PIXL “Thinking Hard” Booklets AQA GCSE Design and Technology Whole Specification and answers

PIXL “Thinking Hard” Booklets — AQA GCSE Design and Technology — Whole Specification in Detail — Includes Answers
Give your class a rigorous thinking workout while ensuring complete specification coverage. This printable booklet turns every part of the spec into clear, student-friendly tasks with built-in Grade 9 extensions. You also get a full answer set to support self-marking, quick feedback, and targeted intervention. Developed by an experienced UK teacher with the support of AI-assisted planning tools to ensure consistency, clarity and full-spec coverage. Save hours of planning: fully mapped to the whole specification, print-and-go, with answers included.
What’s inside
Whole-spec coverage: all topics, sub-topics, must-know content, misconceptions and key vocabulary mapped across the entire specification in detail.

PIXL strategies: Odd One Out • Always / Sometimes / Never True • Why? Why? Why? (5-deep) • Spot the Mistake • Diamond 9 / Ranking • Link It Up / Connections • Convince Me • What If? • Mini Retrieval (plus optional extras: If This Is the Answer…, Reduce It 30–3–2–1, Causation vs Correlation, Assumption Hunt).

Answers included: model points, sample justifications and marking guidance to make self-assessment easy.

Grade 9 stretch: every section has an Extension Task for analysis, evaluation and comparison.

Student-friendly layout: concise prompts, minimal prep, black-and-white printer-friendly.

3.1.1 - New and emerging technologies
3.1.2 - Energy generation and storage
3.1.3 - Developments in new materials
3.1.4 - Systems approach to designing
3.1.5 - Mechanical devices
3.1.6 - Materials and their working
3.1.7 - Common specialist technical
3.2.1 - Selection of materials or
3.2.2 - Forces and stresses
3.2.3 - Ecological and social footprint
3.2.4 - The six Rs
3.2.5 - Scales of production
3.2.6 - Sources and origins
3.3.1 - Investigation, primary and
3.3.2 - Environmental, social and
3.3.3 - The work of others
3.3.4 - Design strategies
3.3.5 - Communication of design ideas
3.3.6 - Prototype development
3.3.7 - Selection of materials and
3.3.8 - Tolerances
3.3.9 - Material management
3.3.10 - Specialist tools and equipment
3.3.11 - Quality control