Top essay writing tips
In this section, you will find some top tips for writing a TOK essay for the 2022 examination.
As this specification is new, this section of the website will evolve as more information becomes available.
As this specification is new, this section of the website will evolve as more information becomes available.
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General information about the essay:
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. These essay titles are all, in some way, related to the Areas of Knowledge. They will formulated as knowledge questions. Compared with the essay questions of the previous specification, essay questions can (and probably will) be more specific because all the AOKs are compulsory. In addition, essay questions may refer to the elements or aspects of the knowledge frameworks. To avoid possible disappointment, there are three very important things to keep in mind. Firstly, you should answer the question as it is. If you change the nature of the essay question or go off into your own direction, you risk losing a lot of marks. The examiner will assess the essay against the prescribed title. So, if you write something completely different, you may even get a 0. Regularly (and explicitly) bring your essay back to the essay question. Secondly, you should make sure that your essay is about "how we know". This means that you should not write lots of facts and information in the style of an answer to an exam question of an IB DP subject. You should also avoid writing an essay in the style of your EE. Your TOK essay is a reflective, analytical essay about how we know. Finally, you should write clearly. You may think you can impress the examiner with difficult words and complex grammar, because you feel that TOK is an intellectual subject. However, if what you write makes no sense, you won't get many marks. Re-read your work or ask a friend to see whether they understand what you mean.
What are
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How will your essay be assessed in practice?
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The examiners will give you a global mark for your essay. In this sense, please keep the main criterion in mind: "Does the student provide a clear, coherent and critical exploration of the essay title?" The best grades are awarded to students who maintain focus on the essay title and write a clear essay. In this sense, I recommend that you bring the essay regularly (and explicitly) back to the central question. The essay questions are based on the areas of knowledge. The areas of knowledge may somewhat overlap with the subjects you study at IBDP. This can be really beneficial. But, be careful! Many students really "get into" the chosen area of knowledge and give lengthy descriptions of (factual) knowledge from this area. However, this is not the focus of a TOK essay. A TOK essay is about how we know (instead of what we know): how we acquire, produce and pass on knowledge within these areas of knowledge. You should give examples to illustrate your points and these examples can come from subject lessons. Nevertheless, be careful that your essay does not become an essay you could submit for an exam in a subject lesson. If you are devoting too many words on the description of examples, for example, your essay will become descriptive rather than analytical. A descriptive essay, however interesting it may be, will score very low marks in TOK. The main focus is the reflection on knowledge rather than passing on knowledge.
As you can see from the mark scheme below, the best essays are coherent. This means that the examiner can follow what you are trying to say and that your argument flows well. In this sense, you should introduce your ideas well and structure your writing through connectives and paragraphs. More tips of how to structure your TOK essay can be found below. A main feature all very good TOK essays have in common, is that they include and analyse several perspectives. This makes the essay a lot more interesting. Your essay questions do not ask for a one sided answer, the whole point is that you can look at these questions from different angles. Please do this within your essay (and make it clear that you are doing this).
The icing on the cake of a very good essay is, arguably, the consideration of the implications of what you claim (or what the essay question invites you to consider). This is not always easy. Whenever you make a (mini-)conclusion, you should ask yourself the questions: "So what? What does this mean for (the quality, reliability etc of) knowledge in this particular area of knowledge? What does this imply for knowledge as a whole?
Because it is so important, I will repeat it once more: even if you manage to tackle all the elements required for top essays, but you have not answered the essay as it is, you won't get many points. Also, if you essay becomes unclear (however many possibly brilliant ideas could be hidden in them), the examiner will not be able to give you a high score, because incoherent arguments are meaningless. So, make sure that you understand what you are talking about and that others can understand what you are trying to say.
As you can see from the mark scheme below, the best essays are coherent. This means that the examiner can follow what you are trying to say and that your argument flows well. In this sense, you should introduce your ideas well and structure your writing through connectives and paragraphs. More tips of how to structure your TOK essay can be found below. A main feature all very good TOK essays have in common, is that they include and analyse several perspectives. This makes the essay a lot more interesting. Your essay questions do not ask for a one sided answer, the whole point is that you can look at these questions from different angles. Please do this within your essay (and make it clear that you are doing this).
