May 2015 ToK Essay Prompts

Hey ToKers,

Welcome back to LBHS! As some of you have heard by now the ToK Essay “Prescribed Title” have been released, and I’m pleased to report that the prompts are fantastic! They are very accessible and relevant to our course of study together. A couple of quick reminders: the ToK essay is a requirement for diploma candidates only, and I believe the final draft will be due in late January.

The essay does need to be verified by your ToK teacher, however. And given that I am not teaching ToK this year with you, I’m not sure how this will be addressed. By the way, I have your final essay graded. I prefer to meet with you as a group when I hand them back.

Thanks so much, and here are your  May 2015 Prescribed Titles.

These resources are meant to support your development of the ToK essay.

ToK Essay Planning Template: essay_template_en

how to write a ToK essay cambridge

ToK Helper

Effective Citing and Referencing

Flipboard Magazine Articles

Instructions to candidates
Your theory of knowledge essay for examination must be submitted to your teacher for authentication. It must be written on one of the six titles (questions) provided overleaf. You may choose any title, but are recommended to consult with your teacher. Your essay will be marked
according to the assessment criteria published in the Theory of Knowledge guide. The focus of your essays should be on knowledge questions. Where appropriate, refer to other parts of your IB programme and to your experiences as a knower. Always justify your statements and provide relevant examples to illustrate your arguments. Pay attention to the implications of your arguments, and remember to consider what can be said against them. If you use external sources, cite them according to a recognized convention.

Note that statements in quotations in these titles are not necessarily authentic: they present a real point of view but may not be direct quotes. It is appropriate to analyse them but it is unnecessary, even unwise, to spend time on researching a context for them.

Examiners mark essays against the title as set. Respond to the title exactly as given; do not alter it in any way. Your essay must have a maximum of 1600 words, it must be double spaced and typed in size 12  font.

Kind Regards,

Mr. Coey