How to Start a TOK Essay

Process
1. Choose a Prescribed Title
2. Identify the Key terms that could bring out a discussion
3. Identify how the Key terms connect with your classes (be specific in content)
4. Develop Knowledge questions and then choose one that connects to two or more classes
(this will be your evidence) (See Mind map example)
5. Start to fill out the Outline below
6. Create Knowledge Claims on your Knowledge question, the claim must connect to a
class (this will be your evidence)
7. Choose one Knowledge Claim and create a Counter Claims to go against it
8. Continue filling in the Outline below
9. Explain each piece of evidence and how it connects to the Claim/ Counter claim and
Knowledge Question
10. Continue filling out the Outline below
11. Once all pieces, except the Implications, are filled out in the Outline, Identify the
stakeholders who would care about this discussion (SEXCI)
12. Identify how the stakeholders would be affected, what would follow if we adhered to this
line of thinking?
13. Draw out questions that might come from the identifications of how it could affect
different stakeholders (this is the New Knowledge question ).

Outline ( This is only one way to outline the essay, there are others)
● Prescribed title
● Knowledge question
○ Knowledge claim
○ Evidence
○ Explanation
○ Counterclaim
○ Evidence
○ Explanation
○ Implications
○ New question about knowledge
● Copy above 2-3 times
● Conclusion