AQA A Level Design and Technology Product Design (7552) Past Papers 2026
Download free AQA A Level Design and Technology Product Design 7552 past papers, mark schemes. 6 exam sessions from 2019–2026.
June 2024
Latest Session
6
Sessions
2019–2026
11
Question Papers
12
Mark Schemes
109% coverage
0
Inserts
3
Specimen Papers
Components & time pressure
Marks per minute shows how fast you have to work — the higher the number, the tighter the time pressure in that paper.
| Paper | Component | Marks | Duration | Marks / min | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 7552/1 — Technical principles | 120 | 2h 30m | 0.80 | Moderate |
| Paper 2 | 7552/2 — Designing and making principles | 80 | 1h 30m | 0.89 | High |
Component structure extracted from 4 official AQA documents (2022–2023). Timings and mark totals are taken from the papers themselves.
Yearly Exam Sessions
Specimen Papers
Topical Past Papers
AQA Design and Technology Product Design questions organised by specification topic — perfect for targeted revision.
How is AQA A Level Design and Technology Product Design (7552) examined?
AQA A Level Design and Technology Product Design is examined through 2 paper components. Understanding each component helps you allocate revision time effectively.
Paper 1
120 marks7552/1 — Technical principles
Duration: 2h 30m
Paper 2
80 marks7552/2 — Designing and making principles
Duration: 1h 30m
What AQA examiners say about Design and Technology Product Design
Verbatim quotes from 4 official AQA examiner reports (2022–2023). Every quote is attributable to a specific paper and session — these are the things AQA markers flag year after year.
Generic statements unsupported by context
Low level responses were often found to include generic statements and basic descriptions or observations supported by the stimulus material provided in the questions.
Failing to respond to the command word
Candidates need to be able to successfully identify command words in the question and ensure that they link their response to any provided context.
Describing processes without linking to the context
Low level responses tended to describe the die casting process, with little or no reference to the context provided.
Most Common Mistakes — Design and Technology Product Design (7552)
Based on analysis of 4 official AQA examiner reports (2022, 2023). Avoid these errors to maximise your marks.
Generic statements unsupported by context
Paper 1, Paper 2 · June 2022 and 2023, both papers
Failing to respond to the command word
Paper 1, Paper 2 · June 2022 and 2023, both papers
Describing processes without linking to the context
Paper 1 · June 2022 and 2023, Paper 1
Misusing technical terminology and material properties
Paper 1 · June 2022 and 2023, Paper 1
Incomplete maths — not showing working
Paper 1, Paper 2 · June 2022 and 2023, both papers
Topics Students Struggle With Most
Industrial manufacturing processes vs workshop processes
It remains clear that students are more familiar with workshop processes than industrial manufacturing processes and procedures, a pattern observed across both 2022 and 2023 series.
Paper 1
Rapid prototyping and additive manufacture
Although familiar with the terminology, many were not clear on the meaning of rapid prototyping. Low level responses tended to be superficial with reference to speed and awareness that 3D printing may be used.
Paper 1
Paper and board finishing techniques
Paper and boards remain a less familiar area of the specification, with the majority of students having a basic level of knowledge and understanding, but with few able to provide detailed explanations of any of the three finishing techniques.
Paper 1
Piezo electric materials and less common smart materials
Fewer students had sufficient understanding to describe how the material behaves when exposed to an electrical current. Common inaccuracies tended to refer to the material changing colour or being an insulator.
Paper 1
Vertical in-house production and modern commercial practice models
Modern industrial and commercial practice models remain an area of the specification where students are less confident. Many simply listed all they knew about scales of production rather than addressing the specific model.
Paper 1
Physical properties vs mechanical/working properties
Although properties of materials are clearly being delivered effectively in centres, few students understood the differences between physical properties and working properties. Many responses referred to mechanical properties.
Paper 1
Trigonometry application in maths questions
It was clear that trigonometry is one of the more challenging maths skills that may be examined with candidates' responses sometimes showing confusion between where it is appropriate to use 'sin' or 'tan' calculations.
Paper 1, Paper 2
Open design and its impact on product development
Lower level responses tended to be limited to an awareness of the sharing of designs for the greater good and were very much descriptive in nature, lacking analysis of IP and copyright implications.
Paper 1
AQA A Level Design and Technology Product Design (7552) — Full Archive 2019–2026
This page contains all 35 AQA A Level Design and Technology Product Design (7552) past papers available for free download — 6 exam sessions from 2019 to 2026. Each session includes question papers (QP), mark schemes (MS), and where available, insert materials (INS). No registration or payment required.
AQA A Level Design and Technology Product Design is graded A*–E. The A* grade requires achieving an A on the overall qualification and 90%+ on the A2 units. AQA is the UK's largest exam board, making these past papers the single most relevant resource for your revision.
AQA A Level Design and Technology Product Design has no tiers — all students sit the same papers. Papers are split into components (Paper 1, Paper 2, etc.), each testing different areas of the specification. Focus on components where you score lowest to maximise grade improvement.
AQA mark schemes use a clear notation: M marks are for method (your working), A marks are for accuracy (correct answer), and B marks are awarded independently. Understanding this system helps you maximise marks even when you don't reach the final answer — showing clear working can earn method marks. After attempting each Design and Technology Product Design past paper under timed conditions, mark it against the official scheme and categorise every dropped mark as a knowledge gap, method error, or misread question. Target your remaining revision at the category where you lose the most marks.
Questions, answered.
PapersDaddy provides 35 free AQA A Level Design and Technology Product Design (7552) past papers from 2019–2026. Download question papers and mark schemes as PDF — no registration needed.
We have 35 papers across 6 exam sessions for AQA A Level Design and Technology Product Design (7552). This includes question papers and mark schemes, plus 3 specimen papers.
AQA filenames follow the pattern AQA-[CODE]-[TYPE]-[SESSION]. For example, AQA-75521H-QP-JUN19 means: specification 7552, Paper 1, Higher tier, Question Paper, June 2019. QP = Question Paper, W-MS = Mark Scheme, INS = Insert, SQP = Specimen Question Paper.