How to write a TOK Essay? Well to answer that you must familiarise yourself with what a TOK Essay is really about.
Here are the things you will learn after reading this article:
(Feel free to skip to the topic of your interest by clicking on the hyperlink ;))
-
Purpose of TOK
-
Assessment of TOK
-
The GamePlan
-
Execution of the GamePlan
-
Planning for TOK essay
-
Sample TOK Questions
-
-
Structure of TOK essay
-
Introduction
-
Body
-
Conclusion
-
Bibliography
-
Before you start reading this article, Amanda has some awesome TOK tips for you!
Theory of Knowledge is one of the most meta subjects that IB offers. Despite its complexity, TOK helps in providing a base for holistic learning and allows students to have a multidisciplinary experience.
To understand TOK is to understand the essence of IB; a task which most people consider to be unattainable.
But not for you! Thank your lucky stars which made you land on NailIB. How exactly will NailIB help you, well, to nail International Baccalaureate is something that we will talk about later. For now, let us focus on cracking your TOK essay, shall we?
TOK demonstrates the ways in which students can apply their knowledge with greater awareness and credibility.
Big words, huh?
Now that we know that Theory of Knowledge is something we cannot just slide through, let’s understand how can we conquer this battle all guns blazing.
1. Purpose of TOK
TOK essay’s primary objective is to answer the why behind our studies. It makes one aware of the real-life implications of their subjects. The students gain greater awareness of their personal and ideological assumptions and appreciate the diversity of different perspectives. All in all, it helps the students find their unique perception which is a prerequisite for excelling in IB TOK essay.
Before we dive into our gameplan, let’s overview the rules of the game.
There are two assessment tasks in the TOK: an essay and a presentation. While a presentation encourages students to explore a real-life situation through the lens of TOK, an essay is written on the basis of the various questions provided by the International Baccalaureate Organisation.
- The presentation is to assess a student’s ability to apply TOK thinking to a real-life situation whereas IB TOK essay is more conceptual.
- The essay is externally assessed by IB and must be on any one of the prescribed TOK essay titles issued by the IB for each examination session.
- Word limit of a TOK essay is 1600 words (excludes extended notes, footnotes, bibliography).
Now that we have unleashed the game, let’s move ahead towards the gameplan of acing both, your presentation and your essay.
One of the fundamental tasks of TOK is to examine different areas of knowledge and find out their similarities and differences.
The TOK essay requires the students to investigate two Areas of Knowledge (AOK) and two Ways of Knowing (WOK). AOKs and WOKs are investigated via questions such as:
1) How do we know what we know? (WOK)
2) What counts as evidence for X? (AOK)
3) How do we judge which is the best model of Y? (WOK)
4) What does theory Z mean in the real world? (AOK + WOK)
The aforementioned are Knowledge Questions which help combine the Areas of Knowledge and the Ways of Knowing that they are using. This eliminates the superficial way of learning and makes an individual sensitive to the nature of the information. Our acquisition of Knowledge can be broadly divided into Shared Knowledge and Personal Knowledge.
TOK Basics Snapshot
Shared knowledge: What WE know
It is the product of more than one individual. Although individuals contribute to it, shared knowledge does not solely depend upon the contributions of a particular individual—there are possibilities for others to check and amend individual contributions and add to the body of knowledge that already exists.
Personal knowledge: What I know
It is essentially dependent on the experiences of a particular individual. Also known as procedural knowledge, it is gained through experience, practice and personal involvement and is intimately bound up with the particular local circumstances of the individual such as biography, interests, values, and so on.
4. Execution of the Gameplan
The best hack to ace TOK essay is to develop a habit of making connections between the construction of knowledge, its acquisition and its relevance in the real world.
After that one needs to develop an interest in understanding the difference between diversity and cultural perspectives and personal assumptions.
One also needs to critically reflect on their own beliefs and assumptions, leading to more thoughtful, responsible and purposeful lives.
Yes, this is what you signed up for. It may sound a little intimidating but once you get the hang of it you will be able to see the matrix and understand this beautiful world a little better.
5. Planning For TOK Essay
Understand that to provide the best version of your writing, it will take you more than one or two drafts. First and foremost, you need to pick your essay topic diligently. Try to choose an essay topic that best interests you. The topic should also allow you to explore the Areas of Knowledge towards which you are naturally inclined. Here are a few sample questions:
a) ‘Ways of knowing are a check on our instinctive judgments.’ To what extend do you agree with this statement?
b) With reference to two areas of knowledge discuss the way in which shared knowledge can shape their personal knowledge.
c) How can we know if knowledge is produced more through ‘Passive Observation’ or ‘Active-Experiment’ within the Human and Natural-sciences under a Mathematical-Perspective?
d) «The whole point of knowledge is to produce both meaning and purpose in our personal lives». Assess the validity of this statement.
