IB Design Technology Standard Level

Design Technology SL Exam Skills & Techniques

Master the IB Design Technology SL exam. A multiple-choice paper, a product-analysis paper and a 50-hour design project — here is where the marks actually sit.

150 teaching hours • 2 external papers • 1 design project

Start Practising Design Technology

Design Technology SL Assessment at a Glance

20%

Paper 1

Multiple choice, SL material • 1 hour

40%

Paper 2

Product analysis • 1h 30m

40%

Design project

33 marks • 50 hours

Design Technology SL Paper Structure

Both papers are compulsory throughout — there is no choice of question. Paper 1 is 30 multiple-choice marks on SL material only; Paper 2 is 50 marks built on the analysis of a product.

Paper 1

Multiple choice, SL material only

1 hour•30 marks•20% of final grade

FormatMultiple-choice questions drawn from design in theory, design in practice and design in context. All compulsory; no choice of question.30 × 1

ScopeSL material only. Nothing from the eleven HL topics — structures, mechanisms, electronics, manufacturing techniques, production systems or design for manufacture — can appear.—

What to expect:

Every mark is worth the same, so no question is worth agonising over

Two minutes per question on average — a pace, not a puzzle

Calculators are permitted, though SL Paper 1 rarely needs one

Distractors are built from real misconceptions, not from nonsense

Key Tips

Answer every question. There is no negative marking, so a considered guess is strictly better than a blank.
Go through once answering what you know, then return to the rest. Sitting on question 7 for six minutes costs you the end of the paper.
Read the whole stem. "Which is NOT" and "most strongly" change the answer entirely.
Eliminate to two, then ask which one a designer would actually defend.

Easy Marks

Definition questions — ergonomics, anthropometrics, physiology — are the guide’s own sentences. Learn them verbatim.
Percentile questions resolve to one rule: reach from the 5th, clearance from the 95th.
Classification questions (static/dynamic, physical/chemical/mechanical) are recall, not reasoning.

Watch Out

Choosing the longest option because it looks most complete. Real papers do not reward that and neither do ours.
Reading "average user" as a safe answer. The 50th percentile is almost never the right design choice.
Bringing HL knowledge into an SL paper and second-guessing a correct SL answer.

Paper 2

Short answer and extended response, based on a product

1 hour 30 minutes•50 marks•40% of final grade

BasisThe paper is built on the analysis of a product. Expect an image or a description you are asked to work from throughout.—

Short answerState, identify, outline and describe parts on the product and the theory behind it.1–4 each

Extended responseExplain, justify and evaluate parts, where the reasoning rather than the recall carries the marks.5–6 each

What to expect:

Every question comes back to the product in front of you

SL content only, but drawn from all three themes at once

Around 1.8 minutes per mark — the extended parts need planning, not padding

Calculators are permitted

Key Tips

Anchor every answer in the product. A correct general statement that never mentions the product caps in the middle.
Watch the command term and the mark tariff together: four marks means four distinct points, not one point four times.
For evaluate, write strengths, then limitations, then a judgement. Leaving out the judgement is the single most common cap.
Name the percentile, the material property or the research method explicitly. Vague nouns lose marks that precise ones keep.

Easy Marks

The opening state/identify parts usually come straight off the image.
Naming a material property or a research method is one mark each and needs no development.
Annotating a sketch is fast marks if you label rather than decorate.

Watch Out

Describing the product instead of analysing the design decisions in it.
Answering "explain" with a list. Every point needs its "because".
Running out of time on the last extended part, which is usually the highest-tariff question on the paper.

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-Specific Skills

These concepts appear throughout Design Technology 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

40% 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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IB Design Technology Standard Level

Design Technology SL Exam Skills & Techniques

Master the IB Design Technology SL exam. A multiple-choice paper, a product-analysis paper and a 50-hour design project — here is where the marks actually sit.

150 teaching hours • 2 external papers • 1 design project

Start Practising Design Technology

Design Technology SL Assessment at a Glance

20%

Paper 1

Multiple choice, SL material • 1 hour

40%

Paper 2

Product analysis • 1h 30m

40%

Design project

33 marks • 50 hours

Design Technology SL Paper Structure

Both papers are compulsory throughout — there is no choice of question. Paper 1 is 30 multiple-choice marks on SL material only; Paper 2 is 50 marks built on the analysis of a product.

Paper 1

Multiple choice, SL material only

1 hour•30 marks•20% of final grade

FormatMultiple-choice questions drawn from design in theory, design in practice and design in context. All compulsory; no choice of question.30 × 1

ScopeSL material only. Nothing from the eleven HL topics — structures, mechanisms, electronics, manufacturing techniques, production systems or design for manufacture — can appear.—

What to expect:

Every mark is worth the same, so no question is worth agonising over

Two minutes per question on average — a pace, not a puzzle

Calculators are permitted, though SL Paper 1 rarely needs one

Distractors are built from real misconceptions, not from nonsense

Key Tips

Answer every question. There is no negative marking, so a considered guess is strictly better than a blank.
Go through once answering what you know, then return to the rest. Sitting on question 7 for six minutes costs you the end of the paper.
Read the whole stem. "Which is NOT" and "most strongly" change the answer entirely.
Eliminate to two, then ask which one a designer would actually defend.

Easy Marks

Definition questions — ergonomics, anthropometrics, physiology — are the guide’s own sentences. Learn them verbatim.
Percentile questions resolve to one rule: reach from the 5th, clearance from the 95th.
Classification questions (static/dynamic, physical/chemical/mechanical) are recall, not reasoning.

Watch Out

Choosing the longest option because it looks most complete. Real papers do not reward that and neither do ours.
Reading "average user" as a safe answer. The 50th percentile is almost never the right design choice.
Bringing HL knowledge into an SL paper and second-guessing a correct SL answer.

Paper 2

Short answer and extended response, based on a product

1 hour 30 minutes•50 marks•40% of final grade

BasisThe paper is built on the analysis of a product. Expect an image or a description you are asked to work from throughout.—

Short answerState, identify, outline and describe parts on the product and the theory behind it.1–4 each

Extended responseExplain, justify and evaluate parts, where the reasoning rather than the recall carries the marks.5–6 each

What to expect:

Every question comes back to the product in front of you

SL content only, but drawn from all three themes at once

Around 1.8 minutes per mark — the extended parts need planning, not padding

Calculators are permitted

Key Tips

Anchor every answer in the product. A correct general statement that never mentions the product caps in the middle.
Watch the command term and the mark tariff together: four marks means four distinct points, not one point four times.
For evaluate, write strengths, then limitations, then a judgement. Leaving out the judgement is the single most common cap.
Name the percentile, the material property or the research method explicitly. Vague nouns lose marks that precise ones keep.

Easy Marks

The opening state/identify parts usually come straight off the image.
Naming a material property or a research method is one mark each and needs no development.
Annotating a sketch is fast marks if you label rather than decorate.

Watch Out

Describing the product instead of analysing the design decisions in it.
Answering "explain" with a list. Every point needs its "because".
Running out of time on the last extended part, which is usually the highest-tariff question on the paper.

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."