tok essay prompts may 2022

May 2022 TOK essay titles

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M22 prescribed essay titles

The M22 TOK prescribed essay titles are now being written by Northern Hemisphere schools, for a mid-March deadline. Check out the M22 TOK essay webinar , which models what an initial unpacking session would look like. Below you’ll find the key words to pin down in the essay introduction, links to the  BQ framework , and other consideration points.

Prescribed title 1

The ideas you see here roughly correspond to the initial unpacking session you will have with your TOK teacher. You’ll then go on to have three face-to-face interactions with your teacher, in which you’ll discuss your progress in writing the essay , working through any difficulties and challenges you experience.

Make sure you pin down…

• I ndependent of culture

relates to…

• Perspectives (BQ4) – think about how knowledge is subject to interpretation, and whether that interpretation is culturally-driven.
• Creativity (BQ5) – think about the development of knowledge, and the role culture plays in this.

BEAR IN MIND…

• Knowledge itself will require a definition
• Can knowledge be produced without a cultural background?
• Mathematics – the assumption is that this is independent from culture – is that true?
• See culture in our key concept resource

Prescribed title 2

Make sure you pin down….

• World of difference

RELATES TO…

• Foundations (BQ1) – think about the nature of truth, role of facts, etc. – and come up with your own definitions of these.
• Spin (BQ3) – facts can be used to mislead us, by presenting half-truths (“A truth that’s told with bad intent / Beats all the lies you can invent.”- Blake)
• Angelou’s full quote also refers to ‘facts can obscure the truth’ – tricky to decide whether to include this section of the quote
• Ensure it establishes (or refutes) world of difference – not just difference
• A broad question in terms of which AOKs you can select
• See truth in our key concept resource

Prescribed title 3

• Solid justification  
• More highly
• Values (BQ2) – this could be one of the bases for this essay, that highly regarded knowledge is synonymous with knowledge that helps us to improve our values
• Perspectives (BQ4) – perhaps highly regarded knowledge is that which is the most objective (and therefore least vulnerable to interpretation)?
• Experts (BQ6) – think about how do we regard knowledge with more discernment
• What does ‘solid’ justification mean (as opposed to just plain old ‘justification’)?
• Regarding something highly is vague – needs pinning down very clearly
• The purpose of knowledge needs to be considered
• See justification in our key concept resource

Prescribed title 4

• Telling of stories
• Spin (BQ3) – think about communicating ideas via means that aren’t always factually-based.
• Creativity (BQ5) – think about how we create knowledge via our imagination.
• What does ‘give knowledge meaning’ mean – and how does this happen via ‘telling stories’?
• The most prescriptive of the PTs
• There is a lot of cross-over between history and the human sciences – it could be harder to craft a contrasting essay. 
• It could also turn into a descriptive essay (it’s not “to what extent to historians and human scientists…”)
• ‘Telling stories’ really needs to be nailed down.

Prescribed title 5

• Good  
• Interpretations
• Perspectives (BQ4) – think about how our perspectives lead us to make different interpretations. When does this strengthen our claims (perhaps personal experiences)? When does this detract from our claims (perhaps when we seek to confirm our biases)?
• Experts (BQ6) – think about how experts make discerning judgements on the world – in terms of humility, evidence, an agenda that doesn’t seek to be served, etc.
• There is quite a lot for students to do with this essay – interpretations within the arts will probably be evaluated in a completely different way to other AOKs
• See interpretation in our key concept resource

Prescribed title 6

• Ethical grounds  
• Boundaries of acceptable investigation
• Values (BQ2) – clear links with this BQ. Think about how and who should decide on the ethical boundaries of knowledge?
• Creativity (BQ5) – this is about creating new knowledge, so it also links to this BQ
• “If we conclude”… but if we don’t? 
• Who is the ‘we’? Not a bad thing – this is a great way of including a consideration of perspectives in this essay. The experts? The authorities? Ordinary knowers? Etc.

M22 essay webinar $24.99 / $49.99

This webinar discusses the M22 titles, and how to begin writing the TOK essay. We look at the key words of the titles, link them to the course, and run over possible approaches. This is a great starting point for writing the essay, and works similarly to the initial unpacking session that teachers run with their students.

• Group ticket – $49.99
• Individual ticket – $24.99

May 2022 Theory of Knowledge Essay Titles | Tips + SAMPLES

Table of contents

• Writing Metier

Already nervous about the BIG ToK essay? We hear ya! From finding the right ToK essay topic to making sure you cover all your basis, ToK essay can be a big deal and frankly overwhelming as well. The key here, however, is forward planning and by the looks of it, you seem to be on the right track!

IMPORTANT! These are topics for the year 2022. Check the latest 2024 November TOK Essay Titles

Finalizing the topic for your essay is just one component of ToK but an extremely important one. According to the ToK essay core, it holds 67% weightage in the final grade. Through this essay, examiners see how coherent, critical and clear the reflection and analysis of the topic you have chosen is. And because of how essential the essay is, students often find themselves in a pickle because they are often not guided correctly on how this essay needs to be done.