The icing on the cake of a very good essay is, arguably, the consideration of the implications of what you claim (or what the essay question invites you to consider). This is not always easy. Whenever you make a (mini-)conclusion, you should ask yourself the questions: "So what? What does this mean for (the quality, reliability etc of) knowledge in this particular area of knowledge? What does this imply for knowledge as a whole?
Because it is so important, I will repeat it once more: even if you manage to tackle all the elements required for top essays, but you have not answered the essay as it is, you won't get many points. Also, if you essay becomes unclear (however many possibly brilliant ideas could be hidden in them), the examiner will not be able to give you a high score, because incoherent arguments are meaningless. So, make sure that you understand what you are talking about and that others can understand what you are trying to say.
Assessment Criteria
Acknowledgement: the markscheme is taken from the TOK Guide
How to structure your essay
In this section, you find some guidance on how to structure your TOK essay. A TOK essay is quite different from other essays you have written previously. Because of this, students find it difficult to get started with the process. Although there is no “magic formula” to write a TOK essay, the following broad structure can help you with the process. You can obviously change the order of some of these around. Remember that easy reading is the product of difficult writing. Apply the essay writing skills that you have learned over the years
IntroductionAround 200-250 words |
Main bodyPart 1: 500-600 words. Part 2: 500-600 words. |
ConclusionAround 200-250 words |
Below you will find a more detailed explanation of what is required by each section. Note that these are suggestions only. As such, there is no fixed structure for the TOK essay. However, by keeping a couple of these guidelines in mind, you will certainly impress the examiner. These tips are a blend of advice from previous examiner reports, clarifications from the teacher support materials, and years of experience of guiding students through their essay writing process.
The introduction
Ideally, you start the essay by grabbing the reader’s attention. But, don’t procrastinate over this or try to squeeze in quotes or sweeping statements about humankind simply because you think this is the done thing. If in doubt, leave it out. When students are "stuck" for inspiration, I always advise them to write the body of the introduction first. That jazzy quote or surprising anecdote can always be added later on. Creativity does not come so easily when under stress or in a classroom environment. Take a walk, have a shower, or, as my granny always said, "sleep on it."
So what should you put in our introduction? And how can you get started? Your introduction should contain a brief explanation of what the TOK essay question is all about, what it invites you to explore, and why it is such an important question. Although you should not give lengthy (dictionary) definitions of TOK concepts, it is a good idea to explore some tricky or contestable concepts that are mentioned in the question. You should also guide the reader why and how you will tackle these in the essay. On a related note, also consider and address these concepts (mentioned in the title question) throughout the essay.
The essay question is never straightforward and should invite you to explore several aspects, perspectives and claims. Make this clear in the introduction. Also avoid a one sided answer in the actual essay itself. In sum, you should ensure you cover all aspects of the essay question, both in the introduction and the actual essay itself.
Do not change the essay title in any way or use inappropriate synonyms of words and concepts of the essay question. By inappropriate synonyms, I mean words that don’t really mean the same thing. If you do this, you can potentially change the meaning of the essay question. By doing so, you may fail to address the actual question and lose lots of marks.
Be as clear as you can in your introduction. This is the first thing the examiner will read. First impressions are very important. In that respect, you should also make sure to clarify which areas of knowledge you will address and why. Use connectives and adverbs to explain the structure/direction of your essay.
Avoid adding knowledge questions to the introduction. This is something from the previous specification(s). On that note, be careful with essay writing advice you find on the web. Always check that it is for the current specification (first examination in 2022).
So what should you put in our introduction? And how can you get started? Your introduction should contain a brief explanation of what the TOK essay question is all about, what it invites you to explore, and why it is such an important question. Although you should not give lengthy (dictionary) definitions of TOK concepts, it is a good idea to explore some tricky or contestable concepts that are mentioned in the question. You should also guide the reader why and how you will tackle these in the essay. On a related note, also consider and address these concepts (mentioned in the title question) throughout the essay.
