What is TOK?

It is one of the components of the DP core and is mandatory for all students. The TOK requirement is central to the educational philosophy of the DP.

How is TOK structured?

As a thoughtful and purposeful inquiry into different ways of knowing, and into different kinds of knowledge, TOK is composed almost entirely of questions.

The most central of these is "How do we know?", while other questions include:

• What counts as evidence for X?

• How do we judge which is the best model of Y?

• What does theory Z mean in the real world?

Assessment of TOK

The TOK course is assessed through an oral presentation and a 1600 word essay.

The presentation assesses the ability of the student to apply TOK thinking to a real-life situation, while the essay takes a more conceptual starting point.

Example essays

As part of theory of knowledge (TOK), each student chooses one essay title from six issued by International Baccalaureate®(IB).

The titles change in each examination session.

Past questions include:

• “To what extent are areas of knowledge shaped by their past? Consider with reference to two

• areas of knowledge.”

• “ ‘There is no reason why we cannot link facts and theories across disciplines and create a common groundwork of explanation.’ To what extent do you agree with this statement?”

• “There is no such thing as a neutral question. Evaluate this statement with reference to two areas of knowledge.”

• “ ‘The task of history is the discovering of the constant and universal principles of human nature.’ To what extent are history and one other area of knowledge successful in this task?”

Students also take part in a presentation, which can be done individually or in a group of up to three people.