TOK ESSAY STRUCTURE 2020 - 2021

CLASSIC EIGHT PARAGRAPH ESSAY OUTLINE

INTRODUCTION

HOOK – It is an engaging opening statement, question or quotation. This ensures

the reader’s attention and interest.
- Now I am 18, it’s like the sun is rising on my adulthood, and I am keen to
explore the world.
- “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation”

DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS – An initial meaning should attached to all key

terms in the essay title. This will hopefully ensure that the student’s essay from the
outset has its focus on relevant ideas and concepts

THE KNOWER’S PERSPECTIVE – This should entail a clear standpoint on the

part of the writer in relating to the essay title that is not vague but also open to a
number of possibilities.

KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS – Through skillful writing and using the above three
elements the candidate can effectively raise a number of knowledge questions
without forcing the essay away from the original title, but allowing the meaning of
the title to be illuminated by a range of perspectives

AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE – Ideally the student should select two or at most three
areas of knowledge that offer a potential intellectual tension in terms of comparative
analysis. This should provide the candidate with the scope of a diverse intellectual
exploration of the essay title. All selected areas of knowledge should be clearly
identified in the introduction.

SIGNPOSTING – Here the writer should outline the basic content and narrative of
his or her argument. This is beneficial for the writer and reader. For the writer, this
gives the necessary intellectual rigour in terms of the planning and organization of
the essay. At the same time, for the reader, this provides reassuring clarity, together
with heightening the effectiveness of the writer’s argument.
- E.g. past, present, future
- X is my past, Y is my present, Z is my future

MAIN BODY

Ideally this section should six paragraphs long and each paragraph, although
varying in content and argument, hopefully possess some key writerly elements in
terms of organization.

TOPIC SENTENCE – Each paragraph should have clearly defined theme that is
identified in the opening. This practice can be a clear outworking of the signposting

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outlined in the introduction. Thus this provides a strong thread to the argument that
is created by the writer and comprehended by the reader.

EXAMPLE – Ideally every paragraph in this section should characterized by a

relevant example at its heart. The example should have enough detail and context
so that appropriate analysis can take place. Yet it should be expressed effectively so
that no overwriting or intellectual meandering takes place. Key questions that an
example’s content should cover include:

What?
When?
Who?
Where?
How?
Why?

ANALYSIS – Rigorous questioning of the example should take place. Essentially,

the analysis should identify the example’s meaning in terms of theory of knowledge.

SIGNIFICANCE – This stage is probably the most challenging to most students. It

is not enough to explain the meaning of an example, but the candidate must relate it
back to the essay title and prove its significance. Sometimes, this is called the “so
what” factor. Simply put, what has been proved by the inclusion of this example?
How has the candidate’s argument been advanced? This is especially important with
addressing counterclaims that will naturally arise in the course of the essay.

CONCLUSION

The conclusion is vitally important as it should bring all the strands of the
argument to a persuasive end.

SUMMARY OF MAIN POINTS – This is a retelling of the introduction in light of

the completion of the essay. It is essential that there are no contradictions between
the introduction and the conclusion,

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ARGUMENT – Essentially this is a case of synthesizing

the significance of all the paragraphs in the main body into a coherent final element
that concisely conveys the rationale of the argument in terms of the nature and
limits of knowledge.

THE PARTING/PARTHIAN SHOT: This is sometimes called the Wow Factor. It is a

quotation, statement, or question that gives the reader genuine pause for thought.

For example, in an essay about doubt the writer may finish with the following
statement: “ Regardless of whether it is destructive or constructive, it is not doubt or
even certainty that we say alive for but of conviction of the things we treasure the

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most and among them are: faith, beauty and love.”