The essay question is never straightforward and should invite you to explore several aspects, perspectives and claims. Make this clear in the introduction. Also avoid a one sided answer in the actual essay itself. In sum, you should ensure you cover all aspects of the essay question, both in the introduction and the actual essay itself.
Do not change the essay title in any way or use inappropriate synonyms of words and concepts of the essay question. By inappropriate synonyms, I mean words that don’t really mean the same thing. If you do this, you can potentially change the meaning of the essay question. By doing so, you may fail to address the actual question and lose lots of marks.
Be as clear as you can in your introduction. This is the first thing the examiner will read. First impressions are very important. In that respect, you should also make sure to clarify which areas of knowledge you will address and why. Use connectives and adverbs to explain the structure/direction of your essay.
Avoid adding knowledge questions to the introduction. This is something from the previous specification(s). On that note, be careful with essay writing advice you find on the web. Always check that it is for the current specification (first examination in 2022).
Introduction: 30 second structure guide.
- Grab the reader’s attention.
- What is the essay question all about?
- What does the essay invite you to explore?
- What might the main concepts of the title question mean in the context if this TOK essay? (be nuanced here, avoid sweeping statements that are self-limiting).
- Why is the essay question so important?
- Which AOKs will you use and what direction will your essay take (brief outline)?
The main body
- The main assessment criterion is related to whether or not you address the question and maintain focus on that question. In that sense, you should always, and regularly bring your essay back to the central question. Better to do this too much than too little.
- You should also consider ALL the key terms and concepts of the question.
- Your essay should offer a balanced exploration of all the aspects of the question. Sometimes students spend a huge amount of time on just one AOK, or only part of the question. That is not good.
- As mentioned before, do not change the title in any way. Not in the introduction and not in the body of the text.
- Careful: the current areas of knowledge are: History, Mathematics, The Human Sciences, The Natural Sciences, and The Arts. Do NOT use areas of knowledge from the previous spec and don’t call the elements or themes areas of knowledge.
- If an essay question asks you to consider one compulsory AOK and another of choice, don’t choose two random AOKs. You have to consider the compulsory one.
- Don't talk about more than two AOKs if the essay question asks you to talk about two only. This will be self-limiting because your analysis of each AOK will lack the required depth.
- Within the body of the text, you have to show an awareness of different perspectives. In that sense you are not providing a one-sided exploration. It’s very different from a debate where you have defend your one and only point at any cost. In fact, you should demonstrate that you understand that there might be other perspectives (to yours) as well as counterclaims to claims. This does not mean you should be relativistic or say that all perspectives or claims are equally important. But be subtle and holistic.
- You can use different areas of knowledge to provide different perspectives, or even counterclaims. You can use different disciplines within one AOK. Or you can look at different perspectives, theories and strands within one discipline/AOK. How you include these perspectives, claims and counterclaims is fairly open. But you should do it. And make it explicit.
- Although the essay is a reflective and analytical essay (rather than a research essay), you should offer some sort of evidence to claims. This can come in different forms.
- Examples are also essential to drive the essay. BUT. Do not list countless examples. Do not describe examples at ridiculous lengths. All that is not suited to a TOK essay. Your essay should not be descriptive.
- Instead, use the examples to illustrate or introduce your points, claims or counterclaims. Explain clearly how your example is relevant and important in the context of your essay.
- Avoid general claims about mathematicians/Maths, scientists/Science etc without backing this up with specific examples or evidence.
- Your examples should be specific and fresh. Don’t use TOK clichés (Heliocentrism etc). The examiners are so bored of them. Instead, open your eyes and see what is happening in the world at this very moment. Are there any cool Nobel prize winners around? Did you come across a niche art work? And don’t forget your subject lessons or EE research.
Main body: 30 second structure guide.
Part 1 (500-600 words).
- Bring the essay back to the title by saying which aspect(s) of the question you will explore first.
- Use an interesting and specific example from the first AOK.
- Link this example to the first main point you make.
- Expand the first point and add evidence/further examples (from the same/other AOK).
