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IB Design Technology Tutoring

Online IB Design Technology tutoring for HL and SL with verified tutors who scored 40+ IB points. Help with the new course examined from May 2027: Paper 1, Paper 2 and the 50-hour redesign project.

IB Design Technology has a new course for everyone sitting exams from May 2027. Paper 3 has gone, the syllabus is organised into three themes (design in theory, design in practice and design in context), and the design project now starts from redesigning an existing product for its intended users. Your tutor helps with Paper 1 multiple choice, Paper 2 short and extended answers, the HL-only content on systems and production, and what every criterion of the design project rewards. The previous course's last exams are in November 2026, and tutors cover that session too; from May 2027 everyone sits the new course. Sessions are online, at SL or HL.

Quick answer: IB Doctor offers 1-to-1 IB Design Technology tutoring for course content, each assessment component and coursework. Lessons follow the syllabus and assessment criteria, and the work stays your own. Review tutor verification, student results and methodology before booking.
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40+ point tutors
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Design Technology tutoring prices

From £52.50 to £70 per hour, depending on bundle size. Each bundle covers one subject.

  • Taster Bundle
    3 hours
    £210
    £70 per hour
  • Starter Bundle
    5 hours
    £330
    £66 per hour
  • Coursework Bundle
    10 hours
    £650
    £65 per hour
  • Assessment Bundle
    20 hours
    £1,250
    £62.50 per hour
  • Guardian Bundle
    50 hours
    £2,900
    £58 per hour
  • Ultimate Bundle
    100 hours
    £5,250
    £52.50 per hour
See full bundle details

What You Get with IB Design Technology Tutoring

Comprehensive support designed to help you achieve your target grade

Paper 1 and Paper 2 Technique

  • Paper 1: multiple-choice questions across all three themes, with the wrong options explained
  • Paper 2: short-answer and extended-response questions set in real design contexts
  • Precise design vocabulary, clear annotated sketches and justified material choices
  • Timed practice for the longer HL papers: Paper 1 is 1 h 30 min and Paper 2 is 2 h 30 min

Design Project (IA)

  • Choosing an existing product to redesign and researching its intended users
  • Turning that research into a clear brief and measurable requirements
  • Ideation, modelling and a physical fidelity model you can actually test
  • All five criteria explained with example projects, within the 3,500-word limit, while the work stays your own

Concept Building

  • Design in theory: ergonomics, user-centred research methods, materials and their properties
  • Design in practice: user-centred design, the IB design process, modelling and prototyping
  • Design in context: the designer's responsibility, inclusive design, sustainability, the circular economy
  • HL-only content: structural, mechanical and electronic systems, manufacturing and production
Real student results

Students Improving Their Design Technology Grades

4 → 7
"My tutor helped me completely restructure my IA. The feedback on my design development and evaluation sections was exactly what I needed."
M

Mia C.

Design Technology HL, May 2024

3 → 6
"I didn't understand how to approach Paper 2 essays. My tutor taught me how to analyse design scenarios and use technical vocabulary properly."
L

Luca D.

Design Technology SL, May 2024

5 → 7
"The HL Paper 3 design challenge seemed impossible until my tutor showed me a structured approach. Got a 7!"
N

Nina W.

Design Technology HL, Nov 2023

How It Works

Simple steps to get started with IB Design Technology tutoring

1

Buy a Bundle

Choose 3 to 100 hours based on your needs. Split across subjects if needed.

2

Complete Onboarding

Tell us your course and level, weak areas, goals, and scheduling preferences.

3

Get Matched & Start

Matched within 24 hours. Schedule your first session immediately.

First Session Guarantee

Not satisfied? Contact us within 24 hours. We'll address concerns, offer a rematch, or provide a full refund.

Design Technology HL vs SL: What's the Difference?

