Evaluate
KS1DT-KS1-D003
Exploring existing products and evaluating one's own designs and products against stated design criteria.
National Curriculum context
The evaluate domain at KS1 introduces pupils to the critical thinking skills needed to assess products, both those made by others and those they have made themselves. Pupils explore a range of existing products to understand how they work, what materials they use, how they are made and how well they meet their intended purpose. They also evaluate their own work against design criteria, building the habit of reflective self-assessment that is central to iterative design practice. This domain establishes that evaluation is not just a final check but a continuous process that informs design decisions throughout a project.
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Concepts
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Clusters
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Prerequisites
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With difficulty levels
Lesson Clusters
Investigate existing products and evaluate work against design criteria
practice CuratedProduct analysis and evaluation is the sole concept in the Evaluate domain at KS1. It covers both the investigation of existing products and the reflective self-assessment of pupils' own work against criteria — the evaluative strand of the Design–Make–Evaluate cycle.
Teaching Suggestions (2)
Study units and activities that deliver concepts in this domain.
Freestanding Structures
Design & Technology Design, Make, EvaluatePedagogical rationale
Building a structure that stands up without support is a fundamental engineering challenge. Pupils discover through trial and error that a wide base is more stable, that triangles are stronger than squares, and that rolling paper into tubes makes it stiffer. The process of testing and improving teaches the iterative design cycle through direct physical feedback -- it stands or it falls.
Sandwich Design Challenge
Design & Technology Design, Make, EvaluatePedagogical rationale
Designing a sandwich for a specific person (a teacher, a friend, a character from a book) introduces user-centred design through food. Pupils must research their user's preferences, select ingredients that are both tasty and healthy, assemble the sandwich, and evaluate whether the user likes it. The design-make-evaluate cycle is immediately tangible.
Prerequisites
Concepts from other domains that pupils should know before this domain.
Concepts (1)
Product Analysis and Evaluation
process Guided MaterialsDT-KS1-C010
Product analysis involves examining an existing product to understand its purpose, how it works, what it is made from and how well it achieves its intended function. At KS1, pupils develop the habit of looking critically at products, both those made by others and those they have made themselves, asking structured questions about purpose, materials, function and user. Evaluation against design criteria develops the principle that a product's success can be measured objectively rather than assessed through preference alone.
Teaching guidance
Provide a collection of familiar products for pupils to handle, examine and discuss. Use structured questions to guide analysis: Who is this for? What does it do? What is it made from? How is it made? Does it do its job well? Record evaluations in simple formats that pupils can complete independently. When evaluating their own products, return explicitly to the design criteria written before making began. Encourage pupils to suggest improvements, framing evaluation as a positive, forward-looking process rather than criticism.
Common misconceptions
Pupils may evaluate products based purely on aesthetic preference ('I like the colour') rather than functional effectiveness. Teaching pupils to separate personal taste from functional judgement is a key evaluation skill. Some pupils may be reluctant to identify weaknesses in their own work; framing evaluation as 'what would make this even better?' rather than 'what is wrong with this?' supports a growth mindset approach.
Difficulty levels
Looking at a product and saying what they like or do not like about it, using simple language.
Example task
Look at this toy. What do you think is good about it?
Model response: I like that it is colourful and the wheels spin. The wheels make it fun to play with.
Analysing a product by considering its purpose, materials, user and how well it works, using guided questions.
Example task
Look at this lunchbox. Who is it for? What is it made of? Does it do its job well?
Model response: It is for a child to carry lunch to school. It is made of plastic, which is waterproof and easy to clean. It closes with a clip so food stays inside. It does its job well because it keeps food safe, but it is quite hard to open — a younger child might struggle with the clip.
Evaluating their own product and products made by others against design criteria, identifying strengths, weaknesses and specific improvements.
Example task
Evaluate the vehicle you made. Check each design criterion. What would you improve?
Model response: Criterion 1: Must roll — yes, the wheels turn smoothly (pass). Criterion 2: Must carry a small figure — the figure sits in the cab but falls out on bumps (partial pass). Criterion 3: Must look like a real vehicle — it has a cab, wheels and a trailer (pass). Improvement: I would add sides to the cab so the figure doesn't fall out, using card strips glued upright.
Delivery rationale
DT design process concept — structured design briefs and evaluation frameworks guide non-specialist adults.