Basic Design and Technology: Design, Materials and Making
The GABECE Basic Design and Technology paper tests the design process, materials, tools, safety, technical drawing, food and clothing, construction and entrepreneurship. Questions may ask you to choose materials, explain a process, calculate costs, or evaluate a product.
Core rules and concepts
- Design process: identify a need, write a design brief, research, generate ideas, sketch, choose the best idea, make, test and evaluate. A good design meets a need and works safely.
- Materials: wood, metal, plastic, clay, textiles and food have different properties. Choose materials by strength, cost, durability, appearance and suitability.
- Tools: measuring, marking, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing tools. Use the right tool for the job and follow safety rules, such as clamping work and wearing protective equipment.
- Technical drawing: use scales, line types, dimensioning and orthographic views: front, top and side. Drawings need dimensions and neat labels.
- Food and clothing: hygiene, nutrients, balanced diet, preservation, measurements, patterns and stitches are common topics.
- Costing: total cost equals materials plus labour plus overhead, then add profit. Buy whole units when materials are sold in fixed quantities.
Worked example
A shelf top measures 1.2 m by 0.4 m. Area equals length times width: 1.2 times 0.4 equals 0.48 m squared. One tin of varnish covers 0.2 m squared. Number of tins equals 0.48 divided by 0.2 equals 2.4. Since tins are sold whole, buy 3 tins. The reasoning is: calculate area, divide by coverage, then round up for waste and second coats.
Traps that cost marks
- Mixing centimetres and metres in one calculation.
- Writing 2.4 tins as the final answer instead of rounding up.
- Ignoring safety rules in tool-use questions.
- Drawing a technical view without dimensions or labels.
- Choosing a material because it looks attractive but is unsuitable.
- Forgetting labour and profit in a costing question.