Assessment Task

The design of work will be assessed through 3 units of work - a team prototype, an individual design portfolio and a team design pitch. 

Each activity will help you develop evidence for your final submission. Read the requirements and success criteria before beginning, return to them throughout the project and complete the final checklist before submitting your work.

Submission

Working in your design team, you will submit a:

- physical scale model or teacher-approved digital model,
- an annotated final floor plan, evidence of testing and improvement, and
- a three-to-five-minute design pitch.

Individually, you will submit a completed design portfolio, a 250–300-word justification of your design decisions, and a reflection on your learning and contribution. Three draft submissions will be completed at three-week intervals:

Draft 1 is due Monday 14 September 2026, Draft 2 on Monday 5 October 2026, and Draft 3 on Monday 26 October 2026. Teacher feedback will be provided by the Friday of each submission week. Your final portfolio and prototype are due through the class learning platform and designated classroom submission area by Friday 20 November 2026. Team design pitches will also be presented on this date.

Learning Outcomes 

By completing this project, you will learn to investigate users’ needs and explain how material properties influence design decisions. You will develop success criteria, create and compare different ideas, and communicate your designs through measurements, labels and annotated drawings. You will also safely use materials, tools and techniques, manage tasks and resources, test and improve a prototype, justify your decisions with evidence, collaborate effectively and present your solution to an audience.

How Will You Be Assessed?

You will be assessed on your ability to:

  • understand the users and their needs
  • conduct relevant research
  • produce and compare different ideas
  • select suitable materials
  • communicate a clear final design
  • address safety and accessibility
  • incorporate sustainability
  • construct an effective prototype
  • use feedback to improve your solution
  • justify your decisions
  • manage responsibilities and collaborate effectively.

Success Criteria 

Use this checklist throughout the project to guide your decisions and check that your final solution meets the requirements.

[  ] Our design responds to the needs of Year 6 students.

[  ] Our solution is safe, inclusive and accessible.

[  ] Our materials are suitable, durable and sustainable.

[  ] Our floor plan includes accurate measurements, labels and annotations.

[  ] Our prototype clearly represents our final design.

[  ] We tested our prototype and used feedback to improve it.

[  ] We justified our design decisions using research and evidence.

[  ] We managed our responsibilities and collaborated effectively.

[  ] Our design pitch clearly explains how our solution addresses the problem.

Assessment checklist

Before Creating

- identify the users and their needs

- investigate the chosen school area

- collect anonymous, teacher-approved student feedback

- identify constraints such as space, budget, safety and time

- investigate materials and their properties

- develop criteria for success

- create at least two annotated design ideas

- compare my ideas and justify my preferred option

- produce an accurately measured floor plan

- create a project plan and assign team responsibilities.

While Creating

- follow our floor plan and production sequence

- use materials, tools and equipment safely

- construct the model using a consistent scale

- clearly represent the main features of our design

- consider different sensory and accessibility needs

- provide privacy while maintaining appropriate supervision

- reuse materials and minimise waste

- record our progress using notes and photographs

- contribute fairly and solve problems collaboratively.

After Creating

- evaluate the prototype against our success criteria

- gather specific feedback from others

- identify strengths and areas for improvement

- make and record purposeful changes

- justify our choices of materials, layout and features

- explain how our design supports safety, inclusion and wellbeing

- explain how sustainability influenced our decisions

- complete my individual design justification

- prepare and rehearse the team pitch

- reflect on my learning and contribution.

Design Toolkit

The design toolkit is to give you some insight and ideas to think about when going about the assessment, lets get into it!!

Design Thinking Process for Kids - Seesaw - A concise explanation of empathising, defining, imagining, prototyping, testing and repeating.

Design Thinking - PBS LearningMedia - A Grades 3-5 introduction with an accompanying classroom template.

Design Thinking: Prioritizing Process Skills - Shows young people collaborating, building and improving prototypes.