- Reflect upon the implications of your point
- Introduce a counterclaim (could be a subtle nuance to your first claim, another perspective, or another discipline/AOK).
- Use an example/evidence to explain the counterclaim.
- Balance the claim and the counterclaim.
- Bring this first part back to the essay question.
Part 2 (500-600 words).
- Bring the essay back to the title by saying which aspect(s) of the question you will explore secondly.
- Use an interesting and specific example from the second AOK.
- Link this example to the first main point you make.
- Expand the first point and add evidence/further examples (from the same or other AOK).
- Reflect upon the implications of your point.
- Introduce a counterclaim. (could be a subtle nuance to your first claim, another perspective, or another discipline/AOK).
- Use an example/evidence to explain the counterclaim.
- Balance the claim and the counterclaim.
- Bring this first part back to the essay question.
TIP:
You can spend the first part of the body on one AOK and the second part of the body on the second one if you find that easiest. However, some of the best essays interweave the AOKs and use the claims rather than the AOKs to structure the essay.
You can spend the first part of the body on one AOK and the second part of the body on the second one if you find that easiest. However, some of the best essays interweave the AOKs and use the claims rather than the AOKs to structure the essay.
The conclusion
Conclusions to essays can be hard to write. But we can use the assessment criteria as a tool to guide the conclusions. Your entire essay has (or should have) been reflective. You might wonder what else there is to say. However, the conclusion is a good spot to further consider the implications of the claims and reflections that you have mentioned throughout the essay. It is also a good place to provide an overall evaluation of the points of view and perspectives that were mentioned in the essay. Finally, it offers you an opportunity to offer the reader some insightful final thoughts that highlight the significance of the overarching essay question. If you don't know where to start, begin with the basics. Indicate to the reader that the conclusion has started, briefly recap some of the main points that you made throughout the essay and how these relate to the essay question. You should at all cost avoid conclusions that are relativistic or overly general (like "there is no truth", "there are no facts", "there are point for and against, so there is no overall conclusion" etc). In fact, it is desirable that you reach some sort of overall conclusion. Nevertheless, as always, be subtle. Avoid dogmatic claims and consider the implications of you claims. It is always nice to leave the reader with an interesting and lasting reflection. Something that sparks, and leaves a mark. You could also go back to something you mentioned in the introduction to go full circle in terms of structure.
Conclusion: 30 second structure guide.
- Start with “in conclusion/to conclude”.
- Briefly recap the main points you made.
- Bring back to the essay question.
- Reach an overall “answer” to the question (avoid relativism).
- Consider the implications of your conclusion.
- Leave with a final reflection/unanswered question/a possible (future) exploration.
- Use the elements, TOK concepts and possibly even the suggested knowledge questions from the guide to inspire your final reflection(s).
Formalities and references
Which guidelines should I take into consideration?
The TOK essay must be written in standard 12 font and be double spaced. The TOK essay is not an EE, so you don't have a "research question" and you don't need to give endless lists of resources in your bibliography. However, it is expected that specific sources will be used and these must be acknowledged. All work must be your own, so ensure to reference correctly and use tools such as Turnitin to avoid plagiarism accusations. It is simply not worth to fail your IB DP diploma because you have plagiarised part of your TOK essay (by referencing incorrectly).
Keep the following guidelines in mind:
Keep the following guidelines in mind:
- the word count is 1600 words. This includes quotations.
- You have to write down the number of words when you submit the essay.
- The examiner will not read past 1600 words.
- references, maps/charts/illustrations and bibliographies are not included in the word count.
- You can choose any standard referencing system, but be consistent with the one you chose
After the conclusion, on a separate page, you place the references (not included in word count):
- Use a standard format (eg APA).
- Create a list of cited works at the end.
- Within the body of the text, acknowledge all ideas/works you have used.
- Avoid misquoting or selecting ideas incorrectly. (this has happened to me and it is very annoying).
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A word about language: Useful phrases, style guide and how to improve clarity
In this section you will find some useful academic phrases,
as well as some tips to improve the clarity of your work.
as well as some tips to improve the clarity of your work.
