KS3 Design and Technology Report Comments (Years 7-9)

Design and technology covers researching users and needs, writing briefs and specifications, developing ideas through sketching, modelling and CAD, making safely and accurately, including with CAM, testing and evaluating products, and technical knowledge of materials, mechanisms, electronics and sustainability.

Below are 13 sample sentences for KS3 (Years 7-9): two strengths and one next step for each of the 4 comment levels (Excellent / Good / Developing / Needs support), 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: Excellent · Good · Developing · Needs support · Writing tips

Student name Pronouns

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

Excellent E

Strengths

In electronics work, [Name] explains clearly how a sensor or switch acts as an input to control an output such as an LED or buzzer.
[Name] weighs the environmental impact of design choices thoughtfully, considering material sources, energy use and what happens at the end of a product's life.

Next step

To stretch [himself/herself/themselves] further, [Name] could enter a school or local design challenge, applying research and modelling skills to an unfamiliar brief.

Good G

Strengths

Simple circuits come together well for [Name], who can build one from a diagram and explain how a switch or sensor controls an LED.
When writing a specification, [Name] includes clear points about the user, function, size and materials, most of which can be checked later.

Next step

To get more from practical tasks, [Name] should plan the order of making steps before starting and tick each one off when it is done.

Developing D

Strengths

With a circuit diagram to follow, [Name] can sometimes build a simple circuit and is working out what each component does.
[Name] is learning to choose the right tool for each job, for example a coping saw for curves and a tenon saw for straight cuts.

Next step

To build confidence in practical work, [Name] should follow the step-by-step making plan and ask for a check before each new stage.

Needs support N

Strengths

In early design tasks, [Name] has started to sketch simple ideas and, with support, to add labels to them.
Given a writing frame, [Name] can write two or three simple points about what a product needs to do.

Next step

With support, [Name] should follow the picture guide when building a circuit, checking each connection before testing.

Support at home

Looking closely with your child at how a simple household item works, such as a clothes peg or a tin opener, helps them understand mechanisms.

How to write design and technology comments for KS3 (Years 7-9)

Where Years 7 to 9 rotate through short projects, describe a skill that carries across them, such as measuring and marking accurately or using a coping saw safely, rather than the item made.
Comment on design thinking: did the student consider the user, annotate sketches and explain choices? A next step such as labelling each idea with how it meets one point of the brief is easy to act on.
Name material knowledge in plain words, such as why a hardwood suits a durable product or how a lever changes the force needed. Families can then ask the student about products around the home.

Watch out: Avoid judging the project only by how the finished product looks. Describe the research, testing and improvements behind it, since a modest prototype can rest on strong design thinking and evaluation.

The four levels describe how secure, accurate and independent the learning is, never a grade. Excellent suits precise, perceptive work that applies ideas to unfamiliar contexts; Good suits usually accurate with occasional guidance; Developing suits sometimes, or with a worked example; Needs support names what is emerging and the help that works. 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:

researches users and needs, and writes design briefs and specifications
generates, develops and communicates ideas through sketching, modelling and CAD
selects and uses materials, tools and equipment safely and accurately, including CAM
tests and evaluates products against a specification and improves them
understands materials and their properties, mechanisms, electronic systems and sustainability

More UK secondary subjects comments

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