ATARMAxxing · Design and Technology
HSC Design and Technology Practice Exams with Worked Solutions
20 full-length papers · worked solutions for every question
The 20 practice exams inside the HSC Design and Technology Mastery Pack, each set out like the real paper with a separate worked-solution guide. Open any paper to see what it covers.
- Designing & Producing (Core 1): design factors, project management, research/prototyping, production & evaluation applied to a refillable bamboo-bodied reusable cup ('LoopCup') — ~22 marks
- Innovation & Emerging Technologies (Core 2): case-study reasoning (Dyson cordless vacuum), social/environmental impact and ethical use of data — ~18 marks
- Whole-course skills: balancing competing design factors, life cycle thinking, WHS, and analysing the impact of AI on designers and society — embedded across both sections
- Designing & Producing (Core 1): project proposal/management, research & communication (CAD), production scale and evaluation applied to a flat-pack adjustable children's study desk designed for disassembly — ~22 marks
- Innovation & Emerging Technologies (Core 2): smart-home & wearable health technology — drivers, success factors, sustainability and the ethics of connected devices — ~18 marks
- Whole-course skills: WHS and risk assessment, evaluation criteria, marketing/packaging and the impact of automation and connected technology on society — embedded across both sections
- Section A — Design factors, the work of designers, project management & success of an innovation (10 MC) — ~10 marks
- Section B — Short/extended response: prototyping, data-privacy ethics, material life cycle & user experience — ~15 marks
- Section B — Extended-response essay: AI as an emerging technology and its impact on designers and society — ~15 marks
- Section A — Research & experimentation, production technologies, evaluation, marketing & innovation case study (10 MC) — ~10 marks
- Section B — Short/extended response: evaluation criteria, sustainable packaging, CAD/CAM in production & innovation success — ~15 marks
- Section B — Extended-response essay: an emerging technology's impact on society and the environment — ~15 marks
- Production, manufacturing and the use of technologies — scale of production, CAD/CAM, additive manufacturing, automation and quality control — ~14 marks
- Research, experimentation, prototyping and evaluation/marketing of the design project — ~13 marks
- Innovation and emerging technologies — factors behind success, social/environmental impact and the ethics of additive manufacturing — ~13 marks
- Design factors, the needs of end users, and the roles, attributes and collaboration of designers — ~13 marks
- Project proposal and management — statement of intent, Gantt/time management, budgeting and WHS risk assessment — ~13 marks
- Innovation, changing social trends, data-privacy ethics and the impact of AI on designers and society — ~14 marks
- Section A — 10 multiple-choice items spanning design factors, the work of designers, project management, experimentation/testing, research methods, environmental issues, changing social trends and the factors behind successful innovation — ~10 marks
- Section B — four short-answer items (2, 3, 4, 6) on prototyping, data ethics, material life-cycle and innovation's effect on user experience, PLUS a 15-mark extended response analysing the impact of AI as an emerging technology on designers and society — ~30 marks
- Whole-course coverage across Core 1 (Designing & Producing) and Core 2 (Innovation & Emerging Technologies); scenario spine: assistive/adaptive product design, additive manufacture and wearable health technology — 40 marks total
- Section A — 10 multiple-choice items spanning design factors, design processes, project management (Gantt charts, statements of intent), quality control vs assurance, sustainability/circular design, environmental impact and the factors behind successful innovation — ~10 marks
- Section B — four short-answer items (2, 3, 4, 6) on the statement of intent, designer collaboration, financial/resource management and the long-term environmental impact of material/energy choices, PLUS a 15-mark extended response evaluating an emerging technology's impact on Australian society and lifestyle — ~30 marks
- Whole-course coverage across Core 1 (Designing & Producing) and Core 2 (Innovation & Emerging Technologies); scenario spine: sustainable furniture / built-environment MDP and a smart-home renewable-energy innovation case study — 40 marks total
- Designing & Producing (Core 1): design factors, project proposal & management, research/experimentation and production applied to a modular hydroponic herb garden ('GrowWall') designed for small apartment balconies — ~22 marks
- Innovation & Emerging Technologies (Core 2): electric micromobility (the e-bike) as an innovation case study, its drivers of success, social/environmental impact and ethical use of rider data — ~18 marks
- Whole-course skills: prioritising competing design factors, life cycle and sustainability thinking, WHS in production, and analysing the impact of AI-driven generative design on designers and society — embedded across both sections
- Designing & Producing (Core 1): inclusive/universal design factors, project management & WHS, prototyping/testing and production scale applied to an adaptive one-handed kitchen-utensil set ('EasyGrip') for people with limited hand mobility — ~22 marks
- Innovation & Emerging Technologies (Core 2): 3D-printed performance footwear as an innovation case study — designer attributes, success factors, environmental impact and the ethics of biometric/3D body-scan data — ~18 marks
- Whole-course skills: identifying and meeting end-user needs, formative vs summative evaluation, marketing and packaging sustainability, and analysing the impact of AI facial-recognition / biometric technology on designers and society — embedded across both sections
- Designing & Producing (Core 1): design factors, project proposal & WHS management, research/experimentation, production scale and evaluation applied to a modular 3D-printed recycled-plastic public bus-shelter seating system ('CivicBench') for a council streetscape — ~22 marks
- Innovation & Emerging Technologies (Core 2): case-study reasoning on the electric cargo e-bike as an urban innovation, its impact on the Australian lifestyle and environment, and the ethics of GPS/usage tracking — ~18 marks
