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General Questions about the TOK course/requirements/criteria


rch.hilburn

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  • 2 weeks later...

I do not really get how exactly this TOK Essay is written as our teacher did not really explain it. I am not asking for help on how to start writing or whatever as we have those threads already in here. I did read the assessment criteria in the TOK syllabus but I still do not really get it. I just have some questions and I want a direct answer. Do refer me to any part of the TOK syllabus if the answers to my questions are there as I haven’t read the whole syllabus.

So, I myself choose this title for my TOK Essay:

‘The vocabulary we have does more than communicate our knowledge; it shapes what we can know’. Evaluate this claim with reference to different areas of knowledge.

I know that I need to have a Knowledge Issue in my essay, but then, do we talk about the prescribed title or about the KI in the essay? Or is the prescribed title the KI? Or I need to come up with a KI on my own but it must be related to the prescribed title? So I need to narrow down the prescribed title, don’t I? Maybe I narrow it down to 2 AOKs and 1 WOK (i.e. language in this case) only, but can I change it or rephrase it using my own words? Then does my essay focus on the prescribed title or on the KI?

That’s all for now. I may be asking more questions later as I actually still have a lot of questions in my mind. Thank you.

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Your response should answer the question. You will limit yourself to around three AoK and find arguements that support and go against the claim for each AoK. The essay question is the main knowledge issue, it deals with and questions our the ability for us to know things without being able to label individual objects/feelings.

So your structure would be: Intro, AoK1 For, AoK1 against, AoK2 For, AoK2 against...ect.

Basically its asking you to analyse the extent the statement is true for AoKs of your choice.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

the IB has taught me to keep to the deadlines, but being a student of high potential, i wanted to start on the TOK essay a little early than usual. I would like to start it in summer just before school so that i have good time to revise for my MAY 2012 exams, do you guys think it would be a good idea to start early? but a problem arises - my TOK teacher has left school and we will have a new one this time; but i dont have his email or any other contact details.... i have done a practice TOK essay and scored the highest in the year for it... but i really dont know whether to start a new one with the prescribed titles, and besidees i dont know which one to pick too. One more question - when is the usual TOK essay deadline, because i heard from many different schools that its sometimes RIGHT after summer break, some say its in November..... your help is much appreciated :))

Edited by Sunnester_D
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the IB has taught me to keep to the deadlines, but being a student of high potential, i wanted to start on the TOK essay a little early than usual. I would like to start it in summer just before school so that i have good time to revise for my MAY 2012 exams, do you guys think it would be a good idea to start early? but a problem arises - my TOK teacher has left school and we will have a new one this time; but i dont have his email or any other contact details.... i have done a practice TOK essay and scored the highest in the year for it... but i really dont know whether to start a new one with the prescribed titles, and besidees i dont know which one to pick too. One more question - when is the usual TOK essay deadline, because i heard from many different schools that its sometimes RIGHT after summer break, some say its in November..... your help is much appreciated :))

I beat you, I've written 1400 words and I only need one more paragraph to complete my essay :P lol didn't mean to brag jk yes it's best to start now, my school had started writing a few months ago. you do have the list of prescribed titles right? if not it's in this forum. just pick one that really really interests you and start writing. the real deadline is in March or April I think but every school might have different internal deadlines (mine is next month so...) so you better ask your teacher.

PS. I like your sig! looks cuter than mine.

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the IB has taught me to keep to the deadlines, but being a student of high potential, i wanted to start on the TOK essay a little early than usual. I would like to start it in summer just before school so that i have good time to revise for my MAY 2012 exams, do you guys think it would be a good idea to start early? but a problem arises - my TOK teacher has left school and we will have a new one this time; but i dont have his email or any other contact details.... i have done a practice TOK essay and scored the highest in the year for it... but i really dont know whether to start a new one with the prescribed titles, and besidees i dont know which one to pick too. One more question - when is the usual TOK essay deadline, because i heard from many different schools that its sometimes RIGHT after summer break, some say its in November..... your help is much appreciated :))

I beat you, I've written 1400 words and I only need one more paragraph to complete my essay :P lol didn't mean to brag jk yes it's best to start now, my school had started writing a few months ago. you do have the list of prescribed titles right? if not it's in this forum. just pick one that really really interests you and start writing. the real deadline is in March or April I think but every school might have different internal deadlines (mine is next month so...) so you better ask your teacher.

