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A TOK knowledge question is about how we know, not about the topic itself. It is open (people could reasonably disagree) and general (it uses ideas like evidence or interpretation). Start from a real example, use the builder below for a shape, then write the question in your own words.

Free guide. Facts checked against public sources, listed at the bottom.

Build a knowledge question

Work through the five steps. Nothing you type is saved or sent.

2. Start with
3. Pick an area of knowledge

A pattern to work from

To what extent does knowledge in the arts depend on interpretation?

Patterns are general on purpose. Your example is what makes a question yours.

Check it yourself:

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What makes a good knowledge question?

Three things: it asks about knowledge rather than the topic, it is open to reasonable disagreement, and it uses TOK ideas so it reaches past one example. You do not hand one in: you use knowledge questions to plan your exhibition and essay and to drive class discussion.

About knowledge, not the topic
Ask “How do historians decide which sources to trust?”, not “Why did the First World War start?”.
Open
Reasonable people could answer it differently, and both could back their answer up.
General
It uses TOK ideas (evidence, certainty, interpretation) so it reaches past one example.

What if I am stuck?

Ask about your example from a different angle. Run it through these seven questions; one of them usually opens it up.

  1. MeaningWhat does it mean?
  2. EvidenceWhat counts as evidence for it?
  3. CertaintyHow sure can we be?
  4. PerspectiveHow else could someone see it?
  5. LimitsWhere does it stop working?
  6. ValueWhy does it matter?
  7. ConnectionsHow is it like, or unlike, knowledge somewhere else?

What does the TOK course look like now?

The current course was first examined in 2022, so handouts with eight ways of knowing and eight areas are out of date.

  • Everyone studies the core theme, knowledge and the knower.
  • Two optional themes, from knowledge and technology, language, politics, religion, and indigenous societies.
  • Five areas of knowledge: history, the human sciences, the natural sciences, mathematics and the arts.
  • Four elements of the knowledge framework (some teachers call them lenses) for every theme and area: scope, perspectives, methods and tools, and ethics.
  • Two assessments: an exhibition of three objects all linked to one prompt (marked by your teacher, a third of the grade), and an essay of up to 1,600 words on one of six set titles (marked by an examiner, two thirds).

Your TOK and Extended Essay grades together can add up to 3 points. See what they add to your total.

Questions students ask

Are ways of knowing still part of TOK?
Not as a list you have to learn. The current course, first examined in 2022, dropped the eight ways of knowing. You can still talk about memory, emotion, reason or language as tools people use to know things.
What are the areas of knowledge in TOK?
Five: history, the human sciences, the natural sciences, mathematics and the arts. Ethics, religious knowledge and indigenous knowledge are no longer separate areas.
How is TOK assessed?
By an exhibition, marked by your teacher, and an essay on one of six titles the IB sets each session, marked by an examiner. The exhibition links three objects to one shared prompt in at most 950 words and is worth a third of your grade; the essay has a limit of 1,600 words and is worth two thirds.
How many points is TOK worth?
TOK and the Extended Essay together give up to 3 points out of 45, depending on both grades. An E in either one is one of the failing conditions: no diploma.
Will ExamSpine write my TOK essay or exhibition?
No. Both must be your own work. The builder above helps you find the shape of a question; the thinking, the examples and the writing are yours.

Choosing an IA topic too? How to find a good IA idea.