MYP Design challenges students to solve authentic problems by working through the design cycle: inquiring and analysing, developing ideas, creating the solution, and evaluating. Rather than exams, students build a design folder that documents each stage, assessed against four criteria (A–D), each out of 8.
The main areas of study in MYP Design. On CritABCD you can filter practice questions by any of these.
Explain and justify the need for a solution, research the problem, and analyse existing products.
Write a design specification, generate and present feasible ideas, and produce planning drawings.
Plan and make the solution with technical skill, following the plan and justifying any changes.
Design tests, evaluate the solution against the specification, and explain improvements and impact.
MYP Design uses four criteria, each out of 8: A Inquiring and analysing, B Developing ideas, C Creating the solution, and D Evaluating — together forming the design cycle.
Design is project-based. Instead of exams, students submit a design folder documenting each stage of the design cycle, marked against the four criteria and mapped to a final MYP grade from 1 to 7.
The design cycle is the process at the heart of MYP Design: inquire and analyse the problem, develop ideas, create the solution, then evaluate it — mirrored by criteria A, B, C and D.
This overview is written by CritABCD for study and revision. The official MYP Design guide is published by the International Baccalaureate.