For the 2027 G1 SEC Design and Technology syllabus, use K124. To write a useful G1 D&T design specification, turn a researched need into a clear requirement that can be checked. Name the intended user, the situation and what the proposed solution must do. Did you know that “make it attractive and useful” can leave a designer without a way to decide whether the idea works? Start with one concrete need rather than a collection of impressive adjectives.
Take one observation from permitted design research and ask what difficulty it reveals. Then write a requirement and a possible check. Keep the observation, requirement and check together so that a later design choice can be explained. If the evidence is missing, the next step is to investigate, not to invent a precise measurement.
Need the format? Open the assessment table. Looking for immediate help? Use the starting questions and the original example. Then choose a practice step, or visit the all-subject directory.
2027 SEC school-candidate guide, checked 11 October 2026. The examples and study suggestions are independent activities, not official examination questions. Confirm registration and school assessment arrangements with the school.
Confirm G1 Design and Technology K124 with the school. G2 K234 and G3 K345 are separate syllabuses. The example below is independent practice, not a design brief or specification to submit for assessed coursework. Use the assigned question and the teacher’s rules for the actual project.
For the wider context, open the G1 Design and Technology subject overview. Keep the confirmed subject, current school topic and teacher’s next suggested task in one place.
| Paper | Time | Marks / weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1: Written examination | 1 hour | 50 / 30% |
| 2: Design project | 20 weeks, excluding school holidays | 70 / 70% |
The design project accounts for 70% and the written examination for 30%. Project evidence includes a real-time design journal and presentation board; mock-ups and the prototype form part of the journal submission. The syllabus connects design specifications with research into the design opportunity.
Open the official SEAB syllabus for the full requirements. Use that document with the school’s instructions when preparing assessment work.
If the specification says “easy to use”, ask easy for whom, during which action and in which environment. If a number appears, ask where it came from. A measurable statement is not automatically justified: an arbitrary size limit may be easy to test but unsuitable for the real user.
Choose one task that felt manageable and one that needs help. Discuss the difference using the student’s actual work. Ask the teacher to clarify an uncertain requirement before treating it as a learning weakness.
Try this original fictional situation: a student’s revision cards scatter across a small desk when the student selects one card. The proposed organiser should let the student remove one card without dislodging the others. What could be checked with a paper mock-up, and what information is still needed?
A useful first check is whether removing a card leaves the remaining cards in place. Observe the action rather than merely judging the organiser’s appearance. You would still need to understand the cards’ dimensions, the number normally stored and the available desk space before setting justified size requirements. A mock-up may reveal that a promising sketch obstructs the student’s hand.
Practise explaining one decision through the chain: observed need, requirement, trial and revision. Sketch alternative arrangements before choosing one. Keep exploratory work honestly recorded; do not rewrite an unsuccessful trial as if it had succeeded. Any construction, tools and workshop processes must follow school safety arrangements.
Return to the user’s task after each change. A taller divider might retain the cards while making selection harder. Check both requirements before declaring an improvement. Ask the teacher whether the current evidence supports the specification and let the student own the project’s actual design choices.
The Secondary 1 Mathematics learning guide offers a principle useful across subjects: identify the foundation, practise in a sensible sequence and use corrections to choose the next step. Apply that habit here through a task the student can explain and revisit.
Return to the all-subject syllabus directory to explore another registered subject.