tok essay titles 2023 may

May 2023 TOK Essay Prompts + SAMPLES and Suggestions

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• Writing Metier

Every year, students anxiously wait for the IB to announce the TOK essay topics. So this year is not an exception; IBO has also announced 2023 May titles for IB TOK essay. The TOK essay can be quite a challenging one to write for most students. Therefore it’s extremely important to select a TOK essay topic that suits you better.

UPD! November 2024 TOK essay prompts released!

Most students struggle with the idea of writing a TOK essay since it can indeed be very tough owing to its different structure. Most students plan for days on end so that they can see just the proper structure in mind, with suitable examples so that they can give their best to what they are doing.

Btw… ⏩ We can write a ToK essay for you ⏪

To be able to score well, you need to plan accordingly. The idea is to make sure to do a great job and that can only happen when you know what exactly is expected of you and how you get through that. To better understand the TOK essay and have ample considerations, here is the list of TOK essay titles for May 2023 explained by professional IB writers.

You can get a few ideas from here about how you’re supposed to work on these. With these ideas, you are sure to do a sound job with your TOK essay . Furthermore, you will find links for 2 different May 2023 TOK essay samples that were written by our IB experts. Feel free to use them for inspiration.

TOK essay titles and questions for May 2023

Below you will find an updated list of TOK essay prompts for the May 2023. We have also added some suggestions from our expert TOK essay writers for your ease. Enjoy reading 😉

Is replicability necessary in the production of knowledge? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.

In this essay, it is important to focus on the world’s replicability. Next, the distinction between necessary and sufficient requirements need to be made. After that, the focus should be on how objectivity is related to replicability. You can give examples of several experiments that have been done and whether or not they have been replicated.

In line with your thought process, you can further work towards explaining that in further detail and making your point much clearer this way. Based on the examples you give, you can also talk about the different ways of knowing, which can help you explain this in a much better way, in line with the requirements of IB.

For artists and natural scientists, which is more important: what can be explained or what cannot be explained? Discuss with reference to the arts and the natural sciences.

With this title, you can see that there are two areas of knowledge already given. This means that you don’t have a free hand to choose topics yourself. You essentially have to differentiate between what can be explained and what cannot. Some things are easier to explain, whereas others aren’t. Using examples from art and natural sciences, you can offer your explanation here.

The examples you choose need to be as such that it makes it much easier for you to make that distinction. Once you do that, select your ways of knowing as well so that you can comply with the IB requirements .

Does it matter if our acquisition of knowledge happens in “bubbles” where some information and voices are excluded? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.

In this essay, the main focus is on bubbles. The idea is to explore what bubbles mean in this context. We can see that “bubbles” here refers to knowledge that is subjective in all ways. The idea is to explore whether or not knowledge can be subjective in all ways or whether it can be objective as well. This is important to understand in all contexts first. Subjective and objective knowledge can be explored using different areas of knowledge.

However, the areas of knowledge should be selected based on the fact that it should be very easy to make that switch and understand how these two differ in context. Additionally, you can also shed light on what is required to share another person’s perspective on the situation. It is only once you know you can make that distinction as clear as ever.

Do you agree that it is “astonishing that so little knowledge can give us so much power” (Bertrand Russell)? Discuss with reference to the natural sciences and one other area of knowledge.

In this essay, the main focus has to be on this quote given. The idea is to see how knowledge can give us power. We have always heard how knowledge can make us powerful. Here, the idea is to see how that can happen using several different examples.

One area of knowledge is already given. The other area of knowledge is up to your choice. So based on that, you need to choose examples that will help you understand this better. You can talk about how these two areas of knowledge have allowed us to make the most of our lives, which is how we have become so powerful.

Below you will find a May 2023 TOK essay sample completed by our IB experts at WritingMetier.com

Are visual representations always helpful in the communication of knowledge? Discuss with reference to the human sciences and mathematics.