Great things take time. It took me more than a couple of weeks to finalize this TOK essay guide. It is completely okay if the first few drafts may not look pleasing or award-winning to you. You will require sharpening your perspective towards the topic each time you polish your draft. Your writing journey from a dull draft to a masterpiece will be a whole process that you will have to be patient with. Have faith in yourself and proceed stepwise.
You need to consider the opinions of others who have devoted hours of research and a lifetime of dedicated studying the topic that surrounds your writing. Unravelling the realms of your mind palace is so Sherlock but let’s not deny the fact that at times, Watson is the one whose expertise helps Sherlock through pretty difficult times. I mean even Batman needs a Robin. In support of my awesome sauce examples, the point I am trying to make is that finding support for our claims and counterclaims through research is a good thing.
Use real-life examples to support your claims and counterclaims. These examples need to be documented researched examples like studies, experiments, articles, presentations by well-known people, etc. Examples that stem from your diploma subjects are highly encouraged, but those will need to be supported by research as well.
It is suggested that you choose a title, stick to it, tackle it and not be afraid. Do not change your mind unless there is a good reason. Also, try choosing Areas of knowledge that you truly enjoy. You know slaying a known devil is much easier than an unknown one. Allot a TIMELINE to your essay. Start with creating an outline of your essay. This will help you to track your progress and accomplish your goals
You can use tools like Trello to organize your ideas and plan your TOK essay.
TOK Basics Snapshot
Areas of Knowledge (AOKs): TOK distinguishes between eight areas of knowledge. They are mathematics, the natural sciences, the human sciences, the arts, history, ethics, religious knowledge systems, and indigenous knowledge systems. It is suggested that students study and explore six of these eight.
Ways of knowing (WOKs): TOK identifies eight specific WOKs- language, sense perception, emotion, reason, imagination, faith, intuition, and memory. It is suggested that studying four of these eight in-depth would be appropriate. WOKs underlie the methodology of the areas of knowledge and provide a basis for personal knowledge.
6. Structure of TOK essay
Moving ahead, let us discuss the structure of your TOK essay.
Your essay will consist of 4 broad segregations:
- Introduction
- Body
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
Before breaking down further on the pillars, keep the following in mind:
- Please note what the TOK essay title is asking you. (Read it a couple of times. We highly recommend that you brainstorm ideas with your TOK coordinator)
- Make sure you understand the command term and the question it is asking.
- What kind of knowledge is being elicited?
- When choosing your areas of knowledge (AoK) and ways of knowing (WoK) make sure that you are able to draw contrasts and comparisons, that is, you are able to find evidence that supports as well as challenges your claims.
- Identify key terms in your TOK essay title. Make sure you define them. Your essay will gravitate around them. Key terms/words in your titles are your essay anchors. Your response should be built around them.
- Your writing skills come in handy while you work on your IB TOK essay. Like any other essay make sure you have proper thesis statements and topic sentences to guide the evaluator through your work.
- Respect the TOK essay title. Rephrasing the topic is not encouraged. Your main job is to address the title.
Introduce your topic accurately and state your thesis statement for the essay carefully. A thesis statement is like a teaser to your entire essay wherein you define your key terms and introduce your interpretation of the question. Make sure that you do not reword the prescribed title in your thesis. Instead, it needs to, as the word says, INTRODUCE your readers to what your essay is about. A strong introduction allows the reader to deduce what knowledge question(s) you are trying to answer.
So, in a nutshell:
- Write interesting things about the given TOK essay title.
- Define key terms
- Narrow in on the particularly interesting aspect
- State your thesis statement. This will be your short answer to your given title if you don’t know how to write a killer thesis statement check out this blog from SparkNotes.
- State your Roadmap. This will help the readers in understanding the direction of your essay.
The body can be mainly divided into 3 segments.
Body (1st Segment):
- AoK Claim: Here you investigate your first Area of Knowledge and draw parallels between your AoK and the question. This is done by stating your claim. Claims can be general in nature and need not reference a particular area of knowledge. They help you shape your essay and investigate the question further.