The idea behind this essay is not to assess the amount of knowledge you possess regarding a subject matter, but how you explain the findings that you have. It must demonstrate your knowledge in a constructive manner and that is what helps you with this 67% of the grade.

ToK essay topics:

Now that you have landed on this page much in advance, let’s touch some base on the prescribed May 2022 theory of knowledge essay titles. Furtheremore, you will find several ToK essay 2022 samples completed by our theory of knowledge essay writers .

1. “Can there be knowledge that is independent of culture? Discuss with reference to mathematics and one other are of knowledge.” + SAMPLE

If  Math as a subject  is something you are passionate about, this is the perfect topic for you. Here, you need to talk about mathematics and the relation that culture has to it. The best way to explore this topic is to talk about the universality of mathematics in terms of the subject being one that is extremely objective. The same formulae are used to solve problems in mathematics world over. However, when we talk about a different area of knowledge like human sciences or art, we can explore how these are highly subjective in nature. Hence, contrasting the role of culture in these two areas of knowledge can help understand this much better.

2. To what extent do you agree with the claim that ‘there’s a world of difference between truth and facts’ (Maya Angelou)? Answer with reference to two areas of knowledge. + SAMPLE

Including two areas of knowledge may get a handful, but it’s not to say that this won’t be an interesting ToK essay because of how subjective and debatable it is. In this essay, you have to talk about the fine line of difference between truth and facts. The best approach here is through the use of examples. It can be quite difficult to understand this for someone who does not have any prior idea of the substantial difference between the two. For this reason, pick out something that you are familiar with, and then highlight how the truth and facts differ in these.

3. Is there solid justification for regarding knowledge in the natural sciences more highly than knowledge in another area of knowledge? Discuss with reference to the natural sciences and one other area of knowledge.

Science is the most important source of knowledge and information. It gives us the solutions we need in our everyday functionality and helps in unfolding the mystery of the world. If you are a science geek, this is the perfect topic for you to proceed with. If you decide to go with this topic, then it is best that you give examples from the sciences and highlight how these can be evidence based, and hence proved to be right or wrong. Contrasting this with something more subjective like the human sciences can help shed light on this in the best possible way. The point that you need to highlight here is how natural sciences as a subject is one that is highly evidence based, whereas other areas of knowledge are subjective, and different meanings can come out of those.

4. How do historians and human scientists give knowledge meaning through the telling of stories? Discuss with reference to history and the human sciences.

Storytelling is an art and historians and scientists have been doing that for decades with their findings about life on the earth. This topic requires an essential link between these two disciplines. The idea is to shed light on what storytelling mainly is, and how storytelling can help gain insightful knowledge in different situations. The idea behind using these two areas of knowledge is that these are as such that storytelling is very common in these. So give examples of how historians and human scientists have come up with evidence through the use of stories, and how it has been helpful in people understanding things in a much better way,

5. How can we distinguish between good and bad interpretations? Discuss with reference to the arts and one other area of knowledge. + SAMPLE

Gut feelings and interpretations are indeed important human fundamentals. This is a fun topic to play around with and if you wish, you can get into the depths of multicultural elements around interpretations and discuss how they vary geographically as well. The way that human beings interpret things differs greatly from situation and situation. Not just that, but there are also several other factors that affect our understanding of things, which essentially means that our interpretation will also differ.

6. If we conclude that there is some knowledge we should not pursue on ethical grounds, how can we determine the boundaries of acceptable investigation within an area of knowledge? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.

This is a common debate – the correlation between law and ethics. If you like to take a controversial front in a topic, this essay topic might be the perfect fit for you! Ethics in itself is something that is so highly debatable based on the opinions and outlook of different people. So outlining your own definition and boundaries of ethics, you can talk about the role that ethics plays when it comes to knowledge. This can be a very interesting topic for you to work on if you can highlight the different role that ethics plays in different areas of knowledge based on several different schools of thought.

The year 2023:

• November 2023 TOK essay prompts
• November 2022 prescribed TOK essay titles

Previous years prompts:

• November 2021 ToK Essay titles
• May 2021 Theory of Knowledge essay prompts

Now you know about the ToK essay topics you can expect for May. Plan ahead, don’t mess with the TOK essay word count , and start doing your research.

⏩ And in case you feel you  need a hand with the ToK essay , you know where to come! ⏪

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Vasyl Kafidoff is a co-founder and CEO at WritingMetier. He is interested in education and how modern technology makes it more accessible. He wants to bring awareness about new learning possibilities as an educational specialist. When Vasy is not working, he’s found behind a drum kit.

