Every International Baccalaureate (IB) student must write a Theory of Knowledge (TOK) essay as this is part of their program. The thought of this alone may cause some students to panic or fear because it is different from the regular essays and requires hard work. However, if you’re reading this, there’s no need to fear or panic. In this article, you will get a detailed TOK essay guide that will help you in getting a good score.
TOK Essay Introduction
As already introduced, a TOK essay is a mandatory one that IB students take to fulfil a part of their program. Also, this involves a presentation as well. The TOK mark scheme comprises 67% which is for the essay itself while 33% goes for the presentation. There is a standard TOK essay structure which you will find out as you read.
What Is the TOK Essay Minimum Word Count?
The standard TOK essay length is 1,600. For first-timers, this may seem like it’s too much and you may be wondering what you can write in 1,600 words. However, once you follow the guideline presented to you in this article, you will find out 1,600 may not even be enough. Also, this guideline will help you focus on the important things you should write about.
TOK Essay Guideline
To make it easier for you to write your essay, there must be a TOK essay format to follow. This format will help give a proper TOK essay structure to your essay.
TOK Essay Title Page
The first thing to do is pick a Prescribed Title (PT). Also, make sure that whatever PT you’re picking pushes you to think. Furthermore, try and scribble down any personal experience that you may have relating to this. This will help to boost your essay. In addition to this, you can make use of any of the eight Areas of Knowledge (AOK) that you know.
What Is Your Knowledge Question (KQ)?
A knowledge question is a question that you draw from your title. Ideally, your TOK essay questions should begin with: “To what extent…”. You should also use these questions to begin your introduction.
What Are Your WOK and AOK?
Your Way of Knowing should be at least one while your Area of Knowledge should be at least two. This is the standard. Selecting a WOK and two AOK relevant to your title will provide more than enough for you to explore.
TOK Essay Outline
The outline for your TOK basically consists of the introduction, body, and conclusion. Furthermore, the body of your TOK will be broken down into claims and counterclaims. Here’s what your introduction, body, and conclusion should look like:
- Introduction
Here you should state your question(s), which must be relevant to your chosen topic. Also, you should state your Areas of Knowledge and Way of Knowing. In addition to this, you should clearly define any term you have used. Ideally, the TOK essay word count for the introduction should be between 150 – 200 words.
- Body
Introducing the TOK essay may be easier for some students than writing the body. That is understandable. Still, writing your TOK essay body can become a very interesting thing for you to do if you follow our TOK essay guidelines. First of all, you can divide this into four paragraphs to help you. You can begin the first paragraph in the body of your essay with your claim or counterclaim. Next, you give an explanation for your claim or counterclaim so that the reader can understand. In addition to this, give an example to support it (preferably one from personal experience). After this, you should show why this example buttresses your claim or counterclaim.
The second paragraph should consist of a strong claim or counterclaim to your paragraph 1 argument. Also in this paragraph, you should give an explanation with an example, and show how this supports your stand.
In the third paragraph of your TOK essay body, focus on your second Area of Knowledge. Like the first and second paragraphs, you should give an explanation to support your claim or counterclaim. Also, give a real-life or personal example to support this. Lastly, show how all of them relate to each other.
In paragraph five, write about your claim or counterclaim to the one in paragraph four.
- Conclusion
Unlike regular conclusions that require one paragraph, the TOK essay requirements for the conclusion is ideally two paragraphs. In the first paragraph of your conclusion, give a clear explanation of what you have gleaned from your discussion in the body. Also, prove why you think this is significant and what implications exist. In the second paragraph of your conclusion, show what your essay has uncovered. However, do not bring your argument to a close. Rather, explain that it is still open for debate and that one or two questions still require answers.
This is the standard TOK format that will help you organize your thoughts.
TOK Essay Prompts
Here is a couple of TOK essay prompts and how you can answer them.
Prompt 1: “Labels are essential to human knowledge but they also affect our judgment.” Using two areas of knowledge, discuss your understanding of this statement.
To answer this, it’s best to focus on the AOK of Art. Using certain popular musicians as examples, you can explain how all of their songs are easily classified as hit music. Even when the songs have immoral or damaging lyrics, people still tend to accept them because of the musician that sang them.
Prompt 2: “Does knowledge always bring about change or action?” Using two areas of knowledge, discuss your understanding of this statement.
The first thing you should do here is defined knowledge. Next, give real-life examples of how people have done nothing with the knowledge they acquired.
Bottomline
Your TOK essay can be an exciting experience for you if you follow the rules. Yes, sometimes you may get prompts that look difficult on the surface. However, choosing the relevant AOKs and following the guidelines provided will help make your essay easier.