Here, the main focus needs to be on visual representation and how they represent the truth in most situations. The idea is to see what these visual representations are and how they allow for the communication of knowledge to happen in the best way possible. You also have to make the distinction between practical and theoretical knowledge here.

As you can see, two areas of knowledge are already given here: human sciences and mathematics. So you have to make use of these only and use relevant examples to explain this.

To what extent is the knowledge we produce determined by the methodologies we use? Discuss with reference to history and one other area of knowledge.

The main keyword here that you need to focus on is methodologies. You have to speak about what methodologies are and how they allow you to understand things in the best possible way. You need to use history as one area of knowledge, and you can choose the other area of knowledge yourself.

The idea is to help you understand this in the best way possible so that you can make a clear point about how the methodologies employed helped you get to this conclusion.

And again, sharing an example of an APA format IB TOK essay on title #6 that can be used as a guide. Yes, it’s also written by one of our expert IB TOK writers, and if you want, you can get assistance from these writers no matter the urgency of your task.

If you might have missed some of the previous TOK essay titles with samples or topics for previous years, below I’m sharing the links.

The year 2022:

• November 2022 TOK essay prompts
• May 2022 ToK essay titles

Previous years’ prompts:

• November 2021 ToK Essay titles
• May 2021 Theory of Knowledge essay prompts

Choose IB TOK essay topic wisely, my friend 😉

With these suggestions and explanations for each May 2023 TOK essay topic, you can write a good TOK essay!  If you are facing tough deadlines and want someone to lend you a hand – WritingMetier.com is here to help.

You can always buy a custom TOK essay that will be written under your instructions and following one of the May 2023 prompts. Not forgetting about the latest changes in the IB criteria.

We can guarantee this because we have been in the IB writing services business for 4+ years now and have already completed hundreds of different IB papers. Order your essay now and get a 5% discount.

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Vasyl Kafidoff is a co-founder and CEO at WritingMetier. He is interested in education and how modern technology makes it more accessible. He wants to bring awareness about new learning possibilities as an educational specialist. When Vasy is not working, he’s found behind a drum kit.

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May 2023 TOK Essay Prescribed Titles Explained with Examples

What happened to this post? HackIB has been acquired by MyIBTutor . All content is now available on the MyIBTutor Blog with more exciting IB content to come! Click here to see it for yourself!

The TOK Essay prescribed titles for the May 2023 session has been released. The six prescribed titles are:

Is replicability necessary in the production of knowledge? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.

For artists and natural scientists, which is more important: what can be explained or what cannot be explained? Discuss with reference to the arts and the natural sciences.

Does it matter if our acquisition of knowledge happens in “bubbles” where some information and voices are excluded? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.

Do you agree that it is “astonishing that so little knowledge can give us so much power” (Bertrand Russell)? Discuss with reference to the natural sciences and one other area of knowledge.

Are visual representations always helpful in the communication of knowledge? Discuss with reference to the human sciences and mathematics.

To what extent is the knowledge we produce determined by the methodologies we use? Discuss with reference to history and one other area of knowledge.

Some general thoughts before I go on to elaborate on each of the prompts:

• Prompts 2 to 4 require some work in interpreting the title correctly. I would advise that weaker TOK students choose one of the other, more straightforward titles if you are not willing to put in the time to put some thought into the title itself.
• Prompts 2 and 5 have both AOKs prescribed and I think the pairings given promote excellent discussion. While some might be put off by Prompt 5, I think it is one of the most interesting prompts this session, and especially in the world of big data and data visualisation, the importance of understanding the role of visual representations in our lives is paramount.
• The other prompts are relatively straightforward. From the exhibition task, students should be familiar with the theme of “Knowledge and the Knower” which most prompts can relate to. This means students can apply their understanding from the exhibition to the essay as well.
• As is the case with TOK Essays in the past, the broadness of many of these prompts mean it is very important for students to suitably and precisely define their understanding of the TOK concepts. With many prompts featuring at least one and more often, two concepts, that require students to carefully consider before selecting examples.

