There's now an A-level in fashion - but could you pass the exam questions?

Copies of glossy magazines have proved a distraction forA-level students bored of Chaucer for years, butnowstudents will be able to class pouring over images of Chanel, Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen as actual"revision."The examination board AQA have announced that they are launching an A-level in Fashion (or to use it"s official name,the "Design and Technology:Fashion and Textiles A-level").

Students have been able to study "Textiles" beforeof course, but this replacement A-level will teach students about the origins of Yves Saint Laurent"s Le Smoking jacket, at the same time as mastering a blind stitch.As well as learning textile techniques, studentswill touch uponthe history of design, the commercial side of the industry and modern influences on fashion, includingthe impact of social media.

“The UKs thriving fashion industry makes a huge contribution to the economy," AQA Qualifications DeveloperBen Galvinsaid of the course, which will be available to teach from September 2017."It employs hundreds of thousands of people and is one of our most sought-after exports.Its important that we support the growth of this industry by developing young people with a solid understanding of the commercial, creative and technical sides of the trade.This new A-level will enable students to learn about some of the most influential and iconic designers and movements to demonstrate the history of the industry and its importance within our society.”

Here at The Telegraph Fashion desk we would like to think that we could get an A* in Fashion without any revision.But we"vegot our hands ontwo example papers for this A-level, and the questions are a little more technical than "tell us the key emblems at Chanel."Memorizing theNet A Porter website will not help you tackle these papers, which askspecific questions about fabrics andmaths equationsbased on fabric dimensions and sales projections.

Could you pass the A-level?Take the essay-based questions from the practice paper1.The modern day trench coat shown in Figure 1 is a fashion item that has been developed based upon the early 20th century version.Discuss the reasons for work wear developing into fashion items.Give examples in your answer.(8 marks)

2.The trench coat was originally designed for soldiers in the early 20th century.It was made from a woollen gabardine fabric.Evaluate the use of this fabric for the trench coat.(6 marks)

3.Explain how manufacturers can meet the requirements of rapid changes in consumer demand for fashion products.(5 marks)

4.The lining of the modern day trench coat is made from a plain weave polyamide fabric.Explain why this fabric has been chosen for the lining.(4 marks)

5.A wholesaler is selling two different lining fabrics.Fabric A costs £4.50 per metre for the first 1000 metres.There is a discount for each additional metre ordered in excess of 1000 metres.Fabric B costs £3.99 per metre.There is no discount on this fabric.A manufacturer needs 2500 metres of lining fabric.What percentage discount would need to be applied to Fabric A to make the cost of both fabrics the same on the order of 2500 metres?Give your answer to the nearest whole percentage.(5 marks)

6.Explain why copyrighting is important for the designer, manufacturer and consumer.In your answer you should make reference to different products.(8 marks)

7.Explain the advantages of using computers to aid the design and manufacture of knitted fabric.(12 marks)

8.The running shoe has a brand label on the shoe tongue.Evaluate three ways to advertise and promote the brand.(9 marks)

9.Describe the quality control checks made at different stages in the manufacture of clothing.In your answer you should make reference to tolerance levels.(6 marks)

10.Quality assurance is much wider than just quality control and concerns every activity from design to delivery of a garment.Describe some of the systems that could be put in place by a clothing manufacturer to ensure customer satisfaction.(12 marks)

Take the number-based questions from the practice paper

1.Study the data in Figure 5 below.The time series graph shows the sales of three different garments over a six month period.For each garment:describe the sales trend andgive a possible reason for this.

2.Which of the four bars represents the greatest number of potential customers?You must show your working.(4 marks)

3.The cushion shown below has a patchwork pattern.

The cushion is 40cm square.Each of the six triangles is the same size.

What is the length of the cutting line marked A-B On the diagram?Give your answer correct to one decimal place.