Name:

  The  TOK  Essay:  Tips  from  the  Examiners   IB  TOK/Gov  

          Ms.  Bauer    
 
 
The  TOK  Essay:  Tips  from  the  Examiners  
 
 
Examiner  Statement   In  Other  Words…  
 
“Candidates  always  find  some  titles  superficially   Choose  your  prescribed  title  wisely.  Write  in  
more  attractive  than  others,  but  this  initial  affinity   response  to  a  title  that  you  understand,  that  
often  turns  out  to  be  misleading.”   you  can  exemplify  well,  and  about  which  you  
can  form  a  coherent  argument.  
 
“The  passage  from  prescribed  title  to  knowledge   Before  you  begin  writing,  ensure  that  you  
questions  is  a  hazardous  one.  The  prescribed  titles   have  identified  at  least  three  knowledge  
are  phrased  in  a  way  that  is  designed  to  suggest  a   questions  that  are  directly  relevant  to  the  
cluster  of  immediate  knowledge  questions  that  are   title.  The  title  is  purposely  broad;  it  is  your  
necessary  to  tackle  as  part  of  an  answer  to  the   task  to  narrow  the  knowledge  issue  with  
question.”   succinct,  appropriate  questions  that  deepen  
your  analysis.  
 
“Too  often,  even  the  best  of  knowledge  questions   Identify  your  KQs  throughout  your  essay;  do  
are  left  merely  described  or  presented  in  a  manner   not  simply  introduce  them  without  any  
that  suggests  the  candidate  considers  the  answers   discussion  at  the  beginning.  Remember  that  
to  them  self-­‐evident,  as  if  they  represented  the  end   your  KQs  frame  the  paper  and  guide  your  
of  a  process  of  thought,  rather  than  an  early  stage   analysis.  They  are  a  means  and  not  an  end.  
of  it.”  
 
“Addressing  the  ways  of  knowing  in  isolation  or   Do  not  discuss  the  ways  of  knowing  in  the  
without  reference  to  established  knowledge  easily   abstract;  tie  them  directly  to  the  context  of  
leads  to  anecdotal  claims  and  unsophisticated  and   one  or  more  areas  of  knowledge.  Always  
unrealistic  hypothetical  examples  which  add  little   examine  the  ways  of  knowing  with  the  use  of  
to  the  understanding  of  learning  and  knowing.”   relevant,  real-­‐world  examples.  
 
“Hypothetical  examples  almost  never  work  as   Avoid  hypotheticals  at  all  costs,  and  stick  to  
support  for  claims  made  in  essays;  it  should  be   examples  that  are  real—either  from  
emphasized  that  they  function  essentially  as   established  areas  of  knowledge,  research,  or  
fabricated  evidence,  and  thus  cannot  lend  weight   your  concrete,  personal  experience.  
to  whatever  argument  is  being  offered.”  
 
“While  some  examiners  were  impressed  with  the   Try  to  use  fresh,  innovative  examples.  Trite  
efforts  of  candidates  to  reach  beyond  the   examples,  such  as  the  ones  listed  in  the  
commonplace  in  the  examples  that  they  employed,   quotation,  often  remain  descriptive  rather  
other  lamented  a  lack  of  diversity  in  recourse  to   than  analytical,  and  they  appear  unoriginal  to  
Hitler,  Copernicus,  Darwin,  Newton…It  must  be   the  examiners.  
stressed  that  the  problem  with  such  examples  is  
not  in  the  decision  to  use  them;  it  is  when  they  are  
treated  lazily  and  without  due  regard  for  factual  
accuracy.”  
 
Name:   The  TOK  Essay:  Tips  from  the  Examiners   IB  TOK/Gov  
          Ms.  Bauer    
 
 
“Counterclaims  should  arise  naturally  from   Ensure  that  the  counterclaims  you  include  
arguments  made  or  evidence  presented  and  they   have  direct  relevance  to  your  thesis  and  
may,  for  instance,  be  in  the  form  of  different   argument.  Do  not  stop  at  identifying  a  
perspectives  or  alternative  evidence  which  will   different  perspective—analyze  it  as  an  
need  to  be  evaluated.”   alternate  viewpoint,  not  an  inherently  
incorrect  one.  
 
“Too  often  key  concepts  were  defined  by  the  help   While  it  is  important  to  acknowledge  and  
of  a  dictionary  thus  often  leading  to  an   discuss  key  terms  in  the  title  and  in  your  KQs,  
inappropriate  definition  given  the  context  of  TOK.”   be  sure  to  define  them  in  terms  of  their  
relevance  to  TOK.  For  instance,  the  literal  
definition  of  emotion  will  not  lend  itself  well  
to  a  deeper  analysis  of  emotion  as  a  way  of  
knowing.  
 
 
Want  more  feedback  from  examiners?  Check  out  the  IB-­‐published  “May  2013  Subject  Report”  for  
Theory  of  Knowledge,  available  on  the  class  Moodle  page.