First, consider the key concepts that are introduced in the prompt. Replicability and necessary are the key concepts here and students should come up with a suitably narrow definition for this that you can keep referring back to in your essay. The trap for students is to take very black-and-white stances when answering the prompt. A good way to show a depth of understanding and lucidity is to approach it as a degree of necessity and not a binary decision. Finally, you must focus on the production of knowledge. Many students often tangentially refer to the sharing of knowledge or transfer of knowledge, but this prompt is concerned with the initial stages when knowledge becomes knowledge. Thus, it should be focused on the methodologies that are used to do so and provides ample opportunities to refer to the knowledge framework, particularly under “Methods and Tools”. Theses tips are all outlined in my how to plan a TOK Essay article.

The prompt doesn’t prescribe any specific AOKs but a likely entry point for students would be the Natural Sciences. As you may have already learned, the scientific method does place heavy emphasis on the replicability of results.

Perhaps the greatest characteristic of the Natural Sciences is the ability to make observations, devise experiments and have these experiments inform the creation or falsification of knowledge. This is not the case with other Areas of Knowledge and provides a prominent point of contrast with other AOKs. The methodology of knowledge production in the Sciences (Natural and Human) fundamentally revolves around replicability through experimentation. However, other areas of knowledge such as the Arts may not value the qualities of similarity and replicability quite to the same extent. For some, like History, having alternative perspectives and thus a lack of sameness that would be suggested by replicability could even be preferred. Therefore, the importance of replicability can be approached by examining the methodologies in which each AOK produces and verifies knowledge.

It is likely expected that students who attempt this prompt will have the Natural Sciences as one of their AOKs. So, it is even more important that you choose examples that are unique and facilitates an original, convincing argument. You can check if your examples are original by reading my list of overused examples that you should avoid.

On a related note, AOKs should be selected to promote comparison as is implied by the prompt. Thus, make sure that you select your AOKs with the ability to list pros and cons, similarities and differences in the methods in which they produce knowledge. By listing them out and selecting the ones which relate to replicability will ensure you address the requirements of the prompt and avoid being overly generic. Good pairings are generally intuitively found based on students’ understanding of the subjects they have studied during their time in the IB. AOKs such as Natural Sciences and Mathematics contrast well with History or the Arts. Human Sciences could also be considered but the limitations or possible advantages in the nuances of replicability compared to the Natural Sciences needs to be considered.

Overall, this is not an especially challenging prompt and shares overlaps with the Exhibition task which students already completed. You may already have an intuitive answer to the prompt. Examples can generally be found in each AOK when you consider unique discoveries or impactful products of each subject.

The prompt already prescribes the two AOKs you must consider and is overall a good one if you are indecisive. The two AOKs provides good contrast with respect to the approach to uncertainties in knowledge between disciplines. This prompt provides solid discussion with respect to the “Scope” of the knowledge framework, considering the unique issues or challenges faced by different AOKs and how they differ in setting clear boundaries and guidelines in addressing them. Alternatively, “perspectives” and “methods and tools” are good options as well.

Initially, the prompt can be tricky as there are some points of confusion. Firstly, this title asks for an evaluation of the importance between what can be and cannot be explained. So do not dwell on the importance of the explanation itself or how it is created but think about the merits of having or not having explanations. Secondly, the title is phrased from the perspective of ‘artists and natural scientists’ implying that students should focus on how producers of knowledge in these AOKs think about explanations, not how students themselves do.

The key concept in the prompt is explanation . Students must clearly define this concept and this will naturally lend itself to the discussion of the importance of knowing the presence of explanation or the lack thereof. Explanations can often give us certainty and so this concept of certainty can also be introduced to facilitate meaningful discussion. Discussion then, should be focused on how knowing or not knowing something in each AOK contributes to either how we produce, accept or share knowledge.

