Did you know? A mock-up is useful because it answers a design question cheaply and early. It does not need to be a polished miniature of the final product; it may be full-size, partial, rough or made from simple materials if that form tests the uncertainty that matters.

G2 Design and Technology tuition can help by changing the child’s sequence from “make it look finished” to “state a question, build only what is needed, observe, decide and revise”. That makes the mock-up part of reasoning rather than decoration.

Try this now: ask your child to complete one sentence before building: “This mock-up will help me find out whether ___.” If the blank contains several unrelated aims or only “whether it looks nice”, narrow it to one decision such as size, reach, stability, movement or access.

Give every mock-up one clear job

Design uncertainty	Useful mock-up	Evidence to collect
Will the user’s hand fit and reach?	Full-size cardboard layout	Reach, clearance and comfort observations
Will a hinge or linkage move as intended?	Partial moving joint	Range, collision and control
Will the product remain stable?	Rough structural form at intended scale	Tilting, base area and load behaviour
Which arrangement is clearer?	Two quick alternatives	User choice with a stated reason

The cheapest material that preserves the feature being tested is often enough. Cardboard can test size and layout; paper fasteners can test a pivot; foam board can test form. A beautiful small model may be useless if scale prevents the intended user interaction.

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Diagnose why building is not producing evidence

• Question gap: the learner starts making before deciding what must be learned.
• Representation gap: the mock-up omits the very feature that needs testing.
• Scale gap: a miniature is used to judge reach or fit that requires full size.
• Evidence gap: the learner says “it works” without recording what happened.
• Iteration gap: the first mock-up is defended as a finished answer instead of revised.

A useful diagnostic presents an idea and asks for three different test questions. The child chooses one, names the minimum features the mock-up must include, and explains which features can be left out. That reveals whether the learner understands purposeful representation.

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Example: test a phone stand, not a tiny sculpture

Imagine a proposed desk stand that holds a phone for a video call while leaving the charging port accessible. Instead of building a finished miniature, the learner can run a short evidence loop.

1. Question: Will the chosen viewing angle remain stable when the phone is tapped?
2. Build: Cut a full-size side profile from card, add a base and make only the supporting slot adjustable.
3. Test: Place a safe substitute of comparable size and mass, then apply a consistent light tap at the intended interaction point.
4. Observe: Record whether the base slides, the stand tips or the angle collapses.
5. Decide: Widen the base, alter the support angle or change the slot position for a stated reason.
6. Retest: Repeat the same action so the comparison is meaningful.

A second mock-up can test charging-port clearance. It does not need to reproduce the stability mechanism if the new question concerns access. Different uncertainties may need different partial mock-ups.

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Turn observations into the next design move

Good tuition teaches the learner to record a compact chain: question → mock-up feature → observation → decision → change. “The base tipped when the upper edge was tapped, so I increased the base depth” is useful evidence. “I made it better” is not.

In a small group of three, if that is the actual class arrangement, one learner can state the uncertainty, one can propose the leanest mock-up, and one can challenge whether the test will produce relevant evidence. They should rotate and complete an unrelated test plan independently. Parents should confirm that the provider actually teaches G2 Design and Technology.

Tutors should use fresh, non-assessed practice prompts. They may teach questioning, safe modelling and reflection, but must not originate, fabricate or complete the learner’s assessed design project.

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Respect K234 coursework boundaries

The official 2027 SEAB G2 Design and Technology syllabus K234 states that mock-ups are used to explore and/or test ideas for decision-making. It lists simple mock-up materials such as paper, cardboard, foam board, bottle caps and strings.

Paper 1 is a 1 hour 30 minute written examination worth 40%. Paper 2 is an individual coursework-based Design Project conducted over 20 weeks and worth 60%; it includes the Design Journal and Presentation Board. The project is marked internally and moderated externally, with teachers acting as coursework supervisors.

That structure makes ownership non-negotiable. School instructions and supervision govern the assessed project. External tuition should build transferable skills on separate examples and must not design, manufacture or document the candidate’s submitted solution.

G2 is the subject level, not a Posting Group. Design and Technology offerings vary by school, so confirm the child’s actual subject combination, workshop arrangements and examination year.

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Check independent design thinking

• Your child states one testable uncertainty before building.
• They choose scale and materials because of the question, not appearance.
• They record an observable result rather than a vague judgement.
• They make a justified change and repeat a comparable test.
• They can explain which features the mock-up deliberately leaves out.

At home, use harmless everyday prompts and simple materials only—never school assessment work or unsafe workshop processes. Ask for one question, one quick model and one evidence-based revision. The useful outcome is the decision, not the prettiness of the card.

Useful next reading: using sketches to develop an idea, turning research into design specifications, and the MOE and SEAB syllabus guide directory.

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