INTRODUCTION TO TOK COURSE 2022 (SUMMARY)

TOK COMPONENTS
A) The core theme—Knowledge and the knower: This theme encourages
students to reflect on themselves as knowers and thinkers, and to consider the
different communities of knowers to which we belong.
B) Optional themes (K - TRIPL): This element provides students an opportunity
to take a more in-depth look at two themes.
Two optional themes must be selected from the following five:
1) Knowledge and Technology
2) Knowledge and Religion
3) Knowledge and Indigenous societies
4) Knowledge and Politics
5) Knowledge and Language

C) Areas of Knowledge: The areas of knowledge (AOK) are specific branches of

knowledge, each of which can be seen to have a distinct nature and sometimes use
different methods of gaining knowledge. In TOK, students must explore five
compulsory areas of knowledge (SMASH).
1) Science (Human Sciences)
2) Mathematics
3) Arts
4) Science (Natural Sciences)
5) History

D) Knowledge Framework: To help teachers and students explore these three

parts of the TOK curriculum, guidance and suggested knowledge questions are
provided. These suggested knowledge questions are organized into a framework of
four elements (STEP).
1) Scope
2) Tools and Methods
3) Ethics
4) Perspectives

This "knowledge framework" encourages a deep exploration of each theme and

AOK. Having these common elements run throughout the different parts of the
curriculum also helps to unify the course and helps students to make effective
connections and comparisons across the different themes and areas of knowledge.
E) TOK Concepts:
POP C2ERT JIVE
Perspective, Objectivity, Power
Certainty and Culture, Explanation, Responsibility, Truth
Justification, Interpretation, Values, Evidence

TOK ASSESSMENTS
A) Exhibition: For this component, students are required to create an exhibition that
explores how TOK manifests in the world around us. The exhibition is an internal
assessment component; it is marked by the teacher and is externally moderated by
the IB. Teachers are permitted 8 contact hours with students to help them prepare
for the exhibition.
Theory of knowledge exhibition (10 marks) 33% Weightage.
For this task, students are required to create an exhibition of three objects that
connect to one of the 35 “IA prompts” provided in the “IA prompts.
Students must select just one IA prompt on which to base their exhibition, and all
three objects must be linked to the same IA prompt.
The exhibition will comprise of the three objects, or images of objects, and an
accompanying written commentary on each object.
To enable their exhibition to be marked by their TOK teacher and for samples of
student work to be submitted to the IB for moderation, students are required to
produce a single file containing:
• a title clearly indicating their selected IA prompt
• images of their three objects

• a typed commentary on each object that identifies each object and its specific
real-world context, justifies its inclusion in the exhibition and links to the IA prompt
(maximum 950 words). This word count includes the written commentaries on
each of the three objects. It does not include:
a) any text contained on/within the objects themselves
b) acknowledgments, references (whether given in footnotes, endnotes or in-
text) or bibliography. If an exhibition exceeds the word limit, then examiners
are instructed to stop reading after 950 words and to base their assessment
on only the first 950 words. Extended footnotes or appendices are not
appropriate to a TOK exhibition.

• appropriate citations and references.

Each student must create an individual exhibition. Group work may not be
undertaken by students.
Multiple students in the same TOK class are permitted to create exhibitions on the
same IA prompt.
However, students in the same class are not permitted to use any of the same
objects.
The TOK exhibition task has been explicitly designed to be completed during the
first year of the DP.
Summary of the Exhibition Process

Step 1: Students begin their exhibition by selecting one IA prompt and three
objects, or images of objects, that show how this question manifests in the
world around us.
Students must select one IA prompt as the basis for their exhibition. All three
objects must be linked to the same prompt.
To help them approach this task effectively, students are encouraged to
root their exhibition in one of the TOK themes—either the core theme or
one of the optional themes. This can help to provide an accessible starting
point for students and can provide a focus to help students narrow down their
choice of potential objects.
Step 2: Students should produce a single file containing their TOK
exhibition. This must include:
• a title clearly indicating their selected IA prompt
• images of their three objects
• a typed commentary on each object that identifies each object and its specific
real-world context, justifies each object’s inclusion in the exhibition and links to
the IA prompt (maximum 950 words)
• appropriate citations and references.
Teachers are permitted to provide feedback on one draft of this work. They
should provide oral or written advice on how the work could be improved, but
should not edit the draft.
Once complete, this file is submitted to the TOK teacher to be marked.
Samples of student work are then submitted to the IB for moderation.
Step 3: Teachers are required to provide all students with an opportunity
for their completed exhibitions to be showcased and exhibited to an
audience. As this does not form part of the formal assessment task,
teachers have a great deal of flexibility as to how they choose to hold
these exhibitions.

Authenticity may be checked by discussion with the student on the

content of the work, and scrutiny of one or more of the following:
• The student’s initial proposal
• The first draft of the written work
• The references provided
• The style of writing compared with work known to be that of the student
• The analysis of the work by a web-based plagiarism detection service

IA prompts

The IA prompts are a set of 35 high-level knowledge questions. Students must select one of the
following IA prompts on which to base their exhibition, and all three objects must be linked to the same
prompt. The prompts once chosen cannot be changed or modified.
1. What counts as knowledge?
2. Are some types of knowledge more useful than others?
3. What features of knowledge have an impact on its reliability?
4. On what grounds might we doubt a claim?
5. What counts as good evidence for a claim?