- Avoid intellectualizing the essay at the expense of clarity.
- You are encouraged to use the first person (I-form), because this demonstrates your reflective engagement.
- Don’t use big words, philosophical terms and other things you don’t understand.
- Structure your work as clearly as you can.
- Explain the direction of your essay in the introduction and at the start of a new section.
- Avoid very long sentences, because you risk forgetting the main clause.
- Better to use too many connectives than too few (but vary them to avoid repetitiveness).
- Never write the essay first in your native language and then run it through Google translate. That will always go wrong.
- Please run a spelling and grammar check. Read your essay at least once aloud, to check that it makes sense.
- Style: be as nuanced and subtle as you can. Avoid blunt and sweeping statement.
- Remember that the essay is an essay about what it means to know. Descriptive essays score very low, as well as essays that read like an EE. If you struggle to maintain a TOK focus, you might want to use the elements (scope/methods and tools/ethics and perspectives), suggested knowledge questions by the TOK guide (see the bottom of each page of the respective AOK on this site) and the 12 TOK concepts (see home page) to inspire your argumentation and reflection.
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Useful TOK essay writing phrases
The following phrases help you getting your ideas on paper. You can use them as they are, or adapt them according to your chosen essay title. Use them! It will make your life a lot easier.
Introduction:
Saying what the essay is about, Defining and introducing terms and concepts (including indicating difficulties with this), and introducing AOK’s
This essay invites us to explore….. But what might we understand with….?
This essay question seems to suggest an underlying assumption that…. But how might we define…? And how does our understanding of… influence what we…?
The essay question contains … important concepts, which I would like to explore.
Before we …, it is necessary here to clarify what might be meant by ....
X is a term frequently used to mean…., but to date there is no consensus about ....
There is a degree of uncertainty around the terminology in ....
The term X encompasses A), B), and C).
X can be defined as …. It encompasses ….
The term X is generally understood to mean …., but in the context of this essay...
The broad use of the term X is sometimes equated with…
A further definition is given by Smith (2004) who describes ….
Although differences of opinion still exist, there appears to be some agreement that X refers to ….
X is a commonly-used notion in language learning and yet it is a concept difficult to define precisely.
In this essay, the term X will be used in its broadest sense to refer to..
To discuss whether… I will look at the AOKs of …. and….
This essay question is important because...
Showing subtlety and nuance
In your TOK essay you should avoid making sweeping statements or blunt claims.
Using these phrases help you become more nuanced:
It is believed that ….
It is thought that ….
It is a widely held view that ….
Arguably, …..
It has commonly been assumed that ….
There is some evidence to suggest that ….
One possible implication of this is that ….
Taken together, this seems to suggest that
This example appears to support the assumption that ….
X suggests that there may be a link between ….
Introducing questions, problems and theories
One question that needs to be asked, however, is whether ….
A possible weakness with/reservation to consider regarding this claim/point of view, however, is that ….
One of the limitations with this explanation is that it does not explain why/how/to what extent…
The key problem with this explanation/theory/perspective/claim is that ….
However, there is an inconsistency with this argument/claim.
This perspective relies too heavily on ….
This claim/perspective assumes...
It seems that this understanding of the X framework is questionable.
This interpretation overlooks much of ….
Some scientists/artists... have challenged this claim on the grounds that ….
X’s analysis does not take account of …. nor does he examine ….
Introducing or re-introducing a topic:
With respect to x
As regards x
In the case of X ....
As I pointed out in the introduction to this essay, ....
As mentioned in the previous section, ....
As explained earlier, ....
As explained in the introduction, it seems that ….
As described on the previous page, ....
As (I) discussed above, ....
Returning (briefly) to the (subject/issue/example) of X, I….
Moving on to the next part of the essay
So far this essay has focussed on X. In the following section I will discuss ....
Having defined what is meant by X/explored Y/analysed z, I will now move on to discuss ....
Having discussed how …..., in the second section of this essay I will…
In addition, it is important to ask ....
On the other hand, in spite of much pragmatic use......
