Every core lesson, one page each

All 26 core GCSE Design and Technology lessons across units 1-4, each with its own page: what it covers, the interactive 3D lesson, samples and exam board references. No sign-up required to open a lesson.

• Technology at workExplore how automation, robotics, crowdfunding and new business models change how products reach people.
• Designing for a sustainable futureInvestigate lifecycle decisions, product miles, energy, waste and responsible material use.
• Designing for peopleSee how changing needs, beliefs, trends and lifestyles influence what designers create.
• Smarter ways to makeCompare one-off, batch, mass and continuous production, including automation.
• Built to last?Turn user, market and technical evidence into better design choices.
• Technology impact challengeBring the whole unit together in a technology-impact design scenario.

• Energy generationCompare renewable and non-renewable ways of generating useful energy.
• Energy storageInvestigate batteries, capacitors and other methods of storing energy.
• Modern materialsExplore engineered materials developed for specialised performance.
• Smart materialsSee materials react to heat, light, force and electrical input.
• Composite materials and technical textilesExplore how combining materials changes performance.
• Systems approach to designingModel input, process and output as a complete system.
• Electronic systems processingInvestigate sensing, processing and control.
• Mechanical devicesExplore gears, levers, cams, linkages and pulleys in motion.

• Papers and boardsCompare paper and board types by mass, stiffness, finish, cost and intended use.
• TimbersExplore hardwoods, softwoods and manufactured boards, including grain and working properties.
• Metals and alloysCompare ferrous, non-ferrous and alloyed metals for engineering applications.
• PolymersDistinguish thermoplastics, thermosets and elastomers through properties and processing.
• TextilesExplore fibres, fabrics and performance requirements for textile products.
• Unit challenge: choosing materialsSelect a material system for a real product and defend the trade-offs.

• Forces and stressesExplore tension, compression, bending, torsion and shear through live structural testing.
• Improving functionalitySee how reinforcement, stiffening, strengthening and design changes improve a product.
• Ecological and social footprintTrace environmental and social impact across a product lifecycle.
• The six RsApply rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair and recycle to product decisions.
• Scales of productionSelect production systems based on quantity, flexibility and economics.
• Unit challenge: the final engineering decisionOptimise a product for strength, sustainability and scale.

Looking for the specialist material pathways, designing and making principles, food, graphics or primary resources? Browse every resource or see the specification map.