LNF Cymru Literacy and numeracy for Wales

← All qualifications

GCSE Design and Technology

Learners type short and extended answers in an on-screen examination. In a 40 hour design project worth 70% they write a design brief and specification, annotate and justify ideas, and evaluate their prototype using feedback from users. Numeracy is practical and constant: accurate measuring and marking out within tolerances in every pathway, costing and material estimates in Fashion and Textiles, and formula-based mechanical and electronic calculations in Engineering Design. The single biggest thing Key Stage 3 should build is precise measuring in millimetres against a stated tolerance, followed by a written evaluation that uses test results and user comments as evidence.

Awarding body
WJEC
Level
Level 1 and Level 2
First taught
September 2026
Amount of literacy work
Medium
Amount of numeracy work
Medium
Specification
Open the specification
How this qualification is assessed
  • Unit 1: Design and Technology in the 21st Century: Digital (on-screen) examination 1 hour 30 minutes, 30%, 80 marks
  • Unit 2: Design Project: Non-examination assessment, approximately 40 hours, 70%, 100 marks

Skills that use Shape and space

  1. Estimating material quantities, waste and costs

    Assessed: In the exam and in coursework (NEA)

    Fashion and Textiles learners must estimate material quantities and costs from standard fabric widths and calculate costs, sizes and quantities of components. All pathways must minimise waste and make allowances for cutting when marking out.

    Numeracy: Shape and space, Financial literacy, The number system, Calculation, Strategic competence, Conceptual understanding

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils work out how many 100 mm by 60 mm pieces they can cut from a 300 mm by 200 mm sheet of MDF and sketch the layout that wastes least.
    Year 8
    Pupils cost their cushion project from a price list, working out the fabric length needed from a 115 cm wide roll and the total cost of fabric, thread and fastenings.
    Year 9
    Pupils estimate, then calculate, the material cost of their product for one unit and for a batch of 20, and work out the percentage of the sheet wasted.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, 1.1.18, page 23; Unit 2, 2.1.8, page 36

    “estimate material quantities and costs based on best use of materials”
    Progression step 3

    • I can find areas by counting squares, progressing to calculating the area of squares and rectangles using formulae.

    • I can manage money, compare costs from different retailers and determine what can be bought within a given budget.

    • I can estimate by rounding to the nearest 10, 100, 1000 or whole number.

    Progression step 4

    • I can make and justify estimates and approximations of calculations.

    • I can use efficient methods for multiplication and division of whole numbers and decimals, including decimals such as 0.6 or 0.06.

    • I can express one quantity as a percentage of another.

    Progression step 5

    • I can recognise, model and apply the underlying mathematical structures and ideas within problems, in order to formulate and solve them.

    • I can interpret answers within the context of the problem and consider whether answers, including calculator, analogue and digital displays, are sensible.

    • I can choose an appropriate mental or written strategy and know when it is appropriate to use a calculator.

  2. Scale, working drawings and mathematical modelling

    Assessed: In the exam and in coursework (NEA)

    Unit 1 requires understanding of working drawings and schedules in commercial product development. In the design project learners may record ideas through formal 2D and 3D drawings, working drawings, exploded diagrams and mathematical modelling.

    Numeracy: Shape and space, Measurement, Angle, Communicating with symbols

    Getting pupils ready

    Year 7
    Pupils draw their desk tidy full size on isometric paper with every dimension given in millimetres.
    Year 8
    Pupils produce a dimensioned orthographic drawing of their phone stand at a scale of 1:2 and state the scale on the drawing.
    Year 9
    Pupils draw a working drawing with a cutting list and marked angles, then scale the design up by 150% to test its proportions on a card model.
    Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

    Where it is in the specification: Unit 1, 1.1.5, page 13; Unit 2, 2.1.4, pages 34 to 35

    “working drawings and schedules”
    Progression step 3

    • I can use mathematical language to accurately describe two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes.

    • I can measure and calculate perimeter.

    • I can convert metric units of length to smaller units, e.g. cm to mm, m to cm, km to m.

    Progression step 4

    • I can apply understanding of bearings and scale to interpret maps and plans, and to create plans and drawings to scale.

    • I can measure and draw angles.

    • I can calculate the areas of two-dimensional simple and compound shapes, including circles.

    Progression step 5

    • I can apply proportional change to two-dimensional designs.

    • I can measure and draw angles.

    • I can use appropriate notation, symbols and units of measurement, including compound measures.

Good to know

Links with other qualifications

Ohm's law and moments overlap with The Sciences, gear ratios, scale drawing and tolerances with Mathematics and Numeracy, and product analysis and evaluative writing with English Language and Literature, so shared methods and vocabulary would help pupils.

Source: WJEC GCSE Design and Technology specification, Approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from 2026, for award from 2028 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2025).