IB Design Technology HL · 2016 to 2025 (outgoing guide)
IB Design Technology HL past papers
629 past paper questions from 42 papers across 19 exam sessions. See what repeats, then practise the same skills with AI marking.
Starter set across the most-tested skills, with AI marking and model answers.
HL archive · 2016 to 2026
IB Design Technology HL past papers
Latest exam session: May 2026
- questions
- questions
- papers
- papers
- exam sessions
- exam sessions
Units in Design Technology HL
In syllabus order. The ring is the share of the marks each one carries.
Unit 1
People in theory
20% of marks · 107 questions
Unit 2
Process in theory
21% of marks · 127 questions
- RisingMultidisciplinary teams
- RisingPersonas and scenarios
Unit 3
Product in theory
12% of marks · 77 questions
- RisingPhysical properties
- RisingChoosing a material
Unit 4
Production in theory
6% of marks · 38 questions
- FadingAdditive: 3D printing
- FadingSubtractive techniques
Unit 5
People in practice
1% of marks · 6 questions
- RisingApplying research methods
Unit 6
Process in practice
5% of marks · 29 questions
- RisingDesign specifications
- RisingDrawing to discuss
Unit 7
Product in practice
3% of marks · 20 questions
- RisingOther selection factors
Unit 8
Production in practice
6% of marks · 37 questions
Unit 9
People in context
6% of marks · 44 questions
Unit 10
Process in context
11% of marks · 96 questions
- RisingRenewable energy
Unit 11
Product in context
7% of marks · 34 questions
Unit 12
Production in context
3% of marks · 14 questions
- RisingDesign for disassembly
Papers in Design Technology HL
Each paper across every sitting. The ring is the share of the marks it carries.
Exam pattern
How often each micro-topic has been examined, year by year. Each label is explained under the grid.
Does it repeat?
Top 4 of 76 micro-topics for the next sitting. Numbers are questions per year.
fewermore
| Micro-topic | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10.2.4Recovering and restoring | 3Recovering and restoring, 2016: 3 questions | 2Recovering and restoring, 2017: 2 questions | 2Recovering and restoring, 2018: 2 questions | 3Recovering and restoring, 2019: 3 questions | 2Recovering and restoring, 2020: 2 questions | ·Recovering and restoring, 2021: 0 questions | 3Recovering and restoring, 2022: 3 questions | 2Recovering and restoring, 2023: 2 questions | 3Recovering and restoring, 2024: 3 questions | 3Recovering and restoring, 2025: 3 questions | 7Recovering and restoring, 2026: 7 questions |
1.1.3Percentiles | 1Percentiles, 2016: 1 question | 2Percentiles, 2017: 2 questions | 2Percentiles, 2018: 2 questions | 3Percentiles, 2019: 3 questions | ·Percentiles, 2020: 0 questions | 1Percentiles, 2021: 1 question | ·Percentiles, 2022: 0 questions | 3Percentiles, 2023: 3 questions | 2Percentiles, 2024: 2 questions | 2Percentiles, 2025: 2 questions | 4Percentiles, 2026: 4 questions |
2.1.4Research methods | 4Research methods, 2016: 4 questions | 2Research methods, 2017: 2 questions | ·Research methods, 2018: 0 questions | 1Research methods, 2019: 1 question | ·Research methods, 2020: 0 questions | ·Research methods, 2021: 0 questions | ·Research methods, 2022: 0 questions | 2Research methods, 2023: 2 questions | 3Research methods, 2024: 3 questions | 2Research methods, 2025: 2 questions | 6Research methods, 2026: 6 questions |
| 1Testing with physical, 2016: 1 question | 3Testing with physical, 2017: 3 questions | 1Testing with physical, 2018: 1 question | ·Testing with physical, 2019: 0 questions | ·Testing with physical, 2020: 0 questions | ·Testing with physical, 2021: 0 questions | 1Testing with physical, 2022: 1 question | 4Testing with physical, 2023: 4 questions | 4Testing with physical, 2024: 4 questions | 1Testing with physical, 2025: 1 question | 5Testing with physical, 2026: 5 questions |
4 more micro-topics with a free account
- RisingPhysical properties· last May 26 P2 TZ1
- Risingappearing more often in the last two years than before
Free account · no card needed
See the full exam pattern
Every micro-topic in the heatmap and the complete watch list, free with an account.
You come straight back to this page with your set built.
- With a free account
- 3 generated sets of 10 past-paper questions, any scope
- One AI-marked practice set with step-by-step feedback
- The full exam pattern: every micro-topic and the watch list
Past paper generator
Generate Design Technology HL past paper questions
Choose what to revise and build a set in one click. Every question stays whole, so multi-part questions come as they appeared in the exam.
- 1Pick any unit, topic or micro-topic
- 2Generate whole exam questions from the archive
- 3Practise the same skills with AI marking
Every Design Technology HL exam session
Every session and paper we have classified. Open a paper for its full analysis.
May 2026
6 papers
May 2025
4 papers
November 2024
2 papers
May 2024
3 papers
November 2023
2 papers
May 2023
3 papers
November 2022
1 paper
May 2022
1 paper
November 2021
1 paper
May 2021
1 paper
November 2020
2 papers
November 2019
2 papers
May 2019
2 papers
November 2018
2 papers
May 2018
2 papers
November 2017
2 papers
May 2017
2 papers
November 2016
2 papers
May 2016
2 papers
Every Design Technology HL question, unlocked
Generate all 629 questions in this subject at once, practise every one with AI marking, and see how each mark is awarded.
- Every past-paper question in any unit, topic or micro-topic
- Generate sets of 20 or all questions, as often as you like
- Unlimited practice with AI marking and worked answers
- See how every mark is awarded for each question
- Predicted papers and crash courses built from the same data
Used by IB students preparing for Nov 2026, May 2027 and May 2028
From €8.29/mo. 14-day money-back guarantee. Cancel anytime.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers about this page.
Which Design Technology HL exam sessions are covered?
19 exam sessions from 2016 to 2026, the latest May 2026. Every Paper 1 and 2 in every timezone is read and classified in full, which gives 42 papers in this archive.
Which IB Design Technology HL topic comes up most?
Recovering and restoring (10.2.4): in 57% of papers, last seen May 26 P2 TZ3. Usually "Outline", worth about 2 marks in a paper that includes it.
Can I see the original question and mark scheme?
No. The wording belongs to the IB. You get the citation, the marks, the command term and the skill tested, plus our own matched practice questions with worked answers and AI marking.
What do "banker", "due" and "rising" mean?
Banker: examined in at least one sitting in four and still appearing. Due: regular before, but absent for the last two exam sessions. Rising: clearly more common in the last two years. Our classification of real papers, not an IB statistic.
What is free and what needs Pro?
Reading this page and the exam pattern is free. A free account generates three sets of ten questions and launches one practice set. Pro opens every question in any scope, sets of twenty or all, and unlimited practice.
Keep going
More Design Technology HL exam preparation
Every question, by paper
What each Design Technology HL paper tests across all its sittings: the marks by unit and the micro-topics it keeps coming back to.
Open the paper analysis
All IB past papers
Every subject we have classified by topic, with the same exam-pattern analysis.
Browse subjects
Practise Design Technology HL the way it is examined.
Pick any unit, topic or micro-topic, see what repeats, then practise the same skills with AI marking.