Electives information

When you stop and think about it, virtually everything around us has been designed and engineered in some way. Design has changed the fortunes of Apple as a company and it has become one of the richest companies in the world all through good design!

Below I will try to answer some of the most common questions about what will you do at IGCSE D&T

At Rugby School Thailand you will follow the Cambridge IGCSE course, which is made up of a 50% Coursework major project of your choice (you choose what to design and make) and two examinations, worth 25% each, at the end of the course in D block. Paper One examination is a Sketching exam paper where you will have to sketch some design ideas and a developed idea in response to a question with a problem to be solved, and Paper 3 examination is a Theory paper which will ask questions about Materials and their properties, manufacturing processes, Design and making, and some questions will have some sketching required to explain answers. 

In E block you will develop all of your communication, presentation and creative skills by learning more advanced sketching and digital sketching communication techniques; 3D sketching and how to generate ideas and communicate them; 3D CAD (Onshape) and AR;  practical modelling skills using a range of materials. There will be a number of 'fun' assessment tasks across the year which will see how well you have learnt the skills and then use them to communicate design work. This will help to prepare you for the Major Project Coursework element of the IGCSE (worth 50% of your final grade). Along the way you will subtly learn theory skills through the use of these taught skills as well as a number of Prep / Home Learning questions that you will need to do a small amount of research to answer questions. After Songkran you will start your Major Coursework project where you (with help and guidance) will come up with a suitable project and then research, design and make a concept prototype solution utilising all of the skills learnt in the course. 

If you want to see more then look at the E block section of this website (sketching) and also Coursework Major Project to see the support information to guide you with the major project.

In D block you will focus on completing your coursework project through communicating a range of design ideas that you will select one to develop and make, as well as more theory knowledge across the year. 

You will have some taught theory lessons. You will be prepared for the mock examination papers before the Christmas holiday and then you will sit one mock examination paper in January to get used to what the exams will be like. You will be given a link to a website (written by your D&T teachers) with all of the theory content and lots of past papers and model answers to support you. You will complete and submit your Major Coursework project before Songkran and then we will help prepare you for the two examinations, by working through test questions.

If you were to achieve full marks for your coursework, which many students successfully do, then you will have nearly already achieved a C grade overall before sitting either of your exams (you will need approx. 5%). This means that if you score well in the examinations then you will be acheiving the highest gradings overall. 

Click here to see some completed major coursework projects from IGCSE students.

For your coursework Major Project you can choose almost anything (within reason). What we mean by that statement is: if you want to make a lamp, a chair, a desk, a fly killer, a bluetooth speaker, a mist diffuser, a record player etc. etc. then you CAN. What you should not do is expect to be able to make a motorbike, a car or other products which would simply be too expensive and difficult to make them work as they have too much complexity.

You will be taught by a specialist teacher of D&T, and someone who is passionate about the subject. They will have high expectations as they love design! Your teacher will either be: Mr S Douglas (Head of Department Senior); Mrs K Douglas (Head of Department Prep) or Mr X (a new very experienced teacher who has also previously been a Head of Department).

You will have 5 lessons, that are 1 hour and 10 minutes, of D&T across the two week timetable. You will be expected to do a minimum of 1 hour of Home Learning across the two week cycle of lessons, to ensure that you continue to make excellent progress.

At IGCSE level almost any subjects work with D&T as you should have a wide range. You may wish to have a balance of different types of subjects. 

At Advanced Level (A Level) some subjects do combine very well as they can help lead to University courses that feature Design, such as Industrial Design, Product Design, Architecture, Engineering, Interior Design, Fashion Design etc. etc. Those subjects include: Maths, Business Studies, Geography, Art, Physics, Digital Media, Photography and others.

Choosing D&T helps with developing problem solving skills and creative communication techniques. These are highly desireable skills even if you do not want a career in a design field. Of course, it would be highly beneficial to study the subject at Advanced Level (A Level) in preparation for a higher level course. We are lucky enough to have taught hundereds of students who have gone on to study Industrial Design, Product Design, Architecture, Furniture designers, Toy designers, Lego designers, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering, Civil Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Games Design, Website Design, Modelling specialists, Fashion Designers, CAD renderings, Interior Designers, Teaching etc. etc.

Many former students have won international awards, been named and included in the Top 50 most important designers in the world, and work in prestigious positions within top companies such as: Dyson, Shark Ninja, Lego, Ralph Lauren (New York), Jaguar LandRover, Microsoft, Aston Martin, F1, British Aerospace, BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, Cadburys, Unilever etc. etc. etc. 

Hopefully, we will try to arrange for some former students to come and present a talk / lecture for you and come in to see your work (tbc).

This is a common question. The answerr is of course Yes you can, and many students do. However, you need to be aware that both subjects have high expectations and considerable coursework to produce, which can take time. If you are organised and balance your time equally across both subjects then it is completely manageable and you will be successful. If you do not, then it can become stressful as deadlines approach. 

There are so many reasons: logical, creative, practical, problem solving, cutting edge, independent, future thinking, collaborative, fun, advanced skills, digital technologies, economic, innovative etc. etc. It is a subject for the 21st Century, looking forward and solving real problems that constantly evolve and change as the world changes. 

Over 1.8 million new engineers and over 1 million designers will be needed for creative industries in this decade alone.

The two films below also highlight many, many more reasons. They include interviews with leading figures in the world of design, engineering and technology. You will need to 'Open in a New Window' to view them.