IB Design Technology HL · 2016 to 2025 (outgoing guide)
9.3 Beyond usability
20 past paper questions from 16 papers across 13 exam sessions. See what repeats, then practise the same skills with AI marking.
Original Exam Vault questions with AI markscheme feedback for this topic.
HL archive · 2016 to 2026
9.3 Beyond usability
Latest exam session: May 2026
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Micro-topics in 9.3 Beyond usability
In syllabus order. The ring is the share of papers each appears in.
- Frequently tested
last May 26 P2 TZ1
- Occasional
last Nov 24 P1
Exam pattern
How often each micro-topic has been examined, year by year. Each label is explained under the grid.
Does it repeat?
Questions per year for each micro-topic.
fewermore
| Micro-topic | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2The four pleasures, 2016: 2 questions | 2The four pleasures, 2017: 2 questions | 2The four pleasures, 2018: 2 questions | 1The four pleasures, 2019: 1 question | 1The four pleasures, 2020: 1 question | ·The four pleasures, 2021: 0 questions | ·The four pleasures, 2022: 0 questions | 3The four pleasures, 2023: 3 questions | 1The four pleasures, 2024: 1 question | 2The four pleasures, 2025: 2 questions | 3The four pleasures, 2026: 3 questions | |
| ·The ACT model, 2016: 0 questions | 1The ACT model, 2017: 1 question | ·The ACT model, 2018: 0 questions | 1The ACT model, 2019: 1 question | ·The ACT model, 2020: 0 questions | ·The ACT model, 2021: 0 questions | ·The ACT model, 2022: 0 questions | ·The ACT model, 2023: 0 questions | 1The ACT model, 2024: 1 question | ·The ACT model, 2025: 0 questions | ·The ACT model, 2026: 0 questions |
- Frequently testedin at least a quarter of all papers, and still appearing in the last two years
- Occasionalin about one paper in ten
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Questions on 9.3 Beyond usability, by exam session
Which papers asked about 9.3 Beyond usability, and which question numbers. Open a paper to see them highlighted.
May 2026
3 questions across 2 papers
May 2025
2 questions across 2 papers
November 2024
1 question across 1 paper
May 2024
1 question across 1 paper
November 2023
1 question across 1 paper
May 2023
2 questions across 2 papers
November 2020
1 question across 1 paper
May 2019
2 questions across 1 paper
May 2018
2 questions across 1 paper
November 2017
2 questions across 1 paper
May 2017
1 question across 1 paper
November 2016
1 question across 1 paper
May 2016
1 question across 1 paper
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Frequently asked questions
Short answers about this page.
Which Design Technology HL exam sessions are covered for 9.3 Beyond usability?
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 16 papers in this archive.
Which 9.3 Beyond usability topic comes up most?
The four pleasures (9.3.1): in 36% of papers, last seen May 26 P2 TZ1. Usually "Explain", worth about 2.8 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.
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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.
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What each Design Technology HL paper tests across all its sittings: the marks by unit and the micro-topics it keeps coming back to.
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