Why is the TOK Essay difficult for IB students?

The Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Essay is an assignment that IB students often struggle with. Essay prompts can be alienating, confusing, and students often do not receive much support in constructing their response. Most of the time, when an IB student asks me to look at the first draft of their TOK essay, I receive a list of examples that alternate between agreeing and disagreeing with the prompt, which are more similar to a pros and cons list than an essay. While this approach may tick a few TOK boxes, it really does not reflect the level of rigorous academic discourse that the course title ‘Theory of Knowledge’ suggests.

3 tips for a great TOK Essay

So, how should you answer a TOK question? Here are some tips:

Answer the question! This may seem too obvious, but the majority of TOK responses seem to meander between yes, no, and maybe. Make sure you formulate your thesis before you begin writing.
Consider a critical lens. Can a new insight be gained by considering the real life situation through the lens of the Hegelian dialectic? How would Freud approach this question? How about indigenous knowledge systems?
Make sure the essay hangs together as a whole. Think of it like a tapestry, but keep in mind that each idea must end by elaborating a response to the prompt.

In order to elaborate on how to begin your TOK essay, let’s look at two possible essay introductions to the prompt: Within areas of knowledge, how can we differentiate between change and progress? Answer with reference to two areas of knowledge.

Sample TOK Essay introduction #1

Change’ and ‘progress’ are often words that seem semantically exchangeable in everyday language and so to truly pull them apart, we must apply rigorous philosophical analysis. This essay will differentiate ‘change’ and ‘progress’ through the lens of Thomas Kuhn’s paradigmatic shifts and argue that ‘progress’ occurs in a period of ‘normal science’ when incremental improvements build upon each other, and change occurs in a revolution, or paradigm shift, when a fundamental change occurs. This essay will explore how Kuhn’s paradigmatic shifts can be used to differentiate between change and progress in the natural sciences and psychology.

Sample TOK Essay introduction #2

Ludvig Wittgenstien argued that a word has meaning only as a consequence of the ‘rule’ of the ‘game’ being played. Wittgenstien did not believe that words corresponded to a material or external reality, but rather the meaning of the word depends on the language game which is being used. Therefore, this essay will argue that, because ‘change’ and ‘progress’ are instances of words, we cannot differentiate between ‘change’ and ‘progress’ in any corporeal sense, but rather examine its place within the ‘language game’.

Why are these TOK Essay introductions strong?

Intro #1 offers a direct answer to the prompt and grapples with an interesting philosophical concept. It discusses the relevant theory framed in specific TOK terminology, and shows a coherent structure and comprehensive account of the argument.

Intro #2 is a little experimental and may prove quite difficult to argue. However, it offers a strong point of view which IB examiners appreciate. This answer works outside of the dichotomy of change and progress the essay offers, and rejects the premise that they can be meaningfully differentiated.

Either way, TOK answers do not have to follow a specific formula or be uniform in their response, so it’s probably a good thing that you and your friends have drastically different approaches to the same prompt.

A good TOK Essay will grapple with the conceptual frameworks of TOK and include key terminology, such as ‘ways of knowing’ and ‘areas of knowledge’. A great TOK essay will provide a direct answer to the prompt and a strong and nuanced argument.

Check out our website for more information on our IB TOK tutoring programmes. For help at any time with any aspect of IB TOK, reach out to an expert BartyED tutor today.