NEA (non-examined assessment) accounts for 50% of the final grade. It requires students to identify, design, develop, and evaluate a creative solution to a real-world problem.

It is very much similar to the GCSE NEA however the key differences are that you will need to come up with your own design context and you will need to include much more detail and use your expanded theory knowledge to enhance your design and final product. 

You will start this at the end of year 12 to kickstart ideas for contexts and by the time you're finished in year 13 you will hand in all the slides or pages you have done (most do the portfolio using Google slides) as well as a prototype. The prototype can be a scale model if the full size is not achievable for reasons such as cost or workshop tooling availability. 

The following are the different sections you will complete over your A level.

 Identifying and Investigating Design Possibilities (10%)

• Objective: Research a problem based on a contextual challenge.

• Key Tasks:

  • Conduct primary and secondary research (surveys, interviews, case studies).

  • Identify user needs, design possibilities, and target market.

  • Analyze findings and justify the design direction.

2. Designing a Brief and Specification (10%)

• Objective: Define a design challenge and establish key criteria for success.

• Key Tasks:

  • Write a detailed design brief summarizing the problem and goals.

  • Develop a design specification with specific, measurable criteria (aesthetics, function, user needs, safety).

3. Generating and Developing Ideas (20%)

• Objective: Create multiple design concepts and refine them iteratively.

• Key Tasks:

  • Use a range of idea-generation techniques (sketches, CAD, models).

  • Annotate and evaluate ideas against the design specification.

  • Develop a final concept using user feedback and testing.

4. Making a Prototype (20%)

• Objective: Produce a high-quality functional prototype.

• Key Tasks:

  • Plan production processes using flowcharts or Gantt charts.

  • Select appropriate materials, tools, and methods.

  • Document the making process with images and commentary.

5. Analysing and Evaluating (20%)

• Objective: Test and evaluate the prototype against the design specification.

• Key Tasks:

  • Conduct performance testing (e.g., stress, usability).

  • Gather user feedback and record findings.

  • Identify areas for improvement and suggest modifications.