The points of contrast between the two AOKs is relatively subjective and you may have your own arguments between the two. One interpretation could be that the Arts live in ambiguity and that plays a big role in allowing the freedom to interpret produced knowledge while Natural Sciences is more black-and-white. So in the arts, it may be advantageous and thus more important to be able to understand what can be explained, while Natural Sciences pursue further knowledge by chasing what is not yet explained.

When you think of “bubbles”, what do you think about? There is a common saying of “living in your own bubble” that suggest the isolated way in which we surround ourselves with a false reality. This TOK prompt extends this concept of a bubble to the way we learn, and how we often acquire knowledge such that we filter out things that don’t ‘fit’ within our own ‘bubble’.

Having a read of this article and watching the below video gives you some insight around the idea of ‘bubbles’ and how it can limit your perspectives. Although it is related to the idea of social media, you can extrapolate this to how we learn and acquire knowledge in a range of AOKs and mediums.

The biggest challenge with this prompt is that learning in ‘bubbles’ is unlikely to be a concept you have engaged with before in the TOK course. However, broken down simply, it is essentially how we ignore certain perspectives to fit a sort of preconceived notion of what the knowledge we acquire ‘should look like’ in our minds. So the key concept in this prompt can be perspective . When defining this, make sure you link back to the idea of bubbles. A good way to start the essay is to briefly explain ‘bubbles’ and then introduce the concept. You can see how a 10/10 introduction effectively explains the key concepts in the title here . Ultimately, the goal is not to explain how this happens, but consider the implications this has on our understanding of the world.

You may already have some idea of examples that could fit with this idea of ‘bubbles’. From the prominent political divisions in America, pro and anti-vaccination camps to abortion debates, people tend to consume and thus, acquire knowledge that fit their own narratives while ignoring the merits of alternative perspectives. Of course, politics is not an AOK. However, they do lend themselves to discussions for example around the Natural Sciences. While anti-vaccination research is an overused example , the different health guidelines, vaccination requirements, and even the type of mask that best prevents infection has been debated heavily as our understanding of the virus evolved. It is easy for us to hold firm to a certain belief of pre-existing knowledge rather than accept new perspectives that come along as researchers produce new findings on the pandemic. Indeed, we see that many criticised the u-turns that governments made around the world to adapt to new research.

Other AOKs with more fluid methodologies such as Arts and History could provide interesting contrasts. Particularly, the concept of having different schools of thought in the Human Sciences and History could provide interesting points of discussion, as often different schools have radically different believes and ideologies and thus the knowledge produced in each can be contradictory.

Remember that you are not required to make a judgement on whether this approach to acquiring knowledge is good or bad, but rather comment on how significant this is to the process of knowledge acquisition. So, each argument you form must relate to significance.

The original quote that this prompt is inspired from is actually:

We know very little, and yet it is astonishing that we know so much, and still more astonishing that so little knowledge can give us so much power. Bertrand Russell

There are a couple of traps within this prompt. Remember that you are not critiquing or commenting on the quote itself or pointing out the flaws within it. Rather, you are giving a personal response to the prompt. This is supposed to be opinionated and you must specifically agree or disagree, or preferably, give a nuanced response that elaborates on the degree which you agree with the statement. In addition, students might already know about Russell and his believes. Do not let them colour your own TOK Essay. The IB is not interested in hearing about what you think about Russell’s ideologies but rather what you personally receive from the title.

The premise of the prompt is that we do not have a lot of knowledge in our respective AOKs. Do not debate this premise, but if needed, simply explain why this could be the case as a starting point to your essay.

Additionally, pay attention to the requirements of the prompt for you to debate whether we should be shocked or not by this. You are not debating whether little knowledge gives us much power. In fact, this is again, the premise of the essay.

It is intuitive that power is the key concept within this prompt. By defining this, you should have a good framework to approach the rest of the essay and discuss the shock value of how manifestations of power appear in each AOK.

