The 2026 Construction Studies exam paper was well-received by students, offering a balance of approachable and challenging aspects. A very current and topical paper with a focus on a wide range of construction and architectural design topics.
The Q1 scale question focused on a Traditional Roof with a Concrete Cavity wall with a heavily insulated ceiling. Students who continued to study the scale drawing aspect of the course, despite Q1 not being compulsory, would have been pleased with the familiar roofing-based question.
Q7 presented a straightforward bottom of a stairs with a small adjustment of an open riser. Students would have been very happy to see this topic being assessed.
The other questions covered a wide array of topics:
- Design for Lifetime use
- Redesign of a 1920s Farmhouse
- Vernacular Cottages
- U-value of a Timber Frame Wall
- Environmental Sustainability
- Drainage Design
- Thermal Bridge Design
- Passive Design/Retrofitting/EnerPhit
With five questions out of ten to answer, students had significant choices, making the selection of the right combination crucial due to the paper’s detailed nature.
The popular U-values question had Timber Frame Construction as the theme of the question. Again, this question involved calculating using wood pellets instead of traditional oil for the third year in a row, showing the clear shift away from oil. It concluded with a sketch-based question on design detailing to prevent the build-up of moisture in the timber frame wall.
Q3 had an engaging brief requiring students to redesign a house’s internal plan, incorporating a 1920s home. The task involved redesign and an extension to create a new open plan Kitchen/Living space to maximise light, and discussing the benefits of revising an internal layout.
Overall, the 2026 students would be delighted with a very relevant and approachable paper with lots of choice. This paper will leave students very happy as they near the finish of the second week.