- Evidence: Example of a real-life situation, describe thoroughly and accurately, which supports your stated claim. (AoK)
- Counter-Claim: State your counter-claim: like claims, those can be general and need not reference a particular area of knowledge. Counterclaim helps you show the other side the coin and gives your essay a holistic nature.
- Evidence: A referenced real-life situation/example. Describe thoroughly and accurately, show how this supports your counterclaim (AoK ).
- Don’t forget to weave in your WoKs: You need to take into account the source of your knowledge. Here you can also investigate if your nature of acquiring the knowledge has, in any way, affected it. It is good practice to question if your knowledge would be different had it been acquired through a different source/method
- Mini-conclusion: Here you analyze your examples in reference to your claims and counterclaims. You must connect to your thesis statement and the prescribed title. How does your proposed argument, in this particular part of the body, connect to the prescribed title and the knowledge questions you are trying to answer?
Body (2): Follow the above process for your second AOK.
Body (3):
- Use this part of your essay to compare and contrast your varying AoKs. You need to connect them to your thesis and your prescribed title clearly showing how your arguments respond to the PT.
Your conclusion section will make your essay come together. It is the glue that will make your essay stick together. Herein, you need to
- Reiterate your thesis (initial response).
- Use your mini conclusions to write a final conclusion.
- Tell the reader what the significance is for knowing what we know in this particular PT.
- Discuss implications as well.
- Offer another perspective, how will the perspective of a different person affect the claims/counterclaims you make in the essay?
- Don’t forget to make the end strong.
We recommend all the ib students use the citation machine (It’s FREE) to organize or generate a bibliography for your TOK essay. Please go through this extensive guide provided by the IB before you start working on your citations.
—-
If you are still struggling heaps with your TOK essay feel free to subscribe to our tok notes bundles or get access to more than 500+ IBDP notes and past papers here.
Nail IB is your virtual companion that helps you hustle through your diploma and provide you with the right resources at the right time. To know more about acing IB, click here.
I hope this article will become the foundation for figuring out how to write a TOK Essay.
Remember to have faith in yourself.
I hope you NAIL your TOK essay!
—-
Quoting the great Napolean Hill
«Whatever the mind of a man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.»
—-
Since TOK essay is one of the most important papers you should hand in during your IB, many students are curious about the TOK essay word count in the years 2022/2023. In this article, I will give you the exact TOK essay length together with the outline. Let’s ready to know how many words are in each part of the ToK essay.
The Theory of Knowledge is one of the parts of the IB that allows for great learning to happen. Students can have a multidisciplinary experience while also learning to analyze things in great detail. The main purpose of a TOK essay is to help students understand the ‘why’ behind things and provide analytical arguments for and against things in the best way.
IB TOK essay word count for the years 2023/2024
TOK essay constitutes 67% of your final great. You have a prescribed set of November 22 TOK essay titles as well as May 2023 TOK essay topics to choose from. You need to pick one and then write an essay on that. The TOK essay word count is 1600. You need to make sure that you make all of your arguments in this given word count in the best possible way.
Please note that 1600 words limit is only counted in the body section of the TOK essay. It has nothing to deal with TK PPD or TOK essay PPF word limits as they have their own criteria.
To write your TOK essay, you first need to choose a title to which you can do justice. This is not that hard to do because you just need to choose something you can easily work with. Once you have chosen your title, you need to start by jotting down your ideas so that you can begin working on them. Next, you need to choose your areas of knowledge. You can choose from arts, history, human sciences, mathematics, and natural sciences. You must be careful when choosing these since you will have to make claims for and against the examples you give here.
In a TOK essay, you need to follow the courtroom analogy. Like checking with several concepts in CUEGIS essay, in TOK it is almost as if you are providing two sides to an argument in front of a judge who is there to make a decision for you. once you are done with that, you need to conclude your argument by giving one final verdict on it. Make sure to select AOKs and WOKs before start writing your paper. And the other super important part is to select a great suitable RLS – real-life situation. So, you must put your point across and defend your argument by giving claims for and against what you are talking about.
The TOK Essay Structure
There are a total of four sections for your TOK. This part will give you an overview of what you have to include in these four sections and an overview of the word count here.
Introduction
This section should be around 100 to 150 words.
You must start by saying something interesting about the topic in the section. Remember that this is the part where you really have to hook the examiner so that they continue reading what you are writing. So make sure that you write something very impactful. You have to set the tone for the entire essay here. So you must first describe the key terms in the title. Once you do that, you can further work towards uncovering those and basing your entire essay on that. Then you also need to shed light on the different areas of knowledge that you will be using here. This way, the reader will know everything you are talking about here.