The prompt prescribes the AOK of the Natural Sciences providing interesting discussion based on how power is achieved through produced knowledge rather than, say, an individual’s identity. In fact, it is probably useful to think about how someone or something is given power within the natural sciences compared to another AOK such as Arts or History. This will allow for the comparison of how ‘shocked’ we are by the influence of knowledge on power. In essence, while we always thought about power as being a determinant of knowledge, it is time to flip the script, and think about how knowledge can in turn provide us power.

Another very prescribed title that can be beneficial to those who are indecisive. It is interesting that the IB has chosen the two AOKs where you might not expect “visual representations” to be the most fundamental elements of knowledge within them. However, this provides for provocative discussion that prompts you to think about how things that we take for granted like diagrams and charts can aid or detract from knowledge communication.

Representation is a key concept here and communication of knowledge is the stage that you should be focused on. While communication of knowledge lends itself to enabling us to acquire knowledge, do not be tempted to go on a tangent about how visual representations help us to acquire knowledge or ‘learn’, because that would be beyond the prompt. However, a mention of the effects on communicating knowledge with respect to ease of learning can be made.

In the AOK of human sciences, there is a vast range of visual representations depending on the specific discipline. Students should consider the Group 3 subject they are studying and flick through their textbook for any notable visuals that really helped their learning. For example, as an Economics student, you may encounter the diagrams of your Supply and Demand models. This is a rudimentary example, but considering similar models and representations of such can lead to fruitful discussion especially when thinking about the alternatives of not using such mediums.

In Mathematics, students in HL benefit from a greater understanding of Topic 3 Geometry where the concept of Vectors, planes and lines intersecting provide interesting discussion as it would be hard to wrap your head around such a topic without visual representations. Complex numbers represented on an Argand diagram promotes discussion of when visual representations can allow us to understand the intangibles. For all mathematics students, functions and other graphical representations when applied to statistics, geometry and calculus can generate really interesting discussions when considering how we interpret said representations.

Overall, a quite interesting topic and my favourite out of the six. It may be a bit unconventional but does make many students realise how they have been influenced by the presence of visual representations in their learnings over the past couple years in the IB.

This prompt is, in my opinion, the most straightforward out of the 6. It reads as a simple knowledge question from the old TOK syllabus and directly hits at the syllabus points of the TOK course under the “Methods and Tools” segment of the knowledge framework. It is almost identical to the prompts given for the TOK exhibition, so students who did something similar for that assessment, should consider this prompt as well.

Students should focus their discussion on how each AOK has different methods in producing knowledge. The prompt does not require much interpretation or many definitions of concepts. To write this essay effectively, students should first revise the methodologies of each AOK, for example the historical method as explained in the below video.

The AOK of History is selected because it is perhaps the most obvious entry point to this prompt. You may already have some ideas about the subjectivity and biases that could be introduced in the historical method that colour the perspectives of knowledge that is produced. This is likely to be a common theme amongst TOK essays using this prompt. As such, it is even more important that you think deeply about this line of argument and use effective examples that tease out a specific instance which relates to how biases manifest and the implications it has on what knowledge is produced.

A contrast with an AOK that has a radically different methodology is beneficial. The Natural Sciences (and Human Sciences, to a lesser extent) or Mathematics provides interesting comparisons with, at first glance, methodologies that avoids the flaws of that of History. However, is it possible that these methodologies also carry disadvantages of their own? Is History necessarily producing ‘worse’ knowledge? Is there merits to the ambiguity of methods used in History or the Arts compared to the Sciences?

If you could answer some of these questions in your essay, you should be reasonably accomplished.

I hope this helped you in choosing your prescribed title, and gave you some ideas to kick start your TOK essay. You might want to start writing right away, but make sure you check out how to actually start your TOK essay , and plan your ideas before jumping in. After that, find out how to structure an effective TOK essay . Check out a whole range of other TOK resources here on Hack IB. You might find my series on deconstructing 10/10 scoring TOK Essays helpful as well!

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3 responses to “may 2023 tok essay prescribed titles explained with examples”.

