*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 post, I explain

• the biggest and most common mistakes you should avoid for the TOK Essay.

Do you still have time to edit the TOK essay? Catch these common TOK essay mistakes before you submit — even small fixes can save you 1-2 marks.

If you’re here to see the detailed how-to guide on structuring your essay, read this article instead.

Mistakes for the Introduction

1. Avoid using generic or overused one-liners like “knowledge is power” or “Ignorance is bliss” – They sound cliché and don’t add any value to the essay.
2. Don’t force a fixed definition of a keyword unless there’s absolutely only one acceptable way to define it. For example, don’t declare what “knowledge” is (e.g. “knowledge is defined as a fact that is accepted by the community”—I mean, it can be, but knowledge isn’t just what people agree on) Instead, you can suggest possible definitions as they fit your essay.
3. Don’t make your overall argument a complete ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, ‘Always’ or ‘Never’ answer. TOK essay titles do not have one answer by design. IB wants to see you consider multiple perspectives.

Mistakes for the Body Paragraphs

*if you haven’t already, check out how to write a good paragraph.

1. Don’t spend too much time explaining your examples. TOK Essay isn’t a test of how much knowledge you have. Examples are just tools to help you make insightful claims about your title and knowledge in general. Do explain your examples just so that examiners clearly understand what they are, but focus your energy on analyzing that example.
2. Don’t write giant paragraphs packed with multiple arguments. Break things down and follow the ‘one paragraph, one argument’ rule.
3. Make sure to include “implications” of arguments—read about them here.

Mistakes for the Conclusion

1. Don’t repeat your thesis word-for-word.
2. Don’t simply list the arguments you made in your body paragraphs.
3. Avoid ending with a sweeping statement that tries to sum up TOK in a sentence, like “knowledge is essentially a double-edged sword”—it might sound like you’ve figured out TOK, which is not possible… Keep in mind: your essay explored the title, not solved it.

Avoiding these TOK essay mistakes will help you get a better mark.

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