*This article is part of the TOK Roadmap — a visual, all-in-one guide I created to help you ace Theory of Knowledge. [View the full roadmap here.]

In this article, I explain

• What is TOK Essay?
• Steps for a 10/10 essay

What is TOK Essay

TOK Essay is a 1,600 word essay answering a question about knowledge, in relation to two Areas of Knowledge (AoKs). IB releases 6 titles that you can choose from every year, and you have about 6 months to write the essay.

More details:

• 1,600 words including all main text and quotations, excluding title, word count, acknowledgements, references (footnotes, endnotes or in-text), and any maps, charts, diagrams, annotated illustrations or tables.
• You fill out a Planning and Progress form (PPF) to document your progress with the essay—this is not graded, but helps you show authenticity of your work.
• It’s a more traditional essay, with intro, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

Essay titles tend to be a little bit more specific than Exhibition prompts. For example, look at May 2023 title #1“Is replicability necessary in the production of knowledge? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge” ‘Replicability’ is a very specific word that needs to be the overall theme of your essay.

I’ll approach TOK Essay as a traditional essay but with some.. let’s say TOK surprises.

Steps for a 10/10 essay, from start to finish

1. Understand key TOK concepts necessary for this essay –> read this post
2. Explore the given titles and choose one –> read this post for tips
3. Understand how to structure the overall essay for balance and clarity –> read this post
4. Understand the perfect paragraph structure for a body paragraph –> read this post
5. Know what ‘implications’ are and how to incorporate it into your essay –> read this post

I also break down the TOK Essay rubric itself in this post.