Planning a TOK essay

Once you have chosen the title and have completed your question analysis, don’t rush into the actual writing just yet. Planning the essay will not only make it much easier to write but also ensure that your ideas and train of thought flows well. Don’t rush through this stage because writing is really the easy part if you have a concrete plan!

Topic Sentences

Imagine that someone is asking you this question, what would your first response be? Think of direct answers to it. Each answer might just be a line or two but ensure that it is a logical response to the title. It might have little elaboration to it but anyone reading this answer would have some idea of what you are trying to say. These answers that you provide will essentially be your topic sentences.

As part of the mark scheme, something that examiners look out for is a range of perspectives. If all your answers seem to agree with the statement or vice versa, one thing you should do is look for counterpoints. Be careful with you find counterpoints that you do not directly reject the original topic sentence.

For example:

Point: A is true because of B.

Counterpoint: Actually B is not even true so A is probably not true.

By giving a counterpoint like this, the examiner can basically disregard the point you gave because ultimately, you exposed your own flaw with the original argument.

Alternative counterpoint: Perhaps, we also need to consider C and how it could potentially result in A being false.

An argument like this does not make the original point obsolete but provides an alternative explanation. It shows the examiner that you are able to consider multiple perspectives and are not closed off to a single idea.

Explanation

The next stage is to put in point form how you might elaborate further on your point. Going back to the example above, I might explain more about B and what makes it relevant.

An important thing to note is that at this stage you are merely explaining your point in the context of the areas of knowledge you have chosen. There is no need at this stage to bring in any real-life examples. 

Finding examples

Choosing appropriate examples really makes an essay but it can also be difficult to do.

Firstly, avoid using examples that are overused (like the Holocaust). If you are able to find original examples, it will definitely make the essay more unique. You can also take inspiration from the work you have already done in the IB like your IAs and EE.

Secondly, you have to be smart about the way approach research. Knowing your point and the argument you are trying to frame, search for examples that you can write in a way that would suit what you want to say. This means you might need to search for specific processes or conclusions in your  real-life example.

Since the examiner might not be very familiar with the real-life example, you will need to give context to the example. However, do not waste words and go into too much detail when describing the example. Focus instead on the key issues which are relevant to your argument. As long as someone who has never heard of the example before is able to get the gist of it, the example has served its purpose. Using images can also be helpful in describing the real-life example.

Thesis

The last step is to look back on all the points you have made and decide on your overall stance regarding the question. Are you agreeing with the statement? Are there times when you disagree? Are there specific processes that knowledge producers use? 

Depending on how you view the question, choose your thesis and while you can add this in your introduction, it will also be the key to your conclusion.

With this plan, you can now begin writing your essay with ease!