Private IB Design Technology Tutors

Core Topics (SL & HL):

• 1. Human factors and ergonomics – Anthropometrics; Psychological factors; Physiological factors
• 2. Resource management and sustainable production – Resources and reserves; Waste mitigation strategies; Energy utilization, storage and distribution; Clean technology; Green design; Eco-design
• 3. Modelling – Conceptual modelling; Graphical modelling; Physical modelling; Computer-aided design (CAD); Rapid prototyping
• 4. Final production – Properties of materials (metals, timber, glass, plastics, textiles, composites); Scales of production; Manufacturing processes; Production systems; Robots in automated production
• 5. Innovation and design – Invention vs innovation; Strategies for innovation; Stakeholders; Product life cycle; Rogers’ characteristics of innovation and consumers; Marketing specifications
• 6. Classic design – Characteristics of classic design; Relationship between form and function

Additional Higher Level Topics (HL only):

• 7. User-centred design (UCD): Usability; Strategies for user research and UCD; Designing for pleasure and emotion
• 8. Sustainability: Sustainable development; Consumption; Design; Innovation
• 9. Innovation and markets: Corporate strategies; Market sectors and segments; Marketing mix; Market research; Branding
• 10. Commercial production: Just-in-time vs just-in-case; Lean production; Computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM); Quality management; Economic viability

Students complete one individual design project guided by the design cycle.

• SL: ~40 hours; assessed against four common criteria (A–D):
  1. Analysis of a design opportunity
  2. Conceptual design
  3. Development of a detailed design
  4. Testing and evaluation
• HL: ~60 hours; assessed against the same four criteria plus two HL-only criteria (E–F):
  5. Detailed development of a commercial product
  6. Making choices for commercial production

Throughout the project, students identify and investigate a real-world problem, develop a brief and specification, generate and develop design ideas, build and test prototypes, and evaluate their solution against criteria and constraints. Work is internally assessed by teachers and externally moderated by the IB

• Paper 1 (SL & HL) – Multiple-choice questions covering all core material (SL: 30 questions; HL: 40 questions including the HL extensions); tests assessment objectives 1 & 2; calculators are not permitted; no penalty for incorrect answers.
• Paper 2 (SL & HL) – Section A: one data-based question plus several short-answer questions on the core material (30 marks); Section B: one extended-response question on the core material (choice of three, 20 marks); tests assessment objectives 1, 2 & 3; calculators are permitted; common paper for SL and HL.
• Paper 3 (HL only) – Section A: two compulsory structured questions on the HL extension material (2 × 10 marks); Section B: one structured question on a case study drawn from the HL extensions (20 marks); tests assessment objectives 1, 2 & 3; calculators are permitted