GCSE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY (9–1):
COMPONENT 1: TIMBERS
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE 2026 FULL
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◍ timber.
Answer: wood that has been converted into useable forms such as boards,
planks, sections; organic, sustainable, natural and renewable; strong,
lightweight, adaptable and relatively cheap; requires less energy to
manufacture
◍ hardwoods properties.
Answer: dense, hard wearing, less prone to rotting, expensive
◍ three families of timbers.
Answer: softwoods, hardwoods and manufactured boards
◍ common softwoods (from coniferous trees).
Answer: redwood, western red cedar, parana pine, whitewood
◍ redwood.
Answer: knotty, easy to work, durable, widely available, relatively cheap;
suitable for all inside work, woodturning, most-used softwood in the UK -
from northern europe, scandanavia, russia and scotland
◍ western red cedar.
Answer: resists insect attack, lightweight, soft, knot-free, very durable,
attractive surface; outside joinery, building cladding, bathroom and kitchen
furniture, panelling walls - from canada and the usa
◍ parana pine.
Answer: hard, usually knot-free, fairly strong, works easily, fairly durable;
, internal building work such as staircases and built-in furniture - from south
america
◍ whitewood (spruce).
Answer: easy to work, fairly strong, resistant to splitting, can contain
pockets of resin; general construction work, crates - northern europe, canada
and the usa
◍ hardwoods source.
Answer: from deciduous trees
◍ hardwoods examples.
Answer: ash, beech, mahogany, oak, balsa
◍ common hardwoods (from deciduous trees).
Answer: beech, ash, elm, oak, mahogany, teak, balsa
◍ softwoods properties.
Answer: readily available, cheap, more prone to rotting, softer
◍ softwoods source.
Answer: from coniferous trees (can photosynthesise all year round)
◍ softwoods examples.
Answer: pine, larch, spruce
◍ beech.
Answer: very tough, hard, straight and close-grained, polishes well, liable to
warp; most used hardwood in UK, toys, furniture, wooden tools, good for
steam bending - from europe
◍ ash.
Answer: wide-grained, tough, very flexible, finishes well; baseball bats,
flooring, tool handles - from europe
◍ elm.
Answer: tough, flexible, durable, water-resistant, can be difficult to work;
garden furniture, woodturning, furniture - from europe
COMPONENT 1: TIMBERS
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE 2026 FULL
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◍ timber.
Answer: wood that has been converted into useable forms such as boards,
planks, sections; organic, sustainable, natural and renewable; strong,
lightweight, adaptable and relatively cheap; requires less energy to
manufacture
◍ hardwoods properties.
Answer: dense, hard wearing, less prone to rotting, expensive
◍ three families of timbers.
Answer: softwoods, hardwoods and manufactured boards
◍ common softwoods (from coniferous trees).
Answer: redwood, western red cedar, parana pine, whitewood
◍ redwood.
Answer: knotty, easy to work, durable, widely available, relatively cheap;
suitable for all inside work, woodturning, most-used softwood in the UK -
from northern europe, scandanavia, russia and scotland
◍ western red cedar.
Answer: resists insect attack, lightweight, soft, knot-free, very durable,
attractive surface; outside joinery, building cladding, bathroom and kitchen
furniture, panelling walls - from canada and the usa
◍ parana pine.
Answer: hard, usually knot-free, fairly strong, works easily, fairly durable;
, internal building work such as staircases and built-in furniture - from south
america
◍ whitewood (spruce).
Answer: easy to work, fairly strong, resistant to splitting, can contain
pockets of resin; general construction work, crates - northern europe, canada
and the usa
◍ hardwoods source.
Answer: from deciduous trees
◍ hardwoods examples.
Answer: ash, beech, mahogany, oak, balsa
◍ common hardwoods (from deciduous trees).
Answer: beech, ash, elm, oak, mahogany, teak, balsa
◍ softwoods properties.
Answer: readily available, cheap, more prone to rotting, softer
◍ softwoods source.
Answer: from coniferous trees (can photosynthesise all year round)
◍ softwoods examples.
Answer: pine, larch, spruce
◍ beech.
Answer: very tough, hard, straight and close-grained, polishes well, liable to
warp; most used hardwood in UK, toys, furniture, wooden tools, good for
steam bending - from europe
◍ ash.
Answer: wide-grained, tough, very flexible, finishes well; baseball bats,
flooring, tool handles - from europe
◍ elm.
Answer: tough, flexible, durable, water-resistant, can be difficult to work;
garden furniture, woodturning, furniture - from europe
