S3 Design and Technology Report Comments (Scotland)

Design and technology covers the design process from brief to specification, ideas and models, graphic communication including sketching and computer-aided design, making products safely and accurately in the workshop, engineering ideas such as structures and mechanisms, and evaluating products.

Below are 13 sample sentences for S3: two strengths and one next step for each of the 4 comment levels (Secure / Consolidating / Developing / Beginning), plus a tip for families. They are a small selection from the 288 design and technology sentences in the full pack. Copy one, then add a detail only you know about the student.

Jump to: Secure · Consolidating · Developing · Beginning · Writing tips

Student name Pronouns

Fills in the name and pronouns on this page. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Secure S

Strengths

[Name] selects the correct formula for an engineering problem, such as gear ratios or voltage, current and resistance, and sets out the working clearly.
Testing a finished product with its intended users, [Name] gathers useful feedback and draws clear conclusions about what to change.

Next steps:

Calculating how several linked gears change the output speed, and showing each stage of working, would stretch [Name]'s engineering understanding.

Consolidating C

Strengths

[Name] uses formulae to solve engineering problems, such as working out a gear ratio, and usually sets out the working clearly enough to follow.
[Name] gathers useful opinions from users when testing products and is increasingly able to turn this feedback into specific improvements.

Next steps:

Comparing the strength, cost and appearance of two materials for the same product will help [Name] justify material choices in more depth.

Developing D

Strengths

Given a formula and a worked example, [Name] calculates simple engineering outcomes, such as a gear ratio, and is learning to set out the working.
When testing a product, [Name] gathers some opinions from users and, with some guidance, picks out one change that would improve it.

Next steps:

Researching how one everyday product affects the environment, from materials to disposal, with guiding questions, will help [Name] write about sustainability.

Beginning B

Strengths

Guided through a worked example, [Name] is beginning to use a simple formula to work out an engineering answer, such as a gear ratio.
When choosing colours for a poster or package, [Name] is starting to think about what will catch the eye, with guidance from the teacher.

Next steps:

Asking one intended user to test a trial version at two stages, using prepared questions, will help [Name] improve the design during a longer project.

Support at home

Talking about a news story on a new technology, such as electric cars, and weighing up the benefits and drawbacks helps your child think about its impact.

How to write design and technology comments for S3

In S3, describe how the pupil works to a more open brief: research, writing a specification (the list of what the design must do), developing ideas and testing models. Target the stage that is least developed.
Comment on engineering work where it is taught, such as structures, mechanisms or simple electronics, and whether the pupil can explain how a solution works. A next step might be testing and recording results before changing a design.
Evaluation in S3 should go beyond 'it looks good'. Note whether the pupil checks the product against the specification and considers users and sustainability, and set a target to evaluate against each point in turn.

Watch out: Avoid judging only the finished product. Pupils start with different hand skills, so describe the process too, such as accurate marking out or how a design developed, and give a next step for the next project.

The four levels describe how secure, accurate and independent the learning is in what has been taught, never a CfE level. Secure suits detailed, accurate work applied to unfamiliar tasks; Consolidating suits a sound grasp with occasional guidance; Developing suits sometimes, or with a model or worked example; Beginning names what is starting to show and the support that helps. Show the level through the work rather than writing the level word.

What Design and Technology covers

In these comments, design and technology covers these behaviours:

designs solutions to a brief: research, specifications, sketching, modelling and annotation
graphic communication: sketching, drawing conventions and computer-aided design
makes products safely and accurately with materials, tools and machines
applies engineering ideas: structures, mechanisms, electronics and energy
tests and evaluates products, considering users, sustainability and impact on society

More Scottish secondary subjects comments

How these sentences were made, and what has been checked: About these comments.