- Whole-course skills: divergent thinking and collaboration, life cycle analysis of recycled vs virgin material, intellectual property of AI-generated design, and analysing the impact of generative AI on designers and society — embedded across both sections
- Designing & Producing (Core 1): user-centred design factors, statement of intent & financial/budget management, prototyping and CAD communication, quality control in production and evaluation applied to an adaptive one-handed kitchen utensil set ('GripEase') for people with limited hand mobility — ~22 marks
- Innovation & Emerging Technologies (Core 2): case-study reasoning on agricultural drone/robotics technology, its impact on Australian society, employment and the environment, and the ethics of automation and data — ~18 marks
- Whole-course skills: identifying and meeting user needs, formative vs summative evaluation, marketing mix and sustainable packaging, and analysing the impact of automation and robotics on designers, work and society — embedded across both sections
- Designing & Producing (Core 1): design factors, end-user needs, research/prototyping and project management applied to an adaptive kitchen aid for people with limited hand strength — ~22 marks
- Innovation & Emerging Technologies (Core 2): a circular-economy footwear innovation — success factors, social/environmental impact and the ethics of resale/data — ~18 marks
- Whole-course skills: lateral thinking, inclusive design, life cycle analysis and the impact of generative AI on authorship and designers — embedded across both sections
- Designing & Producing (Core 1): research, communication (sketching vs CAD), production scale and evaluation/marketing applied to a pendant lamp made from reclaimed timber and recycled aluminium — ~22 marks
- Innovation & Emerging Technologies (Core 2): an electric cargo-bike innovation — drivers, success factors and social/environmental impact on the Australian lifestyle — ~18 marks
- Whole-course skills: balancing competing factors, sustainable packaging/marketing, and the ethics and society-wide impact of wearable health-monitoring technology — embedded across both sections
- Section A — 10 multiple-choice questions (1 mark each, 10 marks total) spanning: design factors, design process, designers & end-users, project management (statement of intent, Gantt, WHS, budget), research & experimentation, prototyping & CAD, production technologies & scale, quality management, evaluation & marketing, innovation case study, life-cycle analysis, ethics/IP/AI
- Section B — written responses (30 marks total) set in the Major Design Project scenario of an inclusive tactile board game for blind and vision-impaired players; includes short/extended items (2–6 marks each) plus one 15-mark essay on designers' responsibilities to end-users and inclusive/universal design principles
- Section A — 10 multiple-choice questions (1 mark each, 10 marks total) spanning the full HSC Design and Technology course: design factors, design process, designers and end-users, project management, research and experimentation, prototyping and CAD, production technologies and scale, quality management, evaluation and marketing, innovation case study, life-cycle analysis, ethics/IP/AI
- Section B — written responses totalling 30 marks, all set in the Major Design Project scenario of a fully compostable single-use food-packaging system for a cafe chain; includes short-answer (2–6 marks) and one 15-mark extended-response essay on the social and environmental impact of innovation in Australian society
- Section A — 10 multiple-choice questions (10 marks total) spanning the full HSC Design and Technology course: design factors and process, designer–end-user relationships, project management tools, research and experimentation, prototyping and CAD, production technologies and scale, quality management, evaluation and marketing, innovation case studies, life-cycle analysis, and ethics/IP/AI.
- Section B — written responses (30 marks total) centred on a Major Design Project scenario: a smart medication dispenser with reminders for elderly people living independently. Includes short-answer items (2–6 marks each) and one 15-mark extended-response essay on ethics, data privacy, and intellectual property for designers using connected and AI technologies.
- Section A — 10 multiple-choice questions (10 marks): design factors, design process, designers & end-users, project management (SOI/Gantt/WHS/budget), research & experimentation, prototyping & CAD, production technologies & scale, quality management, evaluation & marketing, innovation case study, social/environmental impact (LCA), ethics/data privacy/IP/AI
- Section B — written responses (30 marks): Major Design Project scenario — flat-pack rapid-deployment emergency-relief shelter for disaster zones; short/extended responses (2–6 marks each) plus one 15-mark extended-response essay on innovation vs invention and factors that determine whether an innovation succeeds or fails
- Section A (10 marks): 10 multiple-choice questions spanning the full HSC Design and Technology course — design factors, design process, project management, designers and end-users, research and experimentation, production technologies, evaluation and marketing, innovation case study, social/environmental impact, and ethics/data/IP/AI.
- Section B (30 marks): Written responses grounded in the Major Design Project scenario of a height-adjustable modular standing desk for small home offices. Includes short and extended responses (3+3+4+5+15=30), culminating in a 15-mark essay on how emerging manufacturing technologies (CAD/CAM, additive manufacturing, automation) reshape production and the designer's role.
- Section A (10 marks): 10 multiple-choice questions spanning the full HSC Design and Technology course — design factors, design process, project management, designers and end-users, research and experimentation, production technologies, evaluation and marketing, innovation case study, social and environmental impact, and ethics/data/IP/AI.
- Section B (30 marks): written-response questions grounded in the Major Design Project scenario (solar-powered portable camping lantern for off-grid sustainability), covering design factors, production planning, user evaluation, and a 15-mark extended-response essay on life-cycle analysis and environmental responsibility in product design.
Included in the HSC Design and Technology Mastery Pack
20 full-length practice exams with worked solutions, 20 revision notes, 64 practice questions and 200 flashcards.
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