First Development
In this section, you should write around 600 words, divided into two paragraphs.
You will be exploring the first area of knowledge here. So you need first to state your claim and then give an example that helps explain your claim clearly. Then you need to further work towards providing a counterclaim, and then you give an example for that as well. This way, you explore the first area of knowledge in great detail, allowing the reader to understand what you are saying fully. You also need to highlight the way of knowing that you have used for this argument of yours. This can be anything like reasoning, faith, sense perception, and so on.
Second Development
Again, you need to break this up into two paragraphs, and you have to focus on writing a total of 600 words here.
Then in this section, you have to move on to the second area of knowledge. You have to do the same thing you did in the previous part here, except that this time you will have another area of knowledge you are exploring. You also need to pick another way of knowing that helps the reader understand how you came to this conclusion. Towards the end of this part, you need to sum up your argument to make the reader understand your point of view much better.
Conclusion
This needs to sum up to around 200 words.
This is the part where you near the end of the essay. Here, you need to talk about your final conclusion. Not just that, but you also need to talk about the different implications of this. You also need to shed light on how this research that you have done is important. This way, you will be able to explain your point of view in a much better way. You could also add in an unresolved question here that can help give greater insight into your essay. So this way, you can finally conclude the essay from this standpoint.
Useful Tips for TOK essay
Many students find the TOK essay very challenging since it follows a very different format. Here are a few tips that can help you understand this and approach it better.
- Choose a topic that you are very comfortable with. That way, you will be able to provide your arguments much better.
- Choose your ways of knowing and your areas of knowledge very wisely. Remember that you have to give examples about these, so make sure that you do justice to them.
- Put aside personal biases so that you can easily work on this in the best way.
- Do not forget about the main TOK concepts before writing your first draft.
- First, make an outline and then follow through with that outline so that you can understand this clearly and so that you also have material to write on.
- Use varied research methods to come up with useful examples for your essay.
- Do not forget about the TOK essay submission deadline. Time management is the key.
- Familiarize yourself with the TOK terminology first to be able to write something great.
- Last but not least, be prepared to get an A in TOK essay, because you deserved it, my friend 😉
With these few tips in mind, you are sure to be able to write a good TOK essay!
Do not forget that you can always opt to buy a ToK essay using our company’s services. We have a team of expert IB writers who can cover almost any type of IB TOK essay you throw at us.
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.
The essay on the prescribed title must be between 1,200 and 1,600 words in length. Extended notes or appendices are not appropriate to a TOK essay and may not be read. The word count includes: The main part of the essay • Any quotations.
Does the Tok essay have to be 1600 words?
The maximum length of the essay is 1,600 words. Extended notes, extensive footnotes or appendices are not appropriate to a TOK essay and may not be read.
How long can the Tok essay be?
Theory of knowledge (TOK) is assessed through an oral presentation and a 1,600 word essay. It asks students to reflect on the nature of knowledge, and on how we know what we claim to know. TOK is part of the International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) core, and is mandatory for all students.
How many sources are needed for the Tok essay?
My strategy (even if I thought it was common knowledge) was to choose two sources for every example and in the end it equals about 8 overall, which is good enough for the ToK essay. good enough for the ToK essay.
How do I write a TOK essay?
The step-by-step method
- First, write your introduction, using 150-200 words.
- Next write your first development. 2 paragraphs totalling 600 words.
- Now, write another two body paragraphs, looking at your second AOK. Use the same approach you saw in paragraphs 2 and 3.
- Finally, write your ‘conclusion’.
Does the Tok essay matter?
Your TOK essay counts for most of the marks. It it is worth 67% of your final TOK grade. You will get the choice between a set of prescribed essay titles.
How do you write a TOK essay in one day?
How to Write a TOK Essay: Understanding the Structure and Requirements for a Killer Copy
- Understand the Prescribed Titles.
- Choose Your Title Carefully.
- Understand the Grading Criteria.
- Read the Essay’s Instructions Carefully.
- Brainstorming Ideas around the Title of the Essay.
- Identify the Knowledge Issue in the Essay Title.
What is an AOK in ToK?
An AOK is a system of relationships between its key concepts. Different building blocks build quite different AOKs and produce different ways of thinking about the world. For example: in music the central concepts might be melody, rhythm, harmony, tension, relaxation, texture and color.
Can you say I in the TOK essay?
The TOK essay is a personal essay. Yes, you can use the word “I”, but you do not have to. As a matter of fact, this may even be useful if you give personal examples.
