0445_s26_gt — 2026 May-June Design and Technology 0445 Grade Threshold · Cambridge CAIE IGCSE

Generic material names and generic reasons not credited (Paper 1 + Paper 3)

“Candidates should be advised against giving generic names of materials such as wood, or generic reasons, such as easy to work with, as these are not awarded marks”— 0445 Paper 1, May/June 2025

How to fix: Name a specific material (oak, beech, acrylic, MDF, Corriflute, mild steel, aluminium, HDPE) AND give a property-linked reason (resistance to corrosion, strength-to-weight ratio, ability to fold flat, available in a range of colours). Never write 'wood', 'plastic', 'metal' or 'easy to work with' — those are zero-mark phrases. Match the material to what your design actually needs to do.

Sketches without notes (or notes without sketches) on (b) joining/method questions — capped at 1 mark per method

“To score maximum marks, candidates must use both sketches and notes to show each method. A small number of candidates produced only sketches and were awarded a maximum of one mark for each method”— 0445 Paper 1, May/June 2025

How to fix: Every (b) joining/method question requires BOTH a labelled sketch AND written notes. A sketch alone caps you at 1 mark per method. Train yourself to add at least two annotation lines to every sketch — name the parts, name the action ('compresses to grip', 'rotates around pin'), and name the tool used.

Redrawing the part (c) idea in part (e) instead of adding construction details and dimensions

“Weaker responses often just redrew one of the designs from part (c) with no construction details or important dimensions included”— 0445 Paper 1, May/June 2025

How to fix: Part (e) is a manufacturing drawing, not a redraw. Show: (1) construction methods (joints, fastenings, how parts assemble), (2) important dimensions in mm, (3) finishes, (4) ideally an exploded or orthographic view. Pretend a skilled craftsperson must build it from your drawing alone — if they can't, you have not earned the marks.