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IB Design Technology HL Drilling Guide: Papers 1-2, the Design Project, Pacing and a 12-Week Plan
TUTORZONE EXAM DRILL GUIDE · IB DESIGN TECHNOLOGY HL
IB Design Technology HL is three components: Paper 1 multiple choice (1 h 30, 25%), Paper 2 short answer and extended response (2 h 30, 45%) and the design project (report up to 3,500 words, 30%). Method only – drill order across the three, how to train life cycle analysis and calculations, a 12-week timetable, pacing, the usual mark losses and the error log. For questions and answers use the mock paper linked below.
How is IB Design Technology HL assessed, and what does each part carry?
Paper 1 (multiple choice): Officially 1 h 30; 10 questions (20 marks) in this paper (25%); Paper 2 (short answer and extended response): Officially 2 h 30; 5 questions (30 marks) in this paper (45%); Design project (internal assessment): Individual design project, report up to 3,500 words (33 marks) (30%)
Assessment at a glance (2027)
| Component | Content | Weighting | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (multiple choice) | Officially 1 h 30; 10 questions (20 marks) in this paper | 25% | 1 h 30 min |
| Paper 2 (short answer and extended response) | Officially 2 h 30; 5 questions (30 marks) in this paper | 45% | 2 h 30 min |
| Design project (internal assessment) | Individual design project, report up to 3,500 words (33 marks) | 30% | 50 h |
Both HL papers are longer: ten multiple-choice items in 1 h 30 (about four minutes each, with structural and electronic calculations), then Paper 2 with 60 minutes of short answer and 90 minutes of extended response. Life cycle answers must state their assumptions and the crossover point.
What each paper is actually testing
| Paper | Drill focus | How marks are lost |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (multiple choice) | structural, mechanical and electronic systems plus life cycle analysis | Multiple choice answered from impression, with no structural or electronic working on paper; the HL strands on materials and manufacturing processes skipped altogether |
| Paper 2 (short answer and extended response) | calculations and case judgement on the HL strands | Short answers give the definition with no product and no data behind it; the extended response lists faults with no comparison, judgement or reason, and never closes with a conclusion |
| Design project (internal assessment) | same five criteria at both levels; only the weighting differs | Building the model before writing the specification, with no mapping to the five criteria; half the 3,500 words describe the context, leaving no room for evaluation and improvement |
What is each IB Design Technology HL paper really testing, and what should you drill?
Paper 1 (multiple choice): structural, mechanical and electronic systems plus life cycle analysis; Paper 2 (short answer and extended response): calculations and case judgement on the HL strands; Design project (internal assessment): same five criteria at both levels; only the weighting differs
Drill order: by topic, then by year, then the mark scheme
| Step | What you do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. By topic | Work through each topic, starting with the paper that allows least help (no calculator / closed book) | Exposes what is genuinely not understood |
| 2. By year | Whole papers to time, one or two a week | Trains pace, stamina and question selection |
| 3. Mark scheme | Go through the marking scheme question by question and log the scoring steps you missed | Most lost marks are written wrong, not thought wrong |
Should drilling go by topic first or by year?
By topic first, then whole papers by year, then the mark scheme. The first third of the time goes topic by topic (8-10 years of the same topic back to back), the middle switches to timed whole papers, and the last fortnight only redoes the recurring errors from your log.
A 12-week drilling timetable
| Week | Phase | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-3 | By topic: foundation | Topic by topic, starting with the easiest marks, building habits and recall |
| Weeks 4-6 | By topic: core | 8-10 years of the same topic back to back, errors classified by topic |
| Weeks 7-8 | By topic: advanced and electives | Elective and higher-order topics, now under time pressure |
| Weeks 9-10 | By year: timed papers | One full paper a week, timed, no reference materials |
| Week 11 | Mark scheme work | Question by question against the marking scheme; list the scoring steps you omitted |
| Week 12 | Plug holes and simulate | Only the recurring errors from your log, then one full exam simulation |
Subject-specific weighting for this timetable: Twelve weeks run two tracks. Written track: weeks 1-4 drill by topic (structures, mechanisms, electronics, then materials and life cycle), with one 10-question Paper 1 timed at 40 minutes each week; weeks 5-8 move to Paper 2, two short answers (12 minutes each) plus one extended response (45 minutes) a week, the extended answer always opening with the judgement and then the reasons; weeks 9-12 are timed whole papers (Paper 1 in 90 minutes, Paper 2 in 150, no break between) plus the recurring error types. Project track: submit evidence for one criterion a fortnight from week 1 and have the report final by week 10, so it never collides with the timed papers.
