TOK assessment: essay and exhibition

TOK Essay

In this box, we look at features of the TOK essays and answers to questions librarians typically have.

• The TOK essay is a traditional assessment for the TOK course, as it has been part of TOK requirements for a number of years. (The essay and the exhibition have the same amount of marks.)
• It is a formal essay but can be written without references. However, if sources of information are used, they must be referenced in a conventional manner. The student needs to respond to the title as provided by the IB, i.e. the student should not alter the title.
• There is a list of questions or titles that changes each year. The list is available on the Programme Resource Centre of MyIB. Here are two examples:
  • Does acquiring knowledge destroy our sense of wonder? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.
  • Do historians and human scientists have an ethical obligation to follow the directive: “do not ignore contradictory evidence”? Discuss with reference to history and the human sciences.
• A DP student also needs to complete a TOK essay Planning and Progress Form (TK/PPF). It is similar to one used for the Extended Essay and prepared by the student with the TOK teacher in three formal interactions. The aim is to show that the student has prepared, drafted and reflected on the essay title and thinking process, together with the essay process. Although this form is sent to the IB, together with a student's essay, the form is not seen by examiners but referred to if there are concerns about student malpractice or similar concerns. It therefore helps as evidence to show the essay is the student's own work.
• There is a recommendation that a student should allocate 10 hours in preparation of this assessment.
• The marking descriptors show the criteria for a good TOK essay. The highest band of marks can be accorded to an essay that
  • maintains a focus on and discusses the issues raised by the essay title and which the students links to appropriate areas of knowledge
  • arguments provided by the student are clear and connected and supported by relevant examples, and any implications acknowledged
  • different points of view are identified and evaluated.
• Timing. Given internal deadlines set by schools, it is not uncommon for the TOK essay to be among the last assessments - if not the last assessment - that a student completes before preparing for the final examinations. 

Details above sourced from either the IB Theory of Knowledge Guide and/or the accompanying Teacher Support Materials, both issued by the IB in 2020.  Two essay titles quoted above appear in another document Theory of Knowledge prescribed titles, May 2025 examination session, which is also available on the Programme Resource Centre. 

As mentioned above, the essay does not require research, but can be helpful - as my colleagues, who author the InThinking DP Theory of Knowledge website say: “a little reading can help ease the initial uncertainty and make a challenging title feel more approachable”. (Sims & Ostrowska, 2026)

Exhibition

The exhibition is a recent development as an assessed TOK requirement. It is assessed internally, but moderated by the IB. 

• The purpose is to enable a student to reflect on how TOK is manifested in the world we inhabit and enables a student to show their knowledge and skills.
• Each TOK student creates an individual exhibition of three items (objects or images of objects) linked by a common prompt or knowledge question - for example, Is bias inevitable in the production of knowledge? The prompt is selected from a list of such phrases provided by the IB. It is known as the ‘IA prompt’, IA standing for internal assessment. Just as with the TOK essay, the student should not change the prompt question.
• Items chosen for an exhibition could include photographs, books, text (e.g. a message on social media), a painting, a mug or water bottle, etc.
• It is recommended that students base their exhibition on the core theme or optional themes of TOK in order to give focus to their exhibition.
• A student must provide a written commentary on each item, together with a list of references. The maximum word count is 950 words.
• Timing. This assessment is designed to be undertaken in DP1, i.e. the first year of a student's Diploma experience, and each student is recommended to devote about eight hours to this particular assessment. 

Information above obtained from the Theory of Knowledge Guide, IB, 2020.