The+Essay

The Theory of Knowledge course is assigned a total of 60 points, to which you receive up to 40 points for the essay and up to 20 points for the oral presentation.

The essay mark scheme can be accessed through the pdf file below:

In order to write a good ToK essay the guidelines below may help you:

__There are 8 stages of writing: __
1.Picking a topic 2.Identifying knowledge claims 3.Identifying knowledge issues 4.Developing analysis 5.Choosing appropriate examples 6.Applying appropriate structure

__Before you start TOK essays are:__
• written from the perspective of the knower (this means you!!) • not like English or History essays • reliant on analysis (not description) • are personal and cross - cultural



__Picking a topic__
You must pick from one of the prescribed titles

In choosing a prescribed title can you: • understand the topic? - what does it mean in a TOK context? • Identify knowledge claims • Identify appropriate knowledge issues? • Generate appropriate analysis • Find appropriate examples?



__Identifying knowledge claims__
What are knowledge claims?

Knowledge claims are something that we think that we know, ie:
 * believe to be true
 * want to evaluate to determine the level of validity

The aim of TOK is to ask the question: //**How do we know what we know? **// Knowledge claims may be justified in several ways:
 * intuition
 * perception
 * evidence
 * reasoning
 * memory
 * authority
 * group concensus
 * devine revelation
 * common wisdom
 * education



__Knowledge issues__
//**“knowledge issues are questions that directly refer to our understanding of the world, ourselves and others in connection with the aquisition, search for, production, shaping and acceptance of knowledge” TOK Guide Page 9**//

So, what does this mean?

Knowledge issues are the aims and objectives of the course demonstrated in a practical way. They are not necessarily negative aspects of the information in question. They are usually framed as questions but can be statements. They are based on the knowledge claims and are used to generate analysis and implications.

assumptions and their implications || What are the assumptions in the knowledge claim? What does this claim mean if we apply it to other areas? || perspectives on knowledge issues || Who is making the claim? What do they hope to achieve? What are the different points of view involved in making these claims? || between different approaches to knowedge issues || Can we compare & contrast our knowledge claims with others? How valid would they be? || hypotheses, alternative ideas and possible solutions || Asking questions about knowledge claims. What is it we think we know? What can we do with the claim to judge it’s validiy? ||
 * Objectives of the ToK course || How this is applied to knowledge issues ||
 * Analyse critically knowledge claims, their underlying
 * Demonstrate an understanding of different
 * Draw links & make effective comparisons
 * Generate questions, explanations, conjectures,