However, this explanation/claim/perspective also has a number of serious drawbacks.
Despite this, there are some drawbacks to this claim/theory/perspective…
Introducing other perspectives and critical stances
We could also question why ….
However, one might question why
However, I would like to point out that ….
This challenges the widely held view/x's claim that /x's perspective….
Looking at it from … perspective, we could challenge some of these conclusions, arguing that
Arguably, one important criticism of this theory/claim… is that
One might argue that ….
This analysis has been criticised by a number of…...
Giving (specific) examples to support ideas
This could be for a variety of reasons. They may, for example, be influenced by …..
An example of this is (a study carried out by x in which) ....
This is exemplified by x’s theory/method.
Another specific/interesting/significant example of what is meant by X is ....
This is certainly true in the case of ....
This can be seen in the case of
This is evident in the case of ….
The evidence of X can be clearly seen in the case of ....
X is a good illustration of ....
This can be illustrated briefly by ....
X illustrates this point this point clearly.
By way of illustration,
Overall, these examples support the view that ….
This specific example has shown that ...
This has been seen in the case of ….
This (example) illustrates how it can be difficult to know with certainty that ....
This example confirms the importance/significance/implications of ….
This example seems to support the idea that ....
This example demonstrates the need for ethical considerations when ....
These examples also challenge the concept/commonly held belief/validity/certainty/methodology….
Implications
This is important because it leads us to question whether...
The latter suggests that ….
We might draw the following conclusions from this scenario/reflection/exploration...
This seems to indicate that ….
This might/seems to support the idea that
Therefore, it seems that ….
Taken together, this suggests that ….
An implication of this is the possibility.
This leads us to question….
We should not forget the ethical implications of…
However, given the scope of…, we might not be able to apply this conclusion to….
So, what does this mean for the concept of certainty/truth/fact.... in.... (AOK)?
So, how might this shape our understanding of fact/truth/evidence.... in (AOK)?
So, what does this mean/imply for (the validity of/the pragmatic truth of/the reliability of) knowledge in... (AOK)?
Significance
This idea challenges existing knowledge/beliefs/concepts/limitations to the scope/ethical considerations…
This provides additional evidence/challenges/considerations with respect to ….
The current methods add to our understanding of…. (albeit with the reservation that...)
This idea confirms the suggestion that…
This nuance enhances/challenges our understanding of ….
This changed methodology/new technology has gone some way towards enhancing our understanding of ….
The examples I discussed therefore challenge understanding of the limitations of..
This is the first time in history that this tool/method has been used to explore …However, whether this significantly improves the validity/accuracy… remains to be seen.
This study/method/tool has demonstrated, for the first time, that ….This is significant because...
Let us apply the implications of this analysis to other areas of knowledge, such as...
This has several practical applications. However,…
Whilst this did not confirm X, it seems to suggest….
Although the current…. is based on a small sample of studies/experiments, the findings suggest ….
Notwithstanding these limitations, this suggests that ….
Although these initial breakthroughs seem significant, we should not forget to analyse their practical use within other AOKs.
Although these advancements in technology have undoubtedly triggered progress in the development of knowledge in…, it would be foolish to ignore .../disregard.../fail to consider the ethical considerations….
Limitations
Finally, a number of important limitations need to be considered.
This idea/claim/is subject to certain limitations, some of which depend on the AOK at hand.
For instance, …. The most important limitation lies in the fact that ….(use things from the knowledge framework or elements here: scope/methods and tools/ethics and perspectives).
The applicability of the knowledge of this AOK is limited by ….
The scope of …. was limited in terms of ….
However, these findings are limited by the fact that it fails to include…. perspective
Recommendations for further explorations (eg in the conclusion)
It would be interesting to assess/explore the effects of ….
Further developments in this AOK might establish whether ….
Further research (or other word) is needed to account for the varying ….
Considerably more work will need to be done to determine …..
Time will tell whether….
The consideration of scope/ethical considerations/developments in methods and tools/appreciation of other perspectives might further enhance our understanding of...
Introducing problems with methods and tools
One major drawback of this approach/method is that ….
