tok essay prompts 2020

IB ToK Essay Titles and Topics: November 2020

Here are links to ideas and suggestions relating to the the six November 2020 IB ToK Essay topics:

• Topic 1. "If a disagreement about knowledge claims needs to be resolved, then it is essential to give equal attention to both sides." Under what circumstances is this good advice?
• Topic 2. "Understanding something requires being able to answer ‘What if…?’ questions about it." To what extent do you agree with this statement?
• Topic 3. "Too much of our knowledge revolves around ourselves, as if we are the most important thing in the universe" (adapted from Carlo Rovelli). Why might this be problematic?
• Topic 4. "The process of gaining knowledge is more valuable than reaching an end result." Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
• Topic 5. "The questions we can ask depend more on what we already know than on what we do not know." Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
• Topic 6. "Reliable knowledge can lack certainty." Explore this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.

Title 1: "If a disagreement about knowledge claims needs to be resolved, then it is essential to give equal attention to both sides." Under what circumstances is this good advice?

Thoughts to consider with essay 1 include:

• might some knowledge claims have more than one side?
• the distinction between rational and non-rational agreement
• proofs resolve disagreement about knowledge claims, what else does?

Title 2: "Understanding something requires being able to answer ‘What if…?’ questions about it." To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Thoughts to consider with essay 2 include:

• the nature of counterfactual reasoning
• the role of the imagination in 'what if' thinking
• the varieties of understanding

Title 3: "Too much of our knowledge revolves around ourselves, as if we are the most important thing in the universe" (adapted from Carlo Rovelli). Why might this be problematic?

Thoughts to consider with essay 3 include:

• how can we measure the amount of knowledge, if at all?
• how do we distinguish trivial from non-trivial knowledge?
• what does genuine self-knowledge involve? Is it a bad thing?

Title 4: "The process of gaining knowledge is more valuable than reaching an end result." Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.

Thoughts to consider with essay 4 include:

• the extent to which any item of knowledge relies on other knowledge
• how do we measure the value of a process of gaining knowledge?
• the varieties of value involved in gaining knowledge

Title 5: "The questions we can ask depend more on what we already know than on what we do not know." Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.

Thoughts to consider with essay 5 include:

• do we have to be ignorant of some item of knowledge in order to ask about it?
• the role of our concepts in framing questions
• is possessing a concept a form of knowledge?

Title 6: "Reliable knowledge can lack certainty." Explore this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.

Thoughts to consider with essay 6 include:

• can we know a falsehood?
• are there degress of certainty?
• what is more important to the reliability of an item of knowledge, it's truth or it's justification?
• 1. "If a disagreement about knowledge claims needs to be resolved, then it is essential to give equal attention to both sides." Under what circumstances is this good advice?
• 2. "Understanding something requires being able to answer ‘What if…?’ questions about it." To what extent do you agree with this statement?
• 3. "Too much of our knowledge revolves around ourselves, as if we are the most important thing in the universe" (adapted from Carlo Rovelli). Why might this be problematic?
• 4. "The process of gaining knowledge is more valuable than reaching an end result." Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
• 5. "The questions we can ask depend more on what we already know than on what we do not know." Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
• 6. "Reliable knowledge can lack certainty." Explore this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.
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Breaking Down TOK Essay Titles 2020 | Part 1

Looking for the 20/21 titles? Click here!

Does anyone else also have a sense of dread when it comes to writing the TOK essay? How are we supposed to write an essay when we don’t even know what it is we’ve been talking about in TOK over the last year? To make matters worse, everyone is saying this year’s prescribed titles are some of the most difficult EVER! Luckily, over the next 2 weeks, we’ll break down the TOK essay titles to give you some ideas for the essay!

“Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not” (Pablo Picasso). Explore this distinction with reference to two areas of knowledge.

This question is exploring the different methods of acquiring knowledge and whether new, useful knowledge is best acquired by asking “why?” or “why not?”. Defining and explaining the difference/distinction between these two seemingly related questions will be key for substantive analysis into this quote. 

Despite seeming open-ended, this title becomes easier to explore when viewing it through the lens of our areas of knowledge. Naturally, as this is a Picasso quote, considering the quote with regards to art as an area of knowledge may be valuable. Would great artists have created the masterpieces of today if they had questioned their purpose in producing the art instead of questioning ‘why not’? Explore this with reference to a few examples.

