TOK Exhibition & Essay

TOK exhibition and TOK essay – how do they differ and what role do they play in the IB programme?

Theory of knowledge (TOK) is an interdisciplinary subject focused on analysing the nature and sources of knowledge – it develops academic thinking that is extremely valuable in university studies abroad and in research-oriented work. To pass theory of knowledge, students must complete two assignments: the TOK exhibition and the TOK essay.

TOK exhibition

The TOK exhibition is a project in which the student selects one of the official prompts, such as “What is the relationship between knowledge and culture?”, and chooses three objects that illustrate how knowledge operates in the real world.

Each object must have a clear, well-justified connection to the prompt, and the student prepares a brief commentary for each. The purpose of the exhibition is to show how TOK theory translates into real-world situations and tangible objects, and the main focus of assessment is the coherence and clarity of the argument.

TOK essay

The TOK essay is a piece of up to 1600 words written in response to one of the six prescribed titles published each year for IB students. An example of such a title is: “To what extent do you agree with Pythagoras’ claim that everything is number? Answer with reference to the arts and the humanities.”

The essay must answer a question about the nature of knowledge by developing a thesis, arguments, and examples from different areas. Unlike the TOK exhibition, the essay is more theory-oriented and analytical, and it is assessed externally by IB examiners.

What challenges do students face when working on TOK?

Many students begin working on TOK by trying to produce content without fully understanding what IB actually expects. This often leads to describing examples instead of analysing them. The difficulty becomes even more noticeable in the exhibition, where objects are frequently chosen intuitively, without a clear link to the prompt.

Another challenge is the difficulty in forming clear connections between examples and broader questions about knowledge. Students may know what they want to express, but struggle to turn this into a coherent commentary or argument that meets TOK requirements. This results in losing marks, particularly in criteria related to reasoning.

TOK criteria assess not only factual correctness but, above all, the complexity of thinking. Students often focus on the examples, while IB expects the ability to draw conclusions and demonstrate how knowledge functions across different contexts. A clear understanding of these criteria makes it easier to decide on suitable objects, arguments, or the overall structure of the text.

IB online tutoring in practice – how we prepare students for TOK

The first step in TOK tutoring is a conversation about the student’s idea and their interpretation of the chosen TOK topic – the tutor helps refine this idea and checks whether it is aligned with IB requirements and assessment criteria.

Next, the student and tutor work together to build a logical structure for the assignment – in the TOK exhibition this focuses on the connections between objects, while in the essay it involves structuring the argument and selecting relevant examples. During IB online tutoring, you learn how to move from example to conclusion in a way that gives each element a clear purpose and strengthens your answer to the prompt.

A major advantage of working with Tuteer is the use of digital tools and flexible remote learning – TOK tutoring online can take place at convenient times with top tutors, who have successfully completed the IB themselves and graduated from universities such as TU Delft, Karolinska Institutet, Erasmus University Rotterdam, or the Technical University of Madrid.

Get in touch with our tutors and prepare for TOK without stress

The first step in preparing for theory of knowledge is a short discussion of your idea for the TOK exhibition and TOK essay. This initial conversation helps determine your current stage of work and what kind of support will be most effective.

After the consultation, we will create a structured action plan together – refining the concept, building the structure, developing successive drafts, and receiving clear, concise feedback after each online session.

If you want a clear structure, logical argumentation, and a strong final TOK score, Tuteer will help you guide the project from the first sketch to the final version. Contact our team today.