Table of content
Without further adieu, let’s dive in!
Hola Folks!
It’s been quite a roller coaster for students who have opted for the TOK (Theory Of Knowledge) Diploma Programme, with the new syllabus introduced in August 2020. TOK Exhibition is probably the most important addition. Replacing the previous Presentation Assessment, the TOK Exhibition explores how TOK manifests in our world.
The IB has introduced the TOK Exhibition to inspire students to relate the knowledge gained in the classroom to the world beyond. The Assessment Model has seen a massive change, but since TOK Essay is the same old, TOK Exhibition is what we’ll discuss in this guide!
This change in the TOK Diploma Programme structure is effective from August 2020 and will be first examined for the students taking the examination in May 2022.
Changes/Modifications can easily haunt you without proper guidance. We at Nail IB are committed to serving premium content, helping you prepare, and updating you regularly. For premium content and notes, head to our specially curated treasure trove of IB Resources! To evaluate yourself, check out our Question Bank today!
Before we take you through this guide’s contents, we will briefly outline the critical changes the DP Theory of Knowledge(TOK) course has seen, introduced only last August.
- The new core theme on “knowledge and the knower.” Students will be encouraged to think of themselves as today’s knowers and strongly link to the IB learner profile.
- Optional Themes- “knowledge and technology” and “knowledge and politics” introduced.
- Ethics is a critical requirement for every part of the course.
- TOK Exhibition replaces the previous presentation IA with a different task and moderation process. This new assessment instrument aims at showing how TOK manifests in the real world.
You must know that the two Assessment tasks for TOK are
- Theory of Knowledge Exhibition
- Theory of Knowledge Essay on a title prescribed by the IB
The IB prescribes the Assessment objectives to be as follows:(these will guide you to get a hands-on idea about what the IB expects of your TOK Assessments)
- To demonstrate TOK thinking through the critical examination of knowledge questions.
- To identify and explore links between knowledge questions and the world around us.
- To identify and explore connections between knowledge questions and areas of knowledge.
- To develop relevant, clear and coherent arguments.
- To use examples and evidence effectively to support a discussion.
- To demonstrate awareness and evaluation of different points of view.
- To consider the implications of opinions and conclusions.
Before moving on, we recommend you check out our IB TOK Essay Guide, which makes for 2/3rd (67%) of your IB Assessment grade. This guide will help you understand the subject’s fundamental concepts and eventually produce a top-notch IB TOK Essay.
And for the IB TOK Exhibition, continue reading!
First and foremost, you need to understand what the newly added TOK Exhibition is. Weighing 33% of your total TOK grade, the TOK Exhibition requires you to create an exhibition of three objects with accompanying commentaries to highlight your engagement with the concepts you have learnt in the class. You’re supposed to carry out the Exhibition individually and ensure the objects you choose don’t overlap with someone else’s at your school. The TOK Exhibition is marked internally and then perhaps externally moderated.
Now is the time to briefly list the differences between the previous IB TOK Presentation and the newly added- IB TOK Exhibition. These differences will help you get a clear and coherent idea about precisely what has changed and how you can nail your TOK Assessment!
| IB TOK Exhibition | IB TOK Presentation |
|---|---|
| To be strictly performed individually. | Performed in groups of 3, in pairs, or individually. |
| Exhibition of the three objects you choose in the context of the IA prompt chosen(prompt to be picked from the 35 prompts prescribed by IB). | Presenting the work based on a specific real-life situation in a knowledge question as a framework, in relevant slides. |
| Exhibition activities at schools are encouraged, which in turn create awareness about TOK in the school. These Exhibition activities are not a part of the formal assessment. | Presentation is a part of the assessment and evaluates how well you articulate your thoughts while presenting before your class. |
| TOK Exhibition file is scored and moderated. | Presentation Planning Document is moderated externally, but the presentation holds equal importance in the grading. |
Figure 1
The entire process that goes into completing your TOK exhibition includes
- Preparing the file of work of your Exhibition (noun) - Students need to produce a single file comprising the content of their TOK exhibition.
- Exhibition(verb) of your work
The document you prepare for the work you have done is marked internally and externally moderated. Your work's Exhibition (verb) is a part of the assessment but doesn't get graded. Your TOK Exhibition file should include
- A clear title that indicates the IA prompt selected,
- Images of the three objects used.
- A typed commentary includes identifying the objects, their real-world relation, their relevance to the Exhibition and their link with the IA prompt selected.
- Relevant citations and references.
The Exhibition of your work is not a part of the formal assessment, and there is a great deal of flexibility in how your teacher chooses to go ahead with the Exhibition. A few ideas, as listed by the IB, are
- A classroom Exhibition,
- A virtual Exhibition,
- A school held an Exhibition open for all parents and other school members.
Let's break it down into points to understand what the TOK Exhibition covers.
- The Exhibition is not assessed; only your work folder needs to be submitted for grading.
- The file of work should broadly encompass the following:
- The IA Prompt you choose
- Images of the three objects you pick,
- Typed Commentary.
- The IB strictly permits up to 950 words for your document(not including citations, references, bibliographies, footnotes etc.).