Understanding the requirements at each level

SL
HL
Teaching Hours
150 hours (90 syllabus + 60 practical programme)
240 hours (180 syllabus + 60 practical programme)
Syllabus
Shared topics across themes A, B and C
All SL topics plus HL-only topics on systems, life cycle analysis and production
Paper 1 (multiple choice)
1 hour, 20%
1 hour 30 min, 25%
Paper 2
1 hour 30 min, 40%
2 hours 30 min, 45%
Design Project (IA)
40%, 50 hours, 33 marks
Same project, criteria and marks, 30%
Paper 3
None
Removed from May 2027 (HL only in the previous course)

IB Design Technology Topics We Cover

The new guide (first teaching August 2025, first assessment May 2027) organises the content into three themes, design in theory, design in practice and design in context, each studied through people, process, product and production. SL studies 90 hours of syllabus content and HL 180, with HL-only topics on systems, life cycle analysis and production. Both levels spend 50 hours on the design project and 10 on the collaborative sciences project.

A. Design in Theory

  • A1.1 Ergonomics
  • A2.1 User-centred research methods and A2.2 Prototyping techniques
  • A3.1 Material classification and properties
  • HL only: A3.2 to A3.4 structural, mechanical and electronic systems, A4.1 Manufacturing techniques

B. Design in Practice

  • B1.1 User-centred design
  • B2.1 The IB DP design process and B2.2 Modelling and prototyping
  • B3.1 Material selection
  • HL only: B3.2 to B3.4 systems application and selection, B4.1 Production systems

C. Design in Context

  • C1.1 Responsibility of the designer and C1.2 Inclusive design
  • C2.1 Design for sustainability and C2.2 Design for a circular economy
  • C3.1 Product analysis and evaluation
  • HL only: C1.3 Beyond usability, C3.2 Life cycle analysis, C4.1 Design for manufacture strategies

Teaching Hours by Theme

  • A. Design in theory (SL 33 h, HL 71 h)
  • B. Design in practice (SL 44 h, HL 77 h)
  • C. Design in context (SL 13 h, HL 32 h)
  • Practical programme: design project 50 h, collaborative sciences project 10 h

Design Project Criteria (2027 onwards)

  • A. Empathize (9 marks)
  • B. Defining the project (6 marks)
  • C. Ideation and modelling (6 marks)
  • D. Designing a solution and E. Presenting a solution (6 marks each)

Previous Course (last exams November 2026)

  • Core: human factors, resource management, modelling, raw material to final product, innovation, classic design
  • HL: user-centred design, sustainability, innovation and markets, commercial production
  • HL Paper 3: structured questions on HL material, one based on a case study
  • Design project worth 40% at SL and HL
Assessment breakdown

IB Design Technology Assessment Structure

From May 2027, IB Design Technology is assessed through Paper 1 (multiple-choice questions), Paper 2 (short-answer and extended-response questions) and the design project (IA). At SL the weightings are 20%, 40% and 40%; at HL they are 25%, 45% and 30%. Paper 3 and the optional topics in Paper 2 were removed. Candidates on the previous course, whose last exams are in November 2026, sit Paper 1 and Paper 2, plus Paper 3 at HL, with a design project worth 40%.

Paper 1

External Assessment
SL: 20%
HL: 25%

Multiple-choice questions on the syllabus.

SL: 1 hour | HL: 1 hour 30 min
Multiple-choice questions
SL: shared content | HL: shared and HL-only content

Paper 2

External Assessment
SL: 40%
HL: 45%

Short-answer and extended-response questions that combine skills, concepts and understanding in a design technology context.

SL: 1 hour 30 min | HL: 2 hours 30 min
Short-answer and extended-response questions; no optional topics
SL: shared content | HL: shared and HL-only content

Design Project (IA)

Internal Assessment
SL: 40%
HL: 30%

Identify, analyse, evaluate and redesign an existing product to meet the needs of its intended users, following a design thinking process and building a physical fidelity model for testing. Projects can come from any field of design, such as product design, robotics, textiles, architecture or food.

