Design Project (Internal Assessment)
HL · Criteria A–F
HL students complete everything SL students do (Criteria A–D), plus two extra sections on commercial production. The IA is worth 30% of your HL grade (exams are 70%).
SL vs HL project
SL (A–D)
- 4 criteria
- ~38 pages · ~3,000 words
- 40% of grade
- Prototype + testing focus
HL (A–F)
- 6 criteria (A–D + E–F)
- More pages and words than SL
- 30% of grade
- Prototype + commercial product plan
Confirm exact limits with your teacher. HL adds depth on how your design could be manufactured at scale.
Criteria A–D (same foundation as SL)
Master these first. Full detail is in the SL design project guide. Summary:
A Analysis of a design opportunity
Real problem → design brief → justified, testable specification (use ACCESS FM).
B Conceptual design
Range of ideas, concept modelling, justified selection for development.
C Development of a detailed design
Materials and processes justified; drawings and manufacture plan for a third party.
D Testing and evaluation
Testing strategy, evidence-based evaluation against specification, proposed improvements.
HL extension — Criteria E & F
These connect your prototype to Topics 9–10 (markets and commercial production). Think: “If a company made 1,000 of these, what would change?”
E Detailed development of a commercial product
- Adapt your design for a commercially viable production process (not one-off workshop making).
- Present the commercial version comprehensively — drawings, specs, branding context if relevant.
- Provide an accurate design proposal detailed enough for a third party to manufacture at scale.
F Making choices for commercial production
- Justify materials and components suited to mass or batch production (cost, supply, consistency).
- Justify scale and volume of production based on research (market size, demand, niche vs mass market).
- Justify manufacturing techniques (e.g. injection moulding, CNC, JIT/lean choices) appropriate for commercial runs.
How E & F link to your syllabus
| Topic | Use in E / F |
|---|
| 9 · Innovation and markets | Target market, 4 Ps, branding, market research for volume decisions |
| 10 · Commercial production | JIT/JIC, lean production, CIM, quality control, economic viability |
| 8 · Sustainability | Material choices, lifecycle, eco-design at scale |
Review HL topics while writing E and F — examiners expect syllabus vocabulary and justified choices.
Prototype vs commercial product
- Prototype (A–D): Proof of concept — often handmade, small batch, or outsourced one-off. Used for testing.
- Commercial product (E–F): Production-ready design — tolerances, tooling, batch size, unit cost, supply chain.
- Changes between prototype and commercial version must be explained and justified (e.g. swap hand-cut timber for extruded aluminium for consistency).
Strong design requirements (A & D)
HL projects still depend on clear, testable requirements. Weak: “durable.” Strong: “Withstands 50 drop tests from 1 m onto concrete without functional failure.”
Use ACCESS FM (Aesthetics, Cost, Customer, Environment, Safety, Size, Function, Material). Every requirement should trace back to research and be used again in D.
Iteration at HL
Document iteration in A–D as usual. For E–F, also show how commercial constraints changed the design:
- Prototype used 3D-printed parts → commercial version uses injection moulding
- Custom size for one user → standardised sizes for market segments
- Expensive prototype material → cost-effective bulk material with same function
Suggested timeline (HL)
- Year 12 Term 1–2 Topics 1–4; start IA research and specification.
- Year 12 Term 3 Topics 5–6; concepts, modelling, detailed design; mocks.
- Summer / Year 13 Term 1 Build prototype; testing (D); HL topics 7–8.
- Year 13 Term 2 Topic 9 (markets) — draft E; continue IA.
- Year 13 Term 3 Topic 10 (production) — complete F; final report; exam revision.
Document from day one. HL has less spare time in Year 13 — finish prototype testing early so E and F can use real data from your project, not generic examples.
Checklist before you submit
- A–D complete with the same quality expected at SL
- E shows a clear commercial product, not a copy-paste of the prototype
- F cites research for volume, materials, and manufacturing method
- Syllabus terms from Topics 9–10 used correctly and justified
- All requirements tested in D; commercial changes explained in E–F