiles in fashion designYear 13 — e-textile, smart material
- explain industrial practice in textile manufacture including pattern cuttingYear 13 — pattern cutting, textile manufacture
Design engineering9
- apply system design processes and methods to engineering problemsYear 13 — system design
- use CAD and CAE software for visualisation and simulationYear 13 — computer-aided design, computer-aided engineering
- explain static and dynamic forces acting on structuresYear 13 — compression, tension, torsion
- explain the principles of electronic sensing, control and output systemsYear 13 — control system, electronic system
- represent systems using circuit diagrams and flowchartsYear 13 — circuit diagram, flowchart
- explain industrial practice in engineering manufacture and maintenanceYear 13 — engineering manufacture
- explain product lifecycle management including planned obsolescenceYear 13 — product lifecycle management
- evaluate designs using destructive and non-destructive testingYear 13 — destructive testing, non-destructive testing
- analyse product performance through modelling and IT-based toolsYear 13 — performance modelling
Mathematics7
- calculate quantities, costs and sizes of materials and componentsYear 13 — cost calculation, quantity calculation
- use ratios to scale drawings and grade patternsYear 13 — ratio, scale drawing
- calculate surface areas and volumes of materialsYear 13 — surface area, volume
- calculate sides and angles in design drawings using trigonometryYear 13 — trigonometry
- interpret graphs and charts of design and market dataYear 13 — chart, graph
- use coordinates and geometry to set out design drawingsYear 13 — coordinate geometry
- interpret statistical analyses of user needs and product reliabilityYear 13 — probability, statistics
Science3
- apply Newton's laws, Hooke's law and Ohm's law to designed productsYear 13 — hooke's law, newton's laws, ohm's law
- explain the conditions that cause material degradation and corrosionYear 13 — corrosion, degradation
- explain the physical properties of materials and their appropriate useYear 13 — material selection, physical property
Source: DfE GCE AS and A level design and technology subject content (2015), Open Government Licence v3.0. Outcomes are split into single actions and rewritten only where the original bundled several; wording otherwise follows the DfE text. Methodology.