The main limitation of …. however, is ….
However, this method has a number of limitations.
However, this method fails to consider the ethical implications, which is arguably even more significant in the AOK of...
However, approaches of this kind carry with them various limitations
Another problem with this claim/theory is that it fails to take into account….
Perhaps the most serious disadvantage of this method is that ….
Difficulties arise, however, when an attempt is made to practically implement this theory to other AOKs, regardless of their scope.
However, there are limits to how far the idea of/concept of X can be taken.
However, such explanations tend to overlook the fact that ….
However, one of the problems with the instrument used to measure X in this AOK is that it does not always apply to … AOK.
Nevertheless, this perspective/claim fails to….
Nevertheless, this perspective is rather one-sided.
Nevertheless, this claim cannot hold in other AOKs such as, where….
Comparing and contrasting
X is different from Y in a number of respects.
X differs from Y in a number of important ways.
There are a number of important differences between X and Y.
There are a number of similarities between X and Y.
Using references and referring to ideas
For x, certainty/fact primarily means…
X generally uses the term ‘truth’ to refer to…
According to Smith (2020), x is ‘ ….
Conclusions
In sum/in conclusion/to conclude
In this essay, I have explored....
At first glance, it appeared that…
However,….
This is significant because….
It may be worth reconsidering/….
Perhaps one of the most important things to remember is…
After all, ….
Perhaps we should review the criteria…
Perhaps we should re-imagine the validity/methodology...
Do's and don'ts!
(In this section, you will find a summary of the most important things you should, and should not do, when writing a TOK essay.
(coming soon)
The essay title and the introduction
- Never change the essay title or its wording.
- You can mention what the essay title invites you to explore.
- You can explain some tensions or issues, or ideas that are captured by the essay question.
- It is a good idea to highlight a basic sense of direction your essay will take (Eg the concepts you will look at as well as the areas of knowledge you will focus on).
- If some concepts are not fully clear because they can be interpreted in different ways, don't panic, but acknowledge this. The whole point of the essay is that you think about this kind of stuff!
- Although it is good to acknowledge the complexity and possible "tensions" that are captured by essay questions, you should under no circumstance say that the essay question itself is confusing, badly phrased, stupid, or that sort of thing.
- Essay questions may ask you to consider particular areas of knowledge, or aspects of the knowledge frameworks. In this respect, they will be more specific than the essay questions of the previous specification.
HELP! Tricky concepts!
In TOK essays you will have to discuss concepts from the titles that may sound easy to begin with (eg "fact", "validity", "theory"...), but when you think about them, they could mean different things in different contexts.
Maybe you are not sure what the examiner meant? Maybe you are worried you will interpret these concepts the wrong way and your examiner will give you a "0"?
Please do not panic! The essay questions are not supposed to be straightforward.
If you struggle a little, this is completely normal.
In fact, you can use this "struggle" to your advantage. If there is some sort of tension or ambiguity, I strongly recommend that you acknowledge this. For example, if you pretend that facts mean exactly the same thing in the natural sciences and the arts, you won't get very far.
In sum, concepts from the title are not meant to be straightforward. Acknowledge this, explain your thinking and show the aspects of the concepts you will discuss within the (limited) scope of your essay.
In TOK essays you will have to discuss concepts from the titles that may sound easy to begin with (eg "fact", "validity", "theory"...), but when you think about them, they could mean different things in different contexts.
Maybe you are not sure what the examiner meant? Maybe you are worried you will interpret these concepts the wrong way and your examiner will give you a "0"?
Please do not panic! The essay questions are not supposed to be straightforward.
If you struggle a little, this is completely normal.
In fact, you can use this "struggle" to your advantage. If there is some sort of tension or ambiguity, I strongly recommend that you acknowledge this. For example, if you pretend that facts mean exactly the same thing in the natural sciences and the arts, you won't get very far.
In sum, concepts from the title are not meant to be straightforward. Acknowledge this, explain your thinking and show the aspects of the concepts you will discuss within the (limited) scope of your essay.
Essay titles:
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