To contrast, one could consider religious knowledge systems as an area of knowledge. Would religion be the same if thinkers purely asked ‘why’ things are the way they are, or was it asking ‘why not’ that developed major belief systems into what they now are? 

A potential structure for this essay could be:

• Examining how asking ‘why?’ may have allowed for the acquisition of new knowledge in your first area of knowledge.
• Contrast with how asking ‘why not?’ has led to the acquisition of different knowledge within that area of knowledge.
• Explore if there is a difference in validity or quantity between the knowledge acquired through these different questions.
• Repeat this analysis for the second AoK and consider if the same conclusion holds true for both AoK’s.

Need some more help with TOK? Click above for our free guide!

“There is a sharp line between describing something and offering an explanation of it.” To what extent do you agree with this claim?

An essential part in considering the gravity of this claim is detailing what can be defined as a ‘sharp line’. Clearly there is a difference between a description and an explanation, but is there anything that we can pinpoint which clearly marks something as one or the other? If so, there may be a sharp line, if not, perhaps the distinction is more subjective.

It may be interesting to explore this claim both from the point of view of the person doing the describing/explaining, and also from the point of view of the person acquiring the new knowledge. 

To consider the difference in describing/explaining from the ‘explainer’ one may place it in context of one of the natural sciences as an area of knowledge. For example, when conducting an experiment, a description of the process/outcome is quite different from an explanation of why that outcome takes place. The first implies observation without implied understanding, whereas the second requires a true understanding of the science at work. How sharp is this line? 

Is the difference between describing and explaining also sharp when considering it from the point of view of the learner? Is this where the difference between a description and explanation becomes blurred? Or is there some characteristic that can be pinpointed to clearly define a statement as a description versus explanation? Try exploring this with regards to mathematics as an area of knowledge (theorem vs. proof). 

Does it matter that your personal circumstances influence how seriously your knowledge is taken?

There is a mountain of information to unpack in the final of the three TOK essay titles. In order to deeply delve into this title, we need to:

1) define what personal circumstances are 2) consider why it is assumed that personal circumstances affects how seriously your knowledge is taken 3) (most importantly) discuss if this matters

One way of approaching this question is writing about the notion of biased perspectives and biased knowledge. Biases are personal circumstances that shape the way in which we see and perceive knowledge. Naturally, we as knowers take information from famously biased people, organisations, or news sources less seriously than ones in which we believe bias has not affected the information. This explains why the claim that ‘personal circumstances affects how seriously your knowledge is taken’ is already taken as a given in the question. 

The next question becomes if it matters that we assign less credibility to information/knowledge that deem to have been affected by personal circumstances (biases). Do we instantly accept certain knowledge as truth if the personal circumstances of the source of the knowledge align with your own personal circumstances? Shall we dismiss other knowledge, which may hold the same validity, simply because an individual’s personal circumstances cloud our judgement of the knowledge produced by that individual? Does this lead to us becoming more ignorant as knowers? What repercussions/consequences does this haven in society? Can you relate this to another area of knowledge (history) and explore if this has always been the case?

So there we have it, three of this year’s TOK essay titles broken down! How are you feeling about the TOK presentation? Click here to read about 20 ideas you could present!

Breaking down the TOK titles part 2!

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November 2020 TOK essay Prescribed Titles – Knowledge Questions

The Knowledge Questions below are starting points for an investigation into each of the Prescribed Titles. Some examples are quite broad and you can improve some of them by being a bit more specific depending on what AOKs / WOKs / RLEs you end up discussing in your essay. Some of the Knowledge Questions below address the most or all of a Prescribed Title but other Knowledge Questions only focus on one part.

1. “If a disagreement about knowledge claims needs to be resolved, then it is essential to give equal attention to both sides.” Under what circumstances is this good advice?

Knowledge Questions

How does giving equal treatment to both sides in an argument produce knowledge?

How do disagreements produce knowledge in ____________ (e.g. an AOK)?

To what extent does international diplomacy require both parties in a dispute to get equal attention?

2. “Understanding something requires being able to answer ‘What if…?’ questions about it.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

To what extent does in-depth knowledge of a particular topic require the investigation of hypothetical situations?

To what extent can a topic be understood without investigating hypothetical situations?

