Tok Essay Guidelines

TOK Essay Guideline A. Understanding the Knowledge Issue (/10)

Must prove that you have understood the question. To do so, ask yourself the following questions: a. Is it possible to form a belief in response to the question you have chosen? b. How can you elevate your belief about the question into knowledge? c. Did you effectively link and compare the different areas of knowledge and/or ways of knowing? d. Did you demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the knowledge issue raised by the question?

B. Knower’s Perspective (/10)

This is the most important component of your essay. To show your perspective, take risks, inquire and bring out your personal voice. Be open-minded. When making knowledge claims and beliefs of your own, bring out your personality, points of view and personal experiences. IB encourages different interpretations of the same question. In TOK, there is NO ONE ANSWER. There could be many competing answers for the same question.

C. Quality of Analysis of Knowledge Issue (/10)
Your essay must be fallacy-free. Avoid the most common fallacy usually committed: Hast generalization. All of your arguments MUST be justified, coherent and compelling. You MUST explore and evaluate counter claims. D. Organization of the Essay (/10)
Make sure the essay follows a clear and consistent structure. Concepts need to be explained clearly and developed logically. You MUST ensure that any factual information used to support arguments is correct. You MUST also credit any sources you may have used in writing your essay. Make sure you remain within the word limit.