[…] take a look at the prescribed title. Have you chosen one yet? For May 2023 titles, have a read of this article for ideas and inspiration if you haven’t chosen one […]

[…] out my other resources, especially how to write a 10/10 Introduction. For M23 candidates, check out my deconstruction of each prescribed title as […]

[…] Anytime that you are discussing something, you should be trying to use TOK terminology in the essay. You don’t need to be a full-blown philosopher, but you at least need to be able to use terms like interpretation, justification, perspectives, etc. It is not wrong to say that people’s “views” differ, but you could better demonstrate your TOK understanding by using words like “interpretation” or “perspectives” instead. Topics like “bias” and “subjectivity” or “objectivity” are really good words to pick up, rather than just saying that something is “unfair” or “given more attention”. I outlined the 12 TOK Concepts in my deconstruction of M23 Prescribed Titles. […]

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IB TOK Essay Titles

The International Baccalaureate Organization releases six TOK essay titles, twice a year for submission either in May or November. So you need to know which cohort you're submitting with. The essay titles for submission in May are released in the previous September. The essay titles for submission in November are released the previous March.

• November 2023 topics
• May 2023 topics
• November 2022 topics
• May 2022 topics
• November 2021 topics
• May 2021 topics
• November 2020 topics
• May 2020 topics
• November 2019 topics
• May 2019 topics
• November 2018 topics
• May 2018 topics
• November 2017 topics

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TOK ESSAY TITLE MAY 2023

Tok essay title 6, to what extent is the knowledge we produce determined by the methodologies we use discuss with reference to history and one other area of knowledge..

Title 6 of the May 2023 TOK essay prompt draws attention to the methods and tools used in the TOK knowledge framework.

The essay explores the extent to which the observations collected and evaluated through the use of methodologies impact the nature of newly produced knowledge. The focus lies on examining the influence of different methodologies on the contestability and accuracy of the knowledge produced.

In the field of history, primary sources may provide evidence for interpreting the past, raising questions about the reliability and biases associated with different historical methodologies.

Similarly, in the natural sciences, it is intriguing to investigate the nature of knowledge produced through empirical approaches, considering the role of experimentation, data collection, and analysis.

To excel in the May 2023 TOK essay and achieve a perfect score, it is advisable to start early and seek guidance from TOK experts throughout the essay writing process.

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TOK essay titles May 2023

The theory of knowledge in IB is an important component to secure an IB diploma. It is weighted at 66%…

Classes on Mutual CONVINIENT Time

The theory of knowledge in IB is an important component to secure an IB diploma. It is weighted at 66%. The TOK essay titles May 2023 will be released in September 2022. Students will choose 1 of the 6 prescribed tok essay titles.

The IB TOK essay titles May 2023 is an external component of the new TOK curriculum-TOK 2023. The formal external component of IB TOK essay of maximum 1600 word length, counts for 67% of the total TOK score. The purpose of IB TOK essay is to analyse how you, as an individual knower in the community of knowers, are able to investigate and evaluate an open ended contestable knowledge question prescribed in the title by linking it with the two defined or selected areas of knowledge (AOKs). While you explore one the IB TOK essay titles May 2023 out of the six officially prescribed IB TOK essay titles May 2023, you are supposed to analyse a knowledge question you choose relevant to the TOK essay title or prompt with respect to specific examples from the two AOKs you deal with, looking through the lens of multiple perspectives. 

Throughout the IB TOK essay discourse, you are supposed to take up certain structured steps which would scale you up to the highest mark band of the IB TOK essay assessment criteria. Starting from the identification of the problem of knowledge (POK) cued in the IB TOK essay title May 2023, explaining the key terms, exploring the implicit assumptions, threading a thesis statement in the form of a KQ relevant to the IB TOK essay title May 2023, contesting with your thesis statement through coherent claims and counter claims with specific examples from each of the two AOKs, to evaluating your argument linking the AOKs-you need to weave through the relevant TOK concepts out of the 12 prescribed TOK concepts.  Your conclusion or the summary of your argument should highlight on the real life implication. It’s quite obvious that all in the IB fraternity are excited to know what prompts the IB is going to come up with in the IB TOK essay titles May 2023.

