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How To Structure A Theory of Knowledge Essay

The document outlines a structured approach to writing a Theory of Knowledge (TOK) essay, comparing it to a courtroom debate where both sides present evidence for their claims. It details a four-section structure consisting of an introduction, two body sections for different Areas of Knowledge (AOKs), and a conclusion, emphasizing the importance of supporting claims and counterclaims with relevant examples. The conclusion should synthesize insights from both AOKs and discuss their significance and implications.

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23 views3 pages

How To Structure A Theory of Knowledge Essay

The document outlines a structured approach to writing a Theory of Knowledge (TOK) essay, comparing it to a courtroom debate where both sides present evidence for their claims. It details a four-section structure consisting of an introduction, two body sections for different Areas of Knowledge (AOKs), and a conclusion, emphasizing the importance of supporting claims and counterclaims with relevant examples. The conclusion should synthesize insights from both AOKs and discuss their significance and implications.

Uploaded by

cohort25humbot
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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22.01.

2025 14:56 How to Structure a Theory of Knowledge Essay

The courtroom analogy


It's helpful to think of the TOK essay as though you're sharing the most
interesting bits of a conversation between two smart people. Or you
could think about it as presenting two sides of an argument about
knowledge, in front of a judge. To be successful each side needs to
present evidence and explain clearly how the evidence relates to the
question.

One side would say YES to the (prescribed title) question, using evidence
and the other is arguing the other side (saying NO), also using evidence.

In your essay, we want to see both sides argued well and then, in your
conclusion, you'll weigh up the evidence --telling us which side is the
more right (or the ways they're right) and maybe the circumstances
wherein the other side would be right.

Making sure your evidence actually supports your claims and


counterclaims is one of the toughest aspects of the essay.

The TOK Essay Structure


Our structure for the TOK essay has 4 sections (6 paragraphs) overall.

First, write your introduction. (100-150


words)
Paragraph 1
-Say one or two interesting things about the prescribed title
question. This shows us, right away that you know what the question
is asking.

-Define one or two of the key terms in the title. Get definitions for
all of the main words in your title. You don't need to include all of
them in your essay, but it's useful to see how different people think
about the words. Sometimes these definitions can also give you
some hints for claims, counterclaims or evidence.

-Give the reader a roadmap. Clarify for the reader how you're
going to explore the essay question--which AOKs you're using, for
example. This will make it easy for the marker to know what to look
for.

https://www.ibmastery.com/blog/how-to-structure-a-theory-of-knowledge-essay 3/13
22.01.2025 14:56 How to Structure a Theory of Knowledge Essay

Next write your first development. (2


paragraphs totalling 600 words)
Paragraph 2
-In this paragraph you'll explore your claim for AOK 1.

-State your claim. A claim is a topic sen­tence that outlines your


argument about the prescribed title. For example you could claim
that, “Mathematics can be relied on because it is a purely logical
system. It is axiomatic and independent of subjective experience.”

-Example. Your examples can be from your life, like something that
you noticed doing your Biology IA, or something from research,
like how CRISPR was discovered. The example needs to be specific,
precise and real though. And it needs to clar­ify and sup­port the
claim. So you could talk about how, “In mathematics we learned that
the inside angles of a triangle, in Euclidian space, sum up to 180
degrees.”

-Explain. Clarify (and explore) how your example supports your


claim. Notice what is interesting about your example and what it
says about the title.

Paragraph 3
-Counter-claim. Argue against your claim above. “However, it is
possible to come to different conclusions using different systems of
mathematics.”

-Example. Provide an example that supports your counter claim. “It


is not possible to demonstrate that the interior angles of a triangle
equal 180 degrees in Euclidian space, this cannot be proven within
other systems, such as spherical geometry or hyperbolic geometry.”

-Explain. Clarify (and explore) how your example supports your


counterclaim. Notice what is interesting about your example and
what it says about the title.

-Sum up the development section. Linking to the prescribed title,


highlight the insights you've had about this AOK and the prescribed
title. “It is therefore clear that mathematics is reliable to an extent,
but often it can only show something to be true within one fixed
system or approach.”

https://www.ibmastery.com/blog/how-to-structure-a-theory-of-knowledge-essay 4/13
22.01.2025 14:56 How to Structure a Theory of Knowledge Essay

Now, write another two body


paragraphs, for your second AOK. (600
words)
Paragraph 4
-State your claim.

-Provide an example, which supports the claim.

-Carefully explain how the example supports the claim.

Paragraph 5
-State your counter-claim.

-Provide an example, which supports the counter-claim.

-Carefully explain how the example supports the counter-claim.

-Sum up the insights you've had about this AOK and the prescribed
title.

Finally, write your conclusion. (200-250


words)
Paragraph 6
-Your conclusion. Explain what insights you've made, related to the
prescribed title question. Take some time to synthesize the major
insights you had about your two AOKs.

Implications and significance. Also tell us why it's important that


we know this. Clarify when and how it's matters that we understand
these insights.

-Perspectives and extensions. If you can, try to pull in a different


perspective, on your conclusion. Perhaps you can recognize a
different way of approaching the question, which could have
resulted in quite different insights than those you included in your
essay. Or you could also mention an unresolved question or a
limitation that your exploration revealed.

https://www.ibmastery.com/blog/how-to-structure-a-theory-of-knowledge-essay 5/13

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