1. Assessment Model of TOK
1.1 Overview of TOK
The final grade for TOK is determined by two factors: the TOK Essay and the TOK Exhibition. The TOK Essay is the external assessment that makes up 67% of your final grade while the TOK Exhibition is the internal assessment that makes up 33% of your grade. In this section, you will get to learn more about how the grading system works for TOK.
1.2 TOK Grading Criteria
Your final TOK grade is determined by the scores of your Essay and your Exhibition. The proportion of the scores are shown below.
Essay: You will be handing in your essay through the online system called “IB Diploma Programme candidates”. Your essay will then be externally marked by an examiner.
| TOK Essay | |
| Weighting |
67% of your TOK grade |
|
Word Limit |
1600 words |
| Content |
Choose one from the 6 prescribed essay titles |
| Month in Which the Titles Will Be Announced |
September ( for the May exams ), March ( for the November exams ) |
| Format |
Standard 12-point, double spaced |
Exhibition: You will have to present it during your TOK class in school and your teachers will be the ones assessing it internally.
| TOK Exhibition | |
| Weighting |
33% of your TOK grade |
|
Content |
Display 3 objects or photos related to your IA prompt |
| Displayed Items |
The objects or photos in their specific real-world context |
| Areas of Assessment |
The objects or photos and commentaries on each of them |
| Word Limit for the Commentaries |
950 words in total |
2. Advices and Tips for TOK
2.1 Advices for the TOK Essay
You will be asked to choose one title from the 6 prescribed essay titles. The essay will be focused on answering the title and you will be expected to explore this through various areas of knowledge along with real life situations. The more you link your opinions to the areas of knowledge, the better your essay gets. Moreover, don’t forget to use your real life examples to support your arguments!
2.1 Advices for the TOK Exhibition
For the TOK Exhibition you would be expected to choose one prompt from the 35 IA prompts written in the TOK guide. Then, you will have to create your exhibition around that specific prompt. The exhibition has to be linked to either at least one core theme or an optional theme.
One of the things that you should be aware of is that you can’t use photos from the internet nor something that is very common. For example, if you want to use a photo of scissors, you will have to take a picture of your own pair of scissors instead of using something that is on the internet.
You will be expected to create a file that includes everything that you have used for your exhibition including your objects/ photos and your commentaries. Don’t forget to ask your teachers for advices whenever you need help!
3. Additional Information for TOK
3.1 TOK Core Theme
You will be exploring the Knowledge and the Knower for TOK. Knowledge refers to knowledge itself and Knower refers to the people who are obtaining the knowledge- us. By focusing on these points, we will be able to explore questions such as “How does our personal values affect knowledge?” or “What kind of knowledge is our retained knowledge?”.
3.2 Areas of Knowledge (AOK)
There are only 5 AOKs for this curriculum : Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Human Sciences, History, and Arts. Other than these AOKs, you will also have to choose two themes from the following 5: Technology, Politics, Religion, Indigenous Societies, or Language. Keep in mind that ethics is included within the 5 AOKs.
3.3 Tools for Analysing the AOKs
In this curriculum, you will be using 4 tools to analyse the AOKs: Scope, Method and Tools, Perspective, and Ethics. Together, these make up the Knowledge Framework, and you will be required to use them in your Exhibition and your Essay.
3.4 Learning About the Knowledge Question
You will learn about how the Knowledge question differs from normal questions that we have in our lives. The curriculum introduces the core aspects of the knowledge question, including the fact that it doesn’t have a fixed answer to it and that it is a question that asks about our knowledge in general. By having this taught in the curriculum, it means that the knowledge question is rather fixed for your Exhibition or Essay. Hence, this also means that you can use the knowledge question you have learned in class directly.