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SEV7N IB TUITIONS IB & Cambridge Courses

Theory of knowledge

Theory of knowledge (TOK) is assessed through an exhibition 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.

Learn more about theory of knowledge . 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 .

Learn more about TOK in a DP workshop for teachers . 

DP subject briefs

Find out about what each subject offers within the Diploma Programme (DP).

Our DP subject briefs—for both standard and higher level—contain information about core requirements, aims and assessment.

• Explore the DP subject briefs

How To Write A ToK Essay - Updated 2023

Ace your ToK Essay with our expert tips & tricks! Get the latest and greatest techniques on "How To Write A ToK Essay" and impress the IB examiners.📝💡

Table of content

• Introduction

Purpose Of ToK

Assessment of tok, the game plan, execution of the gameplan, planning for tok essay, structure of tok essay, conclusions, bibliography.

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.

How to write a TOK Essay? 

To answer that, you must familiarise yourself with what a TOK Essay is about.

Before you start reading this article,  Amanda  has some excellent 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 that most people consider unattainable.

But not for you! 

Thank your lucky stars who made you land on Nail IB. How exactly will Nail IB help you? 

Well, nailing International Baccalaureate is something we will discuss later. 

Let's focus on cracking your TOK essay, shall we?

TOK demonstrates how students  can apply their knowledge  with  greater awareness  and  credibility .

Big words, huh? 

Now that we know that we cannot just slide through the Theory of Knowledge, let's understand how we can conquer this battle all guns blazing.

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. It helps the students find their unique perception, a prerequisite for excelling in the IB TOK essays.

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:

• How do we know what we know? (WOK)
• What counts as evidence for X? (AOK)
• How do we judge which is the best model of Y? (WOK)
• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Moving ahead, let us discuss the structure of your TOK essay.

Your essay will consist of 4 broad segregations

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.

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.

• 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."

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May 2023 TOK Essay Prescribed Titles + SAMPLES & Suggestions

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May 2023 TOK essay prescribed title #3 – key terms

Published by author on september 25, 2022 september 25, 2022.

Once you get the set of prescribed titles for your cohort, the first step is going through each one and analyzing the key terms.

3. Does it matter if our acquisition of knowledge happens in “bubbles” where some information and voices are excluded? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.

“ Does it matter ” – Make sure that your essay clearly answers this question.  Your investigation of different AOKs and different specific examples throughout your answer may lead to multiple answers to the question which is perfectly fine.  Your essay does not have to have one definitive answer to this question – in fact an essay that has one definitive answer to this question is likely flawed.

“ Acquisition of knowledge ” – This phrase shows up quite frequently in TOK essay prescribed titles.  (FYI another phrase that shows up often is “production of knowledge”).  Consider how knowledge is acquired in different AOKs and in different specific examples.

“ bubbles ” – Consider different ways that different AOKs can operate in “bubbles” and exclude “some information and voices.”  For example, some traditional arts may try and set up barriers to prevent the traditional art from changing.  This can act in a positive way and the knowledge of traditional art may be passed on relatively unchanged.  From a negative point of view though, a traditional art that sets up barriers may prevent it from evolving along with other aspects of culture and it may be viewed as stagnant and out of date.

In other examples, criminology (the human sciences) has been making more use of mathematics and statistics and has been trying to include more information and ideas.  More and more police forces are using mathematical / statistical models to learn more about crime to better prevent and solve crimes.

“ some information and voices are excluded ” – If you are considering May 2023 TOK Prescribed Titles #3 for your TOK essay may sure to examine a number of relevant specific examples that show how where “some information and voices are excluded.” You will need examples that show both that it matters and does not matter if the information and voices are excluded.

May 2023 TOK Prescribed Titles #3 and #1 are the only two where students have freedom to choose any two areas of knowledge.

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