How long does it take to write a TOK essay?
You’ll write your TOK essay on one of six prescribed titles, which are released at the beginning of DP2, and have approximately 6 months to complete it. Below we outline the practical details of the essay.
What are some examples of TOK essay titles?
You can also find examples of TOK essay titles and read about how the IB sets deadlines for TOK. You may also be interested in the other components of the DP core: creativity, activity, service (CAS) and the extended essay.
What should be included in the PPF for TOK essay?
The PPF (‘Planning and Progress Form’) is the document that you fill in to outline your discussions during the three essay . Although this is not directly assessed, it is an important part of demonstrating that you have approached the TOK essay in the right way. We discuss what should be included in the PPF on.
How are assertions evaluated in a TOK essay?
Every assertion is effectively evaluated giving a proper place to authority, experience, the search of truth, among other relevant TOK issues. The student definitely acknowledges the implications drawn in each of the examples.
We wrote this guide to help you learn how to write a good TOK essay even if it’s going to be your first time.
In fact, with the help of the information shared in this post, you can write a great theory of knowledge essay in just one night, and without trying so hard.
It’s important to understand that a TOK essay will require you to compare and contrast the different ways of knowing through reason, language, and perception with different areas of knowledge.
This essay normally covers eight areas of knowledge, which you should already be familiar with by now.
How to Write a TOK Essay
There are two ways to write a TOK essay in one night:
You can get help from Help for Assessment .
Help for Assessment are experts in IB TOK Essay and can help you score a minimum of 7.
Or, you can read this complete, step-by-step guide to learn how to write a Theory of Knowledge essay yourself.
1. Understand the Prescribed Titles
Does it demand shared or personal knowledge?
These essays are comparative in nature. Therefore, when selecting your AOK and ways of knowing, it’s important that you can comfortably draw the comparisons and contrasts.
Note whether the prescribed title asks you to tackle two disciplines or areas of knowledge.
Except for History and Math, you need to be extremely clear about the discipline of AOK you have chosen. As for the title, take some time to unpack it. This means defining the keywords, understanding what the title asks, and then coming up with a response.
2. Choose Your Title Carefully
The topic you choose should contain an AOK that you are familiar with or one you have a lot of interest in to say the least.
But you shouldn’t just grab a topic because it appears simple or appealing. Instead, you need to read each title on the list carefully and ask yourself many questions:
Read the title carefully and note any concepts or words you aren’t sure about.
3. Rewrite the Title in Your Own Words
Theory of knowledge titles will seem complex when you read them for the first time. You will even struggle to understand the terms and concepts in the title.
You may even be unsure of what you need to compare and contrast in the title. But you can Y rephrase the title and then break it down into even two sentences to make it clearer.
Breaking it down into shorter sentences enables you to have a clearer picture of what is being asked in the title as well as how you may proceed about how to answer the title sufficiently.
4. Understand the Grading Criteria
The IB assesses your essay on four criteria that each carries equal weight. It’s recommended to have a copy of these grading criteria and stick to them while writing your essay. The four areas of assessment are as follows:
- Understanding knowledge issues: You need to make sure that your essay focuses on the knowledge issues, shows relevance between a minimum of two knowledge issues, links and compares at least 2 knowledge issues, and shows a sophisticated comprehension of knowledge issues.
- Knower’s perspective: You need to show that you have independent thinking ability, at least two different perspectives, several supporting examples, and self-awareness.
- Analyzing knowledge issues: It’s important that you demonstrate the insight and depth, present counter-arguments and arguments, justify your key points, and explore any implications and assumptions of your topic.
- Organization of ideas: You need to have a well-structured essay, be factually accurate, explain key concepts, and where applicable, cite references.
5. Read the Essay’s Instructions Carefully
Take note of the keywords contained in the essay instructions. The question might ask you to “evaluate” or “assess” a claim. This simply means that you need to consider for the title and against it.
You will also need to factor in any grey areas or ambiguities linked to the title.
Here are two examples worth looking at:
- If a question asks of “in what way” or “to what extent” a statement is justified, it requires that you provide arguments for and against the statement.
- Where the question asks you for a direct question, your essay needs to address in what ways or the extent to which you support or don’t support a position or an argument.
6. Brainstorming Ideas around the Title of the Essay
Don’t just dive straight into creating your outline. Rather, take a few minutes to brainstorm.
By its very nature, the TOK essay is reflective. This means that you need to show demonstrable proof that you have carefully thought about the title and are sufficiently prepared to analyze and reflect on the title.