6. How does the way that we organize or classify knowledge affect what we know?
7. What are the implications of having, or not having, knowledge?
8. To what extent is certainty attainable?
9. Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?
10. What challenges are raised by the dissemination and/or communication of knowledge?
11. Can new knowledge change established values or beliefs?
12. Is bias inevitable in the production of knowledge?
13. How can we know that current knowledge is an improvement upon past knowledge?
14. Does some knowledge belong only to particular communities of knowers?
15. What constraints are there on the pursuit of knowledge?
16. Should some knowledge not be sought on ethical grounds?
17. Why do we seek knowledge?
18. Are some things unknowable?
19. What counts as a good justification for a claim?
20. What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?
21. What is the relationship between knowledge and culture?
22. What role do experts play in influencing our consumption or acquisition of knowledge?
23. How important are material tools in the production or acquisition of knowledge?
24. How might the context in which knowledge is presented influence whether it is accepted or
rejected?
25. How can we distinguish between knowledge, belief and opinion?
26. Does our knowledge depend on our interactions with other knowers?
27. Does all knowledge impose ethical obligations on those who know it?
 28. To what extent is objectivity possible in the production or acquisition of knowledge?
29. Who owns knowledge?
30. What role does imagination play in producing knowledge about the world?
31. How can we judge when evidence is adequate?
32. What makes a good explanation?
33. How is current knowledge shaped by its historical development?
34. In what ways do our values affect our acquisition of knowledge?
35. In what ways do values affect the production of knowledge?

Objects

An extremely wide variety of different types of objects are suitable for use in a TOK
exhibition. Students are encouraged to choose objects that are of personal interest and
that they have come across in their academic studies and/or their lives beyond the
classroom.

It is strongly recommended that students base their exhibition on one of the themes (the
core theme or one of the optional themes). This can be an extremely useful way to help
students narrow down their choice of objects and give a focus to their exhibition.
Digital or physical objects The objects may be digital rather than physical objects. For
example, students could include a photograph of an object, such as a historical treaty, where
it would not be practical/possible for them to exhibit the physical object. Students may also
use digital objects such as a tweet by a political leader. However, they must be specific
objects that have a specific real-world context—objects that exist in a particular time and
place (including virtual spaces). They may be objects that the student has created
themselves, but they must be pre-existing objects rather than objects created specifically for
the purposes of the exhibition. FOR THE FIRST EXAMINATION USE OF PHYSICAL
OBJECTS IS COMPULSORY.

Context of an object The specific real-world context of each object is extremely

important to the task. It is, therefore, important that students identify specific objects to
discuss rather than using generic objects and generic images from the internet. For
example, a discussion and photograph of a student’s baby brother is an example of an
object that has a specific real-world context, whereas a generic image of “a baby” from an
internet image search is not.
Examples of the diverse kinds of objects students could select include the
following.
• An image of the painting Guernica by Pablo Picasso
• The student’s own extended essay (EE)
• A basketball used by the student during their physical education lessons
• The graphic novel The Colour of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa
• A painting that the student created in their DP visual arts course
• A refillable water bottle provided to each student in a school as part of a
sustainability initiative
• A news article from the popular website Buzzfeed
 • A photograph of the student playing in an orchestra

Images of objects The image of each object used in the exhibition must be appropriately
referenced. If an object is the student’s own original work (for example, a painting that
they created in a visual arts class) then this should be identified and acknowledged to
ensure that teachers and moderators are clear about the origins of the object.

B) TOK Essay on a Prescribed Title:

The TOK essay engages students in a formal, sustained piece of writing in response
to one of the six titles that are prescribed by the IB for each examination session.
These titles take the form of knowledge questions that are focused on the areas of
knowledge. The TOK essay is an external assessment component. Each student’s
essay is submitted to the IB to be marked by IB examiners. The TOK Essay must be
written in standard 12 type size and be double spaced. It is not primarily a research
paper, but it is expected that specific sources will be used, and these must be
acknowledged.

Theory of knowledge essay (10 marks) 67% Weightage.

The IB releases a set of six prescribed titles for each examination session. These
titles are published six months before the submission deadline.
It is suggested that 10 hours of teaching time should be dedicated to working on
the TOK Essay.
The chosen title must be used exactly as given; it must not be altered in any way.

Word count The maximum length of the essay is 1,600 words. Extended
footnotes or appendices are not appropriate for the TOK essay.
The word count includes:
• the main part of the essay
• any quotations.
The word count does not include:
• any acknowledgments
• the references (whether given in footnotes, endnotes or in-text) and bibliography
• any maps, charts, diagrams, annotated illustrations or tables.
If an essay exceeds the word limit, then examiners are instructed to stop reading
after 1,600 words and to base their assessment on just the first 1,600 words.
Students are required to indicate the number of words when the essay is uploaded
during the submission process.
The TOK essay must be the student’s own work. For the TOK essay, three formal
recorded interactions between the student and teacher are required. These three
interactions must be recorded on the TOK essay Planning and Progress Form
(TK/PPF).
Three required teacher–student interactions for the TOK essay
1. Discuss the list of prescribed titles with the student.
The student should discuss the prescribed titles with the teacher. The final choice of
title remains with the student, who should develop their own thinking and ideas.
2. Discuss the student’s initial exploration of their selected title (for example, an
essay plan).
After choosing the title and developing their initial ideas in relation to it, the student
must discuss their initial work/explorations with the teacher by sharing them in written
form. For example, this could take the form of a set of notes and ideas that could
then be turned into a more formal essay plan following the discussion with the
teacher.
3. Comment on one draft of the student’s essay.
After this, the student is permitted to present one full draft of the essay to the teacher.
The teacher should provide oral or written advice on how the work could be
improved. This advice may take the form of written comments of a global nature, but
teachers are not permitted to mark or edit this draft. While the student may seek
further advice from the teacher, for example, on the appropriateness of a particular
example or on the clarity of a section of writing, no further written advice on drafts is
permitted. The next version handed to the teacher must be the final version for
submission.