IB Design Technology Higher Level

Design Technology HL Exam Skills & Techniques

Master the IB Design Technology HL exam. Eleven further topics — structures, mechanisms, electronics, manufacturing and production — and the calculations that come with them.

240 teaching hours • 2 external papers • 11 HL topics • 1 design project

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Design Technology HL Assessment at a Glance

25%

Paper 1

Multiple choice, SL and HL • 1h 30m

45%

Paper 2

Product analysis • 2h 30m

30%

Design project

33 marks • 50 hours

HL Lenses

HL students study all the SL content plus eleven further topics, which together are worth as many teaching hours again as the whole SL course.

Structures and mechanisms

A3.2, A3.3, B3.2 and B3.3: loads and forces, stress and strain, Young’s modulus, safety factors, gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages — with mechanical advantage, velocity ratio and efficiency to calculate.

Electronics and manufacturing

A3.4, B3.4 and A4.1: input–process–output systems, analogue and digital signals, V = IR and P = VI, series and parallel circuits, and the five categories of manufacturing technique from 3D printing to finishing.

Production and context

B4.1, C1.3, C3.2 and C4.1: production systems and scale, the four-pleasure framework and the ACT model, life-cycle analysis from cradle to grave, and design for process, assembly and disassembly.

Design Technology HL Paper Structure

Both papers are compulsory throughout. Paper 1 rises to 40 multiple-choice marks across SL and HL material; Paper 2 rises to 80 marks with HL content combined into the same product-analysis questions.

Paper 1

Multiple choice, SL and HL material

1 hour 30 minutes•40 marks•25% of final grade

FormatMultiple-choice questions across all three themes, all compulsory.40 × 1

ScopeSL and HL material together. The eleven HL topics are roughly half the course by teaching hours, so expect them to carry real weight.—

What to expect:

HL adds the calculating half of the course — mechanical advantage, velocity ratio, efficiency, V = IR and P = VI

Slightly over two minutes per question, so a short calculation is affordable

Calculators are permitted and, unlike at SL, you will want one

Structures, mechanisms and electronics are diagram-heavy — read the figure before the options

Key Tips

Do the arithmetic rather than estimating. A velocity-ratio question with four plausible numbers punishes eyeballing.
For a gear or pulley question, write the ratio down before you look at the options.
On a circuit question, work out what the block does before deciding which component it is.
Leave nothing blank — no negative marking.

Easy Marks

Component-identification questions on A3.4 are pure recall from the circuit-symbol set.
Manufacturing-technique classification (additive, subtractive, forming, joining, finishing) is a five-way sort.
The SL half of the paper is the same material you already drilled for SL Paper 1.

Watch Out

Confusing mechanical advantage with velocity ratio — they are reciprocal in an ideal machine and examiners know it.
Reading a gear ratio the wrong way round. Driver over driven, every time.
Spending four minutes on one calculation and running short at the end.

Paper 2

Short answer and extended response, SL and HL content

2 hours 30 minutes•80 marks•45% of final grade

BasisAs at SL, built on the analysis of a product — with HL content combined into the same questions rather than separated out.—

Short answerState, identify, outline and describe parts across both SL and HL material.1–4 each

Extended responseExplain, justify, analyse and evaluate parts, including calculation-based questions on structures, mechanisms and electronics.5–8 each

What to expect:

80 marks in 2h 30m — the same pace as SL, sustained for an hour longer

HL content is combined with SL, not fenced off into its own section

Calculations are genuinely examined: safety factors, mechanical advantage, velocity ratio, efficiency, V = IR and P = VI

Calculators are permitted

Key Tips

Write the general formula as its own line before substituting. It earns a mark even when the arithmetic goes wrong.
Carry units through every calculation and state them in the answer.
For an evaluate on a manufacturing or production choice, argue scale, cost, material and finish — then judge.
Budget the last twenty minutes for the highest-tariff question rather than letting it absorb whatever is left.

Easy Marks

Formula-recall parts — safety factor, mechanical advantage, velocity ratio, efficiency — are marks before any arithmetic.
Identifying a production system or a manufacturing technique from a description is recall.
Annotated systems and flow diagrams score on labels, which are quick to add.

Watch Out

Giving an answer with no working. A wrong final number with correct working still scores; a bare wrong number does not.
Treating an HL calculation question as a discussion question and never producing a figure.
Forgetting that HL Paper 2 still rewards SL content — the ergonomics and sustainability marks are still there.

Design Technology Command Terms

Command terms tell you exactly what the examiner expects. Filter by Assessment Objective (AO).

Label1–2 marks

Add a title, labels or brief explanations to a diagram or graph. Sketch first, then annotate — an unlabelled drawing scores nothing.

List1–3 marks

Give a sequence of brief answers with no explanation. Do not write sentences; you are not paid for them here.

State1–2 marks

Give a specific name, value or other brief answer without explanation or calculation. One line is the whole answer.

Apply2–4 marks

Use an idea, equation, principle, theory or law in relation to a given problem. Show the idea working on the product in front of you.

Demonstrate2–4 marks

Make clear by reasoning or evidence, illustrating with examples or practical application.

Describe2–4 marks

Give a detailed account. Detail, not reasons — if you find yourself writing "because", you have been asked to explain instead.

Identify1–2 marks

Provide an answer from a number of possibilities. The whole of Paper 1 is this command term in disguise.

