Each candidate must submit an essay on any one of the ten titles prescribed by the IBO. You must not alter or modify the title in any way. The titles have been chosen to be inter-disciplinary so that you can either focus on how knowledge is acquired in two Areas of Knowledge or compare several Areas of Knowledge in the TOK programme. Remember, the purpose of the TOK essay is to provide a critical examination of the Ways of Knowing – identifying and explaining the processes, strengths and limitations – of how we acquire knowledge and our understanding of the reality around us (yourself, other people, places and events). Feel free to compare and evaluate the Ways of Knowing in different Areas of Knowledge i.e., examine the nature of moral reasoning and its relationship to knowledge by comparing the processes involved with that of arriving at a scientific or an aesthetic understanding of reality.
Do not write an essay crammed with other people's arguments and ideas but with little analysis of your own, or, conversely, a purely personal reflective account devoid of any academic research. Try to show that you understand the major issues involved in the area of knowledge/understanding that you are analysing by drawing not only on other academic accounts but also your own experiences, your own illustrations, to reinforce the points that you wish to make. Show how we acquire knowledge and what role it plays in our global society.
Essay Length
The essay on the prescribed titles must be between 1200 and 1600 words in length (under or above this word-count and you will be penalised and awarded zero marks). The word count includes:
- the main part of the essay
- any quotations.
- any acknowledgements
- the references (e.g. footnotes or endnotes)
- any maps, charts, diagrams, annotated illustrations and charts
- a bibliography.
The Essay on the Prescribed Title is assessed by four criteria which all the same marks:
Does the essay demonstrate understanding of Knowledge Issues that are relevant to the prescribed title?
- Have you identified any uncertainties, assumptions, bias in the approach to knowledge or limitations of knowledge in the prescribed essay title?
- Have you consistently and prominently highlighted and explained these uncertainties, assumptions, biases and limitations throughout your essay?
- Have you identified the methods of verification and justification applicable to the title?
- Have you explained and maintained these methods of verification and justification in your essay?
- Have you assessed as to whether any methods of verification and justification are applicable to other Areas of Knowledge?
- Have you assessed as to whether the uncertainties, assumptions, biases are applicable to Areas of Knowledge and Ways of Knowing?
- Have you made perceptive links "between" the Ways of Knowledge and the Areas of Knowledge e.g., how perception affects the Natural Sciences in comparison to the Arts?
- Are all of your links explained clearly and supported with examples?
To what extent have the Knowledge Issues relevant to the prescribed title been connected to the student's own experience as a learner?
- Have you provided relevant/informative personal examples of your own learning experience which have challenged your own assumptions/misconceptions?
- Have you provided relevant/informative personal examples of your own learning experience which have challenged the assumptions/biases in the essay title?
- Have you drawn imaginative examples from more than one source i.e., books, films, newspapers, class notes?
- Have you shown examples of how to look at the same thing from different perspectives?
- Do the examples you provide reflect a high degree of cultural diversity?
- Do the examples you provide show originality and independent thinking?
- Does your essay reflect and express your own personal point of view?
What is the quality of the inquiry into the Knowledge Issues?
- Have all concepts and distinctions been scrutinised and analysed (don't just quote from a dictionary – you need to explore definitions to see if they really mean what we take them to mean)?
- Is your argument relevant to the prescribed title?
- Is your argument balanced – i.e., not biased?
- Are your examples factually correct?
- Are your examples relevant to the argument that you are making?
- Have you spelled out the logical conclusion of the assumption(s) or biases in the essay title?
- Have you explored and evaluated both sides to an argument?
Is the essay well organized and relevant to the prescribed title?
- Is the essay more than 1200 words and less than 1600 words?
- Is illustrative material appropriate, well set out and used effectively?
- Are all pages numbered?
- Have you got a concise, focused introduction which:
- identifies/highlights the problems of the Knowledge Issues in the title,
- explains concisely how you will address these problems,
- Is you argument logical, analysing all points of view?
- Have you explained clearly any concepts that you are using?
- Do you have an effective conclusion that draws on your argument/examples and relates them to how we attain knowledge and what role knowledge plays in our global society?
- Is all of the factual information taken from reliable sources i.e., books and not biased newspapers?
- Is all of your factual information referenced?
- Are all of your references cited consistently and correctly with the following guidelines?
a) Books: First name Surname, Title in Italics, Date, Publisher, Place of Publication.
Nicholas Alchin, Theory of Knowledge, 2002, John Murray, London.b) Editions: First name Surname, "Article Title" in First name Surname's ed., Title in Italics, Date, Publisher, Place of Publication, pages.
Sam Cohen, "Virtue" in D. Becker's ed., Ethics, 1999, Penguin, Oxford, pages 1-3.c) Newspapers: First name Surname, "Title of Article" in Title in Italics, Date, Page.
John Smith, "Knowledge" in The Times, 23 October 2007, page 1.d) Internet sites: Available from World Wide Web: <URL: http://www.theoryofknowledge.com.> (accessed 23/10/07)
N.B. you must also state the date when you accessed the site).e) Lecture/chat: As highlighted/said/raised by Speaker in his/her lecture "Title", 23 October 2007.
As highlighted/said/raised by Person, in my TOK class, 23 October 2007.