- It is also essential to understand the IB TOK Exhibition rubric, which can be found in your TOK subject guide. IB has shared specific characteristics for the score your TOK Exhibition manages to get:
- Excellent (9-10) - Convincing, Lucid, Precise
- Sound (7-8) - Focused, Relevant, Coherent\
- Satisfactory (5-6) - Adequate, Competent, Acceptable
- Primary (3-4) - Simplistic, Limited, Underdeveloped
- Rudimentary (1-2) - Ineffective, Descriptive, Coherent
- Score 0
- The Exhibition will take place in the first year of TOK teaching, i.e., the first year of the diploma.
Let us elaborate a little more on how you are supposed to pick an IA prompt, choose three relevant objects, and go about the commentary and other essential pointers.
- Unlike the essay titles, which change, the IA prompts IB has prescribed the same each year. Listed below are the 35 standard IA prompts you are supposed to choose from(These prompts should not be altered; use them as prescribed)
- What counts as knowledge?
- Are some types of knowledge more useful than others?
- What features of knowledge have an impact on its reliability?
- On what grounds might we doubt a claim?
- What counts as good evidence for a claim?
- How does the way that we organise or classify knowledge affect what we know?
- What are the implications of having, or not having, knowledge?
- To what extent is certainty attainable?
- Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?
- What challenges are raised by the dissemination and/or communication of knowledge?
- Can new knowledge change establish values or beliefs?
- Is bias inevitable in the production of knowledge?
- How can we know that current knowledge is an improvement upon past knowledge?
- Does some knowledge belong only to particular communities of knowers?
- What constraints are there on the pursuit of knowledge?
- Should some knowledge not be sought on ethical grounds?
- Why do we seek knowledge?
- Are some things unknowable?
- What counts as a good justification for a claim?
- What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?
- What is the relationship between knowledge and culture?
- What role do experts play in influencing our consumption or acquisition of knowledge?
- How important are material tools in the production or acquisition of knowledge?
- How might the context in which knowledge is presented influence whether it is accepted or rejected?
- How can we distinguish between knowledge, belief and opinion?
- Does our knowledge depend on our interactions with other knowers?
- Does all knowledge impose ethical obligations on those who know it?
- To what extent is objectivity possible in the production or acquisition of knowledge?
- Who owns knowledge?
- What role does imagination play in producing knowledge about the world?
- How can we judge when evidence is adequate?
- What makes a good explanation?
- How is current knowledge shaped by its historical development?
- In what ways do our values affect our acquisition of knowledge?
- In what ways do values affect the production of knowledge?
The TOK Exhibition Instrument says that an exhibition that does not reflect one of the prescribed prompts will be awarded a zero.
You are then expected to base the Exhibition on your IA prompt.
This brings us to the next step: selecting three relevant objects or images of things that mean something to you
- Ensure that the chosen item has a real-world context.
- Links among the three things must also be given.
- All three selected items should link to the prompt chosen.
- IB encourages students to base their Exhibition on one of the TOK themes- core or optional.
A few essential pointers to note while selecting the three objects
- Though there can be many options to pick your objects from, it is best to narrow them down by basing your Exhibition on the core or optional themes.
- The objects you pick should be of personal interest to you and should portray their value to you. For example, a regular cricket bat won't hold much significance, but it has much more importance and buy when it belongs to you.
- Objects can be both physical and digital. However, IB recommends using digital things such as a picture of a famous artist's painting since it is impossible to produce it physically.
- IB permits using objects created by the student, but these objects must have an older relevance and should not be made for the Exhibition's sole purpose. The TOK Exhibition objects' purpose is to relate the theory studied in the classroom to what we see daily.
- A specific real-world connection of the object used is vital since generality does not highlight the object's importance. A few specific yet diverse examples of real-world objects, as mentioned by the IB itself, are:
- A basketball is used by the student during their physical education lessons.
- A news article from the popular website Buzzfeed
- The student's extended essay (EE).
- Identification of the objects or the objects' images is necessary, and proper referencing must be done. If the thing is your creation, identify and acknowledge it.
The third very important part of your file work is the typed commentary. Let us understand what it is
- You have to write a short commentary on the objects you have chosen, clearly identifying them, justifying why you included them in the Exhibition of the selected prompt and specifying their real-world context.
- The 950 words you must include in your document include the typed commentaries for each of the three objects you chose.
- All the while drafting your document, ensure you follow the assessment rubric as prescribed by the IB. The only surefire way to write a paper that gets a top score follows all the points included in the title.
The best guidance comes from the course teacher; therefore, you are advised to seek your TOK teacher's support, i.e. planning your Exhibition while you are working on it. Verbal and written advice should be sought from the teacher, but taking assistance from them to edit your draft is strictly prohibited. Your TOK teacher will provide you with the TOK Subject Guide and the MyIB repository examples for TOK Exhibition.
And that's that!
We hope these little points will help you explore further the vast realms of the Theory of Knowledge Course. It might seem confusing with the changes the DP Course has seen, but you will surpass your expectations with the proper guidance and support! On this note, we wish you all the very best for your IB TOK Exhibition :)
Want some A-quality guidance? Look no further; at Nail IB, we have assembled premium content for you to ace your IBs, and you might want to check out our resources for a smooth IB experience. Click here for top-notch IB resources or to assess how your prep is going!
We hope this guide helped clear all your doubts regarding the new TOK Exhibition and gave you the headstart you needed!