Outline2–3 marks

Give a brief account or summary. More than "state", less than "describe" — one sentence per point.

Present2–4 marks

Offer for display, observation, examination or consideration. Common in the design project rather than on the papers.

Analyse4–6 marks

Break down in order to bring out the guiding elements or structure. Take the product apart on paper and say what each decision does.

Construct3–5 marks

Display information in a diagrammatic or logical form. Usually a systems diagram, a flow diagram or an annotated sketch.

Design4–6 marks

Produce a plan, simulation or model. Annotate it: the annotation is where the marks sit, not the drawing.

Evaluate5–6 marks

Make an appraisal by weighing up the strengths and limitations. Strengths, limitations, then a judgement — an answer with no judgement caps itself.

Explain3–5 marks

Give a detailed account including reasons or causes. Every point needs its "because"; a point without one is a describe answer.

Justify3–5 marks

Give valid reasons or evidence to support an answer or conclusion. The choice earns nothing — the reason for it earns everything.

What Examiners Expect

Match your answer depth to the marks available.

1–2 (of 6)Limited response. A relevant idea appears but is asserted rather than developed, and the product is barely referred to.

Example questions:

""The handle is ergonomic so it is better to hold.""
"A list of three features with nothing said about any of them."

If no sentence in your answer contains "because", you are in this band.

3–4 (of 6)Adequate response. Correct design knowledge applied to the product, with reasons given, but one-sided or with the technical term missing.

Example questions:

""The grip is textured so it does not slip when hands are oily.""
"Strengths of the design argued well, with no limitations at all."

Naming the precise term — 5th percentile, popliteal height, normal reach — is often the cheapest jump available.

5–6 (of 6)Thorough response. Precise terminology, reasoning tied to this specific product, both strengths and limitations where the command term asks, and a clear judgement.

Example questions:

""The rail is set from the 5th percentile of standing reach, so the shortest passenger can hold it; sizing it from the 50th would exclude roughly half.""
"A judgement that says which factor matters most here, and concedes what it cannot resolve."

Decide your judgement before you write, then make every paragraph earn it.

Design Technology HL-Specific Skills

These concepts appear throughout Design Technology HL exams. Master them to score higher.

Reach from the smallest, clearance from the largest

One sentence answers a surprising share of this course. If the user has to reach it or overcome it, size it from the 5th percentile. If they have to fit into or through it, the 95th. The 50th is almost never right, because it excludes half the population by construction.

Name the improvement, never "more comfortable"

The guide names five ways ergonomics improves a design: more efficient, more usable, more functional, more effective, safer. An answer that says which one, and for whom, outscores one that says a product is nicer to use.

Paper 2 is always about a product

Both levels state it explicitly. Every answer should refer to the product in front of you — its material, its user, its environment. A correct general statement that never touches the product caps in the middle bands.

Fifteen command terms, and only fifteen

This subject uses Label, List, State, Apply, Demonstrate, Describe, Identify, Outline, Present, Analyse, Construct, Design, Evaluate, Explain and Justify. It does not use Discuss, Suggest or Define. Answer the term you were actually given.

Common Design Technology Mistakes to Avoid

Learn from others' mistakes. These cost students marks every exam session.

Writing "more comfortable" as though it were an ergonomic improvement.

Name one of the five — efficient, usable, functional, effective, safe — and say for whom it improved.

Choosing a percentile by which number sounds more inclusive.

Sort the dimension into reach or clearance first. Reach → 5th. Clearance → 95th.

Giving a static anthropometric example when asked for a dynamic one.

Static is measured with the body still; dynamic while it works. Arm length is static, forward grip reach in use is dynamic.

Describing a product on Paper 2 instead of analysing its design decisions.

For each feature, say what decision was made, why, and what it costs elsewhere.

Answering an evaluate question without reaching a judgement.

Strengths, limitations, then a decision with a reason. No judgement caps the answer whatever the analysis was worth.

At HL, writing round a calculation instead of doing it.

Write the formula, substitute, give the number with units. The formula line scores even if the arithmetic slips.

Design project

30% of final grade • ~3,500 words across ~35 pages, 50 teaching hours

A single design project: empathize with a user, define the problem, ideate and model, design a solution and present it. The requirements are identical at SL and HL; only the weighting differs.

Marking Criteria

A — Empathize9 marks

B — Defining the project6 marks

C — Ideation and modelling6 marks

D — Designing a solution6 marks

E — Presenting a solution6 marks

Tips for Top Marks

Criterion A alone is 9 of the 33 marks — more than any other. The primary persona, the storyboard and the analysis of existing products are where the project is won.
The persona must be explained, not stated. A named person with needs, context and a task beats a demographic sketch.
The storyboard has to come from an actual task analysis of that persona using a product, not from imagination.
The recommended word count is 3,500 across about 35 pages, but it is a recommendation, not a target — allocate it where the marks are.
Reference sources as footnotes on the page. Footnotes do not count towards the word count, and omitted referencing is treated as malpractice.

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HL Lenses

HL students study all the SL content plus eleven further topics, which together are worth as many teaching hours again as the whole SL course.

Structures and mechanisms

Electronics and manufacturing

Production and context

B4.1, C1.3, C3.2 and C4.1: production systems and scale, the four-pleasure framework and the ACT model, life-cycle analysis from cradle to grave, and design for process, assembly and disassembly.