The TOK essay engages students in a formal, sustained piece of writing in response to one of the six titles that are prescribed by the IB for each examination session. These titles take the form of knowledge questions that are focused on the areas of knowledge.
The TOK essay is an external assessment component. Each student’s essay is submitted to the IB to be marked by IB examiners. The TOK Essay must be written in standard 12- type size and be double-spaced. It is not primarily a research paper, but it is expected that specific sources will be used, and these must be acknowledged.
The maximum length of the essay is 1,600 words. Extended footnotes or appendices are not appropriate for the TOK essay.
The word count includes:
the main part of the essay
any quotations.
The word count does not include:
any acknowledgments
the references (whether given in footnotes, endnotes or in-text) and bibliography
any maps, charts, diagrams, annotated illustrations or tables.
If an essay exceeds the word limit, then examiners are instructed to stop reading after 1,600 words and to base their assessment on just the first 1,600 words. Students are required to indicate the number of words when the essay is uploaded during the submission process.
The TOK essay must be the student’s own work. However, the teacher plays an important role in supporting the student during the planning and writing of their essay. Teachers are expected to explain the requirements of the task and ensure that students are familiar with the assessment instrument, provide clarifications in response to students’ questions, monitor students’ progress, and check the authenticity of the student work.
For the TOK essay, three formal recorded interactions between the student and teacher are required. These three interactions must be recorded on the TOK essay Planning and Progress Form (TK/PPF). This form is not referred to by examiners when determining the mark awarded for the essay. However, it is submitted to the IB as important evidence that steps have been taken to help ensure the authenticity of the student’s work; it also plays an important role in terms of helping to ensure that all students receive an appropriate level of support when completing their essays.