3. “Too much of our knowledge revolves around ourselves, as if we are the most important thing in the universe” (adapted from Carlo Rovelli). Why might this be problematic?

To what extent does ethnocentrism have a negative effect on knowledge acquisition?

How does nationality negatively affect the growth of knowledge?

How does a narrow academic / research focus affect learning?

How does a focus on human-centered topic of study affect learning?

4. “The process of gaining knowledge is more valuable than reaching an end result.” Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.

In what ways does focusing on process improve knowledge acquisition?

To what extent is achieving successful results the goal of research?

To what extent can a flawed process result in successful results?

How should ethics be balanced with the need to get results?

5.  “The questions we can ask depend more on what we already know than on what we do not know.” Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge. 

To what extent can knowledge only be gained from a point of reference?

To what extent are investigations independent of current knowledge?

6. “Reliable knowledge can lack certainty.” Explore this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge. 

To what extent is it possible to have reliable results without fully understanding the situation?

To what extent can knowledge only be reliable if there is certainty?

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IB TOK Essay examples

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Filter exemplars, for artists and natural scientists, which is more important: what can be explained or what cannot be explained discuss with reference to the arts and the natural sciences., does it matter if our acquisition of knowledge happens in "bubbles" where some information and voices are excluded discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge., want to get full marks for your tok essay allow us to review it for you 🎯, is replicability necessary in the production of knowledge discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge., are visual representations always helpful in the communication of knowledge discuss with reference to the human sciences and mathematics., fast track your coursework with mark schemes moderated by ib examiners. upgrade now 🚀, to what extent is the knowledge we produce determined by the methodologies we use discuss with reference to history and one area of knowledge., tok essay: 5. “how can we distinguish between good and bad interpretations discuss with reference to the arts and one other area of knowledge”, 如果我们是在排除某些信息和声音的“信息同温层”里获取知识，这有关系吗请参考两个知识领域展开你的应答。, does it matter if our knowledge acquisition happens in "bubbles" where some information and voices are excluded discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge., is replicability necessary in the production of knowledge discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge, do you agree that it is “astonishing that so little knowledge can give us so much power” (bertrand russell) discuss with reference to the natural sciences and one other area of knowledge., does it matter if our acquisition of knowledge happens in “bubbles” where some information and voices are excluded discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge., to what extent is the knowledge weproduce determined by the methodologieswe use, for artists and natural scientists, which is more important: what can be explained or what cannot be explained discuss with reference to the arts and natural science., êtes-vous d'accord qu'il est "étonnant que si peu de connaissance puissent nous donner autant de pouvoir" (bertrand russell) - discutez cette question en faisant référence aux sciences naturelles et à un autre domaine de la connaissance, est-il important que notre acquisition des connaissances se fasse dans des « bulles » où certaines informations et certaines voix sont exclues discutez cette question en faisant référence à deux domaines de la connaissance., to what extent is the knowledge we produce determined by the methodologies we use discuss with reference to history and one other area of knowledge., is replicability necessary in the production of knowledge discuss with reference to two area of knowledge, are visual representations always helpful in communicating knowledge discuss with reference to the human sciences and mathematics., are visual representations always useful in communication of knowledge discuss with reference to the human sciences and mathematics., for artists and natural scientists which is more important: what can be explained or what cannot be explained, is replication necessary in the production of knowledge discuss with reference to two aoks., do you agree that it is "astonishing that so little knowledge can give us so much power" (bertrand russell) discuss with reference to the natural sciences and one other area of knowledge., is replicability necessary in the production of knowledge.

Theory of knowledge

Theory of knowledge (TOK) is assessed through an exhibition and a 1,600 word essay.

It asks students to reflect on the nature of knowledge, and on how we know what we claim to know.

TOK is part of the International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) core, and is mandatory for all students.

Learn more about theory of knowledge . You can also find examples of TOK essay titles and read about how the IB sets deadlines for TOK .

You may also be interested in the other components of the DP core: creativity, activity, service (CAS) and the extended essay .

Learn more about TOK in a DP workshop for teachers . 

DP subject briefs

Find out about what each subject offers within the Diploma Programme (DP).

Our DP subject briefs—for both standard and higher level—contain information about core requirements, aims and assessment.

• Explore the DP subject briefs

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