To start, do a general brainstorming. Note down all you can think about when you see the title.
After around 5 minutes of brainstorming, go over the notes you wrote down. Pick the ideas that are related to each other or those that contradict each other.
If you are assessing or evaluating a claim in the title, have two columns, one for and the other against that title. Put the ideas into either of the columns. Create another third column where you will write ambiguities or grey areas, and then put ideas into that column.
Identify any examples of the ideas you jotted down.
7. Identify the Knowledge Issue in the Essay Title
This might be a question or even an issue about how you understand yourself and the world in relation to the quest for knowledge.
A knowledge issue in the title of an essay often relates to one or two of the eight AOK and tends to examine the possible conflicts or problems in these AOKs or between them.
8. Create Your TOK Essay Outline
From your brainstorming and the AOK you chose, you should be able to create an outline. The outline is your roadmap and contains the structure of your essay. An outline might contain 5 paragraphs, which are more often than not as follows:
- Paragraph 1: This is the introduction. It should contain explanations and interpretations of the title. Also, this is where you state your thesis and identify a knowledge issue related to the title.
- Paragraph 2: This should contain the first AOK. For instance, if it is Mathematics, explain how it answers the question in the title and offer supporting examples. Also, note any counter-arguments or limitations of the examples to support your claim.
- Paragraph 3: Here, you should talk about the second AOK. Discuss how the subject answers the title as well as supporting examples. Similarly, write down any limitations of the examples and counter-arguments about the title.
- Paragraph 4: This contains the third area of knowledge, where applicable.
- Paragraph 5: This should be the conclusion paragraph. It summarizes your main ideas and also restates your thesis.
To conclude, answer the title completely while taking into account all the limitations and counter-arguments against the areas of knowledge.
9. Craft a Thesis Statement
Go over the essay title once more, and also your essay outline and brainstorming notes before creating your thesis statement.
Remember, the thesis statement is the main claim you want to make in the essay. It should link everything in the essay.
You can write your thesis statement after you are done writing the first draft. At this time, you probably have a better idea of the key arguments in the essay, which enables you to write a clear and concise thesis statement.
10. Write Your Essay
Your essay outline will be key to your writing as you can use it as a guide. Just expand each part of your outline, while noting that the word limit will have to be anywhere between 1200-1600 words.
Refer to your brainstorming notes to find the supporting examples for the two areas of knowledge that you chose. Also, your main arguments and counter-arguments are in your brainstorming notes.
If you don’t the time to write your TOK essay first, we at Help for Assessment can help you conceptualize the project and get it done within the shortest time possible. Click here to order a TOK essay, and we’ll write it for you within 24 hours.
11. Don’t Use Dictionary Definitions in the Essay
You should demonstrate to the TOK assessment committee that yours is a reflective essay, not one filled with textbook definitions.
Avoid relying too much on textbook definitions to support a counter-argument or prove your argument. This way, you will demonstrate to the assessment committee that you didn’t engage with the topic and circumvented the topic’s complexities in favor of dictionary definitions.
12. Cite Your Sources
When writing a TOK essay, you will need to cite all your sources using the MLA style citations.
This is a no-brainer and therefore should be as straightforward as you can possibly imagine.
13. Read Your Essay Out Loud
Knowing how to write a perfect essay is one thing. But you can’t be confident that your work is up to the standard unless you read it from the beginning, again. And sometimes you may have to read it even aloud.
Reading your essay out aloud enables you to gauge how clear and precise your language is. It also helps you to confirm that your arguments have been properly supported and structured accordingly.
Your writing needs to have a natural rhyme to it and a flow from one part to the next.
14. Proofread Your Work
You don’t want to undo your effort by handing in work that’s full of silly grammatical or spelling mistakes. It’s advisable to take a break before proofreading. This gives you a fresh mind and eyes to go over it.
If possible, get someone to read it for you to make sure there are no obvious mistakes.
Conclusion
The TOK is often assessed through a 1200-1600-word essay and an oral presentation. The essay asks you to reflect on the nature of knowledge, as well as how you know what you claim to know. It is usually a part of the International Baccalaureate Diploma and is compulsory for all students.
Every TOK essay is different. To pass your essay, you will need to prepare thoroughly. Treat it as you would any type of research and take some time to create an outline and write your thesis statement. After writing, make sure you cite your work properly and proofread it.
Not sure whether to order from Help for Assessment? Check out our samples.
About the author
Antony W
Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.