Five criteria: Empathize 9, Defining the project 6, Ideation and modelling 6, Designing a solution 6, Presenting a solution 6 (33 marks); up to 3,500 words
50 hours; the same project, criteria and marks at SL and HL

Key Assessment Notes

  • These components apply to exams from May 2027 onwards
  • Previous course, last examined in November 2026: SL Paper 1 (45 min, 30%), Paper 2 (1 h 30 min, 30%) and a design project (40%, about 40 hours); HL Paper 1 (1 h, 20%), Paper 2 (1 h 30 min, 20%), Paper 3 (1 h 30 min, 20%) and a design project (40%, about 60 hours)
  • For the new design project the IB suggests about 35 pages in total and gives each criterion a recommended share of the 3,500 words
  • Accurate subject-specific vocabulary is rewarded across all of the design project criteria
  • The collaborative sciences project (10 hours) is a required part of the course but is not assessed
IB Design Technology grade distribution and average gradeHow students actually scored in the latest IB results: the share of each grade, HL vs SL, and how many got a 7.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about IB Design Technology tutoring

Yes. Tutors teach the new course, first taught in August 2025 and first examined in May 2027. It has three themes, design in theory, design in practice and design in context, two exam papers and a 50-hour design project built around redesigning an existing product. If you sit the previous course in November 2026, its last session, with Paper 3 at HL, your tutor can cover that structure instead.

Paper 3 and the optional topics in Paper 2 were removed, and the weightings changed: SL is now 20% Paper 1, 40% Paper 2 and 40% design project, HL is 25%, 45% and 30%. The design project starts from redesigning an existing product for its intended users, needs a physical fidelity model, can come from any field of design and is marked out of 33 on five criteria.

Yes. HL spends 180 hours on syllabus content against 90 at SL. The HL-only topics cover structural, mechanical and electronic systems, manufacturing techniques, production systems, beyond usability, life cycle analysis and design for manufacture strategies. HL papers are longer, 1 hour 30 minutes for Paper 1 and 2 hours 30 minutes for Paper 2, so tutors combine content work with timed practice.

Yes. For the new project, your tutor can help you test whether a product is worth redesigning and explain each criterion, from user research (Empathize, 9 marks) to the brief and requirements, ideation and modelling, a detailed solution and its presentation, practising each skill on example products. Each of the last four criteria is worth 6 marks. For the previous course, tutors explain criteria A to D, plus the commercial production criteria at HL. The project stays yours, and feedback on your draft comes from your teacher.

Not necessarily. What matters is communicating design ideas clearly, and that can be done with quick annotated sketches, CAD, photos of models and labelled diagrams. The new design project states image requirements for some criteria, so clear visuals do count. A tutor teaches you, with practice sketches, which type of image suits each stage and how to annotate it so the reasoning is obvious.

HL covers twice as much syllabus content and has longer papers. In May 2026, under the previous course, the mean grade was 4.6 at HL and 4.1 at SL, according to the IB provisional statistical bulletin. Different students choose each level, so pick the one that fits your strengths and plans. The first results for the new course will come in May 2027.

In May 2026, 3.4% of HL candidates and 0.3% of SL candidates received a 7, according to the IB provisional statistical bulletin. The mean grade was 4.6 at HL (2,159 candidates) and 4.1 at SL (1,966 candidates). In May 2025, 4.4% of HL and 0.9% of SL candidates scored a 7. Both sessions used the previous course.

Yes. Most students are matched with a tutor within 24 hours, so you can start quickly. Close to the exam, sessions focus on timed Paper 1 and Paper 2 practice, the topics where you lose the most marks, and precise answers that use design vocabulary correctly. Your tutor helps you decide what to prioritise in the time you have left.

Every tutor scored 40 or more IB points and is verified. All sessions are online, so you can work with a tutor wherever you study. You are matched with a tutor for your level, HL or SL, and most students are matched within 24 hours, so you can book your first session straight away.

We offer a first session guarantee. If you're not satisfied after your first session, we'll rematch you with a different tutor or give you a full refund.

Recommended Guides

Design Technology IA Guide: 2026 and 2027

Which design project model applies to you, with the criteria for each.

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How to Structure Your IA

A clear framework for internal assessments across subjects.

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How to Use Past Papers Effectively

A step-by-step method for IB past paper practice.

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What Does Evaluate Mean?

How to answer evaluate questions in Paper 2 and the design project.

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