Use it properly: this is not a checklist to finish. Every week must keep time for redoing errors, or from week 9 you will be repeating the same batch.
Pacing
| Paper | Time | Suggested split |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (multiple choice) | 1 h 30 min | about 4 min per question, including the HL strands |
| Paper 2 (short answer and extended response) | 2 h 30 min | 60 min short answer, 90 min extended response |
| Design project (internal assessment) | 50 h | staged over two years; lower weighting, same criteria |
How should the time be split inside each IB Design Technology HL paper?
Paper 1 (multiple choice): about 4 min per question, including the HL strands; Paper 2 (short answer and extended response): 60 min short answer, 90 min extended response; Design project (internal assessment): staged over two years; lower weighting, same criteria
The drilling mistakes that cost the most marks
| Mistake | What it looks like | What actually happens | Instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixing up the SL and HL weightings | Quoting SL 20/40/40 as HL 25/45/30 | Study time is allocated to the wrong component and the design project is underweighted | Write your own level’s three numbers down first: SL 20/40/40, HL 25/45/30 |
| Terms memorised but not applied | Knowing what a life cycle analysis is, never having seen one run on real data | Paper 2 is built on a product; a bare definition earns nothing | Attach one real product and one set of numbers to every concept |
| Extended answers that only describe | Listing a product’s faults with no comparison, judgement or reason | The judgement marks in the extended items are all lost | Every paragraph needs a because and a closing conclusion |
| Calculations with no units or steps | Writing 40.9 with no mA, skipping the formula and substitution | Method and unit marks go together | Formula, substitution, units, then the answer |
The error log and the mark scheme
Three columns, never copied-out questions: data (is there a real product and a set of numbers behind the claim), judgement (does the extended answer carry a because-therefore and a closing conclusion), working (formula, substitution and units in the calculation). Calculations get their own line: formula, values substituted, units, answer; a missing item counts as an error. Three entries in one column in a week means drilling only that column next week.
How many years should you drill?
IB does not publish Design Technology past papers; only a small number of specimen papers and mark information are released, so by-year drilling has little mileage. Use the specimens to learn the question distribution and the mark language of Papers 1 and 2, fill the volume with original mock papers, and self-assess the design project criterion by criterion, keeping evidence for each. Drill against the current topic list and skip any old item that does not map onto it.
How many years of past papers is enough?
IB does not publish Design Technology past papers; only a small number of specimen papers and mark information are released, so by-year drilling has little mileage. Use the specimens to learn the question distribution and the mark language of Papers 1 and 2, fill the volume with original mock papers, and self-assess the design project criterion by criterion, keeping evidence for each. Drill against the current topic list and skip any old item that does not map onto it.
Frequently asked questions
Is this page a mock paper or a drilling guide?
This is the IB Design Technology HL drilling guide: assessment structure, drill order, a 12-week timetable, pacing, common mark losses and the error-log method. For questions with answers, use the IB Design Technology HL mock papers linked under Related.
By topic or by year first?
By topic. Eight to ten years of the same topic back to back is what exposes repeating errors; going straight to whole papers just repeats the same batch under time pressure.
How should the error log be written?
Do not copy out questions. Per error record four things: question reference, which step failed (concept, wording, calculation), what the mark scheme requires, and the correct action next time.
How should the SL and HL weightings be remembered?
Two separate sets: SL is 20/40/40 and HL is 25/45/30 (Paper 1, Paper 2, design project). The HL project weighs less but is judged on the same five criteria, so do not allocate HL study time on the SL split.
Four minutes a question on Paper 1 – what do I do with the calculations?
Clear the recognition items first and leave the calculations for the last 15 minutes. Write the formula before reading the numbers; if a question is not done in 90 seconds, put the formula and substitution down and move on. Multiple choice awards no method marks, but a stuck calculation wrecks the pace of the paper.
Official references
| Resource | What to use it for |
|---|---|
| IBO design technology subject brief (first assessment 2027) | Check the paper times, weightings and the five design-project criteria |
| IB design technology course updates (IBO) | Confirm that Paper 3 is gone, that the criteria are common to SL and HL, and the word limit |
Related: IB Design Technology SL mock · IB Digital Society Paper 1 mock · practice area
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