Theory of Knowledge essay (TOK essay) is an essential part of the compulsory coursework, which should be written by each IB student in order to get the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Successful TOK essay writing involves specific skills and knowledge acquired during the TOK course. TOK essay should contain up to 1600 words. The topic of the essay is chosen by the student from the list of ten topics offered by the IB. Each topic embraces cross-disciplinary questions based on the course material and each student is required to develop the suggested topic and draw the corresponding conclusions in the TOK essay.
Writing TOK essays is not an easy task. Being well prepared to them is a key to your essay’s successful accomplishment. The following TOK essay writing tips will help you reach the desired result:
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When choosing the topic of your TOK essay, give preference to specified titles. For example, if you see the title that sounds like “Theory of Knowledge by Aristotle”, do not take it, because it includes a number of aspects, which will have to be covered here. It is better to choose the topic, which sounds like “Epistemology According to Hegel by Aristotle” and focus on it more precisely.
- Pay attention to the structural parts of your TOK essay, namely the introduction, the body of the essay and its conclusion. The introduction, for example, may not be too large. Make it laconic, but informative. Do not forget that the introduction should obligatory contain your essay’s thesis statement.
- If you want your essay to be highly rated, you should convey your ideas without using literary clichés, which are easily recognizable at first sight. Keep in mind that your professors know them by heart and may think that you do not understand what you are writing about. So, it is preferable to use plain language when explaining particular concepts so that it could be vividly seen that you have got their essence.
- Use the sources wisely. Focus on several main sources and study them carefully in order to write a compelling TOK essay. Do not try to make an overview of all the available literature. It may prove to be simply a waste of time and may seriously affect the quality of your essay. Students who use a considerable number of sources when writing their TOK essays are more subjected to losing the messages and ideas they try to convey.
- Theory of knowledge involves a number of theorems and concepts. That is why if you intend at structuring your essay in the best way, it is recommended not to focus on theories only, but to illustrate them with actual manifestations.
All in all, no matter how complicated your TOK essay topic may initially seem, do not fall into despair. Consider the above mentioned TOK essay writing tips and benefit from using them when writing your paper.