PS. I like your sig! looks cuter than mine.

yesss i have the list of prescribed titless, and im baffled as to which one to choose, they all look rather daunting to me..... and imm parallely woorking on my personal statement which is also a pain in the back side..... god i hate IB, its too much work for your own good.

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  • 2 weeks later...

the IB has taught me to keep to the deadlines, but being a student of high potential, i wanted to start on the TOK essay a little early than usual. I would like to start it in summer just before school so that i have good time to revise for my MAY 2012 exams, do you guys think it would be a good idea to start early? but a problem arises - my TOK teacher has left school and we will have a new one this time; but i dont have his email or any other contact details.... i have done a practice TOK essay and scored the highest in the year for it... but i really dont know whether to start a new one with the prescribed titles, and besidees i dont know which one to pick too. One more question - when is the usual TOK essay deadline, because i heard from many different schools that its sometimes RIGHT after summer break, some say its in November..... your help is much appreciated :))

I beat you, I've written 1400 words and I only need one more paragraph to complete my essay :P lol didn't mean to brag jk yes it's best to start now, my school had started writing a few months ago. you do have the list of prescribed titles right? if not it's in this forum. just pick one that really really interests you and start writing. the real deadline is in March or April I think but every school might have different internal deadlines (mine is next month so...) so you better ask your teacher.

PS. I like your sig! looks cuter than mine.

yesss i have the list of prescribed titless, and im baffled as to which one to choose, they all look rather daunting to me..... and imm parallely woorking on my personal statement which is also a pain in the back side..... god i hate IB, its too much work for your own good.

Of all the questions I would go for topic 1 because its open ended.

Edited by JonathanSpencer
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  • 2 weeks later...

I have a question. Is it ok if my TOK presentation topic and my TOK essay topics are similar?

EDIT: I should probably make a new thread, since this question is kinda weird, not sure if it belongs here.

I already did my presentation and apparently it was "excellent" although I don't know what that means, because my teacher never showed me my mark.

It was about universal languages and to what extent they would be beneficial in our acquisition of knowledge.

Now I'm looking at the TOK essay topics and the one I keep wanting to do is #7, how vocabulary shapes the way we know.

Is that too similar? Does it matter?

It's funny because we didn't even talk much about language in TOK class. I mean we spent more time on things like logic and ethics.

Edited by SmilingAtLife:)
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I was wondering about discussion in the perception unit of class. I overheard my teacher saying some of the subtopics, such as pain, are not for the squeamish. This has made me a bit nervous because I am DEFINITELY squeamish, especially in a situation like this. I can handle gory movies if there are any that are watched in the class, but I can't handle hearing about gore - basically listening to someone describe something gory sends me for a loop. The teacher also mentioned someone fainting in a previous class which made me even more anxious about this...

How gory does TOK get? Or does it completely depend on the class and what kind of discussions are started on this?

Thanks :(

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  • 1 month later...
Guest -Guns of Steel-

I really to know whether I can include a flow chart. It will be an image. Is there any way I can get in touch with the IBO to ask them this? Since I really need to reduce my word count

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In your school when the time to write the ToK essay comes, do yo get the equivalent to an EE supervisor? who graded your ToK essay (internally)?

You don't get a "supervisor" so to say like you do with your EE, but your teacher may ask to see it periodically to offer suggestions if your school does it like that. The essay is actually marked externally, meaning it is sent somewhere in the world to be graded by a reader. So your essay might get sent to Kenya but your friend's essay goes to Italy. The internal component is the TOK presentation.

Edited by emyski
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  • 4 weeks later...

In TOK we need to write a practice essay similar to the final one. The question is: "It is more important to discover new ways of thinking about what is already known than to discover new data or facts’. To what extent would you agree with this claim?"

I understand the question and know somewhat how to answer it but I'm having trouble writing the introduction! Can anyone help me? What should I include in the introduction?

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  • 1 month later...

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