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Theory of Knowledge

Welcome to the TOK blog for students around the world. We are sure that you have many questions and queries concerning your TOK essays and presentations and this blog gives you the space to engage with them alongside like-minded, thoughtful people.

Precepts to use in everyday life

Tok essay titles nov 2024, monday, september 13, 2021.

• ToK Essay Prescribed Titles May 2022

 Here are the published titles for the ToK Essays submitted for examination in May 2022 and based on the new ToK Curriculum 2022 c/o ibtokessaytutor.com:

Q1. Knowledge & its dependence on culture.

Q2. Truth, facts and the gap between them.

Q3. Justifications for holding N Science knowledge in high regard.

Q4. Using stories to give meaning in History & H Science.

Q5. Difference between good & bad interpretations.

Q6. Ethics, boundaries and acceptable investigations.

All the best!

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May 2022 TOK Essay Prescribed Titles – basic knowledge questions

The new TOK curriculum (starting with the May 2022 cohort) has a revised essay and a slightly different kind of prescribed titles.  Looking at previous sets of essay and prescribed titles can be helpful in preparing for your essay but be aware of what has changed over time. 　

One element of the essay that remains the same is breaking down a prescribed title into knowledge questions.  Each individual TOK essay should address the prescribed title from different angles – i.e. different knowledge questions.  Once you have a set of knowledge questions for your essay you need to start trying to answer them – these answers will eventually become the topic sentences for your body paragraphs. As you develop your essay you may change / add / remove knowledge questions.

The knowledge questions below are quite broad and are just a starting point; they are not necessarily essay-ready.  You need to come up with a set of unique knowledge questions and arguments for your own essay.

With the new type of prescribed titles there starting with the May 2022 prescribed titles there has been some discussion / debate over whether or not the general process of breaking down a prescribed title into knowledge questions is still the same or not.  Since the prescribed titles are now themselves knowledge questions there have been some TOK teachers (and apparently even workshop leaders) who questioned whether or not it was still necessary to analyze the key terms, come up with knowledge questions derived from the prescribed title etc.

I asked the IB directly for clarification and they made it clear (and state directly) that the process is the same.  The only differences they noted is that the prescribed title is now a knowledge question and that some titles specify AOKs.

A few minor modifications have been to the  TOK essay process  page but 98% of the process is unchanged.

1. Can there be knowledge that is independent of culture? Discuss with reference to mathematics and one other area of knowledge. 

To what extent is the research process in _______ (AOK) independent of culture?

To what extent does the universal nature of mathematics mean that it is independent of culture?

How is the teaching of mathematics dependent on culture?

To what extent does the language of research result in a knowledge that is dependent on culture? 

To what extent does studying ___________ in translation highlight the link between knowledge and culture? 

2. To what extent do you agree with the claim that “there’s a world of difference between truth and facts” (Maya Angelou)? Answer with reference to two areas of knowledge. 

How is truth distinguished from facts in ________ (AOK)?

To what extent does ________ show that there is not difference between truth and facts?

How does the scientific method help highlight the differences between truth and facts?

To what extent do differences in artistic interpretation demonstrate that there is a difference between truth and facts?

3. Is there solid justification for regarding knowledge in the natural sciences more highly than knowledge in another area of knowledge? Discuss with reference to the natural sciences and one other area of knowledge. 

To what extent does the scientific method show that knowledge in the natural sciences is superior to knowledge in ________ (AOK)?

How does ________ show that knowledge in the natural sciences and ________ (AOK) are equal?

How does ________ show that knowledge in the natural sciences is inferior to knowledge in ________ (AOK)?

4. How do historians and human scientists give knowledge meaning through the telling of stories? Discuss with reference to history and the human sciences. 

How do historians use academic research papers to give knowledge through the telling stories?

How do human scientists use lab reports to give knowledge through the telling stories?

To what extent is the use of ____________ by historians / human scientists a way of using stories to pass on knowledge?

5. How can we distinguish between good and bad interpretations? Discuss with reference to the arts and one other area of knowledge. 

 How is ________ important in distinguishing between good and bad interpretations in the arts?

How is ________ important in distinguishing between good and bad interpretations of Japanese literature?

What role does the peer review process in ________ (AOK) help distinguish between good and bad interpretations?

6. If we conclude that there is some knowledge we should not pursue on ethical grounds, how can we determine the boundaries of acceptable investigation within an area of knowledge? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge. 

How do professional codes of ethics in ________ (AOK) determine ethical guidelines?

How does government regulation of broadcasting determine ethical boundaries in the arts?

How should medical researchers determine what is a justified risk in experimental drug research?

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IB TOK Essay Titles

The International Baccalaureate Organization releases six TOK essay titles, twice a year for submission either in May or November. So you need to know which cohort you're submitting with. The essay titles for submission in May are released in the previous September. The essay titles for submission in November are released the previous March.

• November 2023 topics
• May 2023 topics
• November 2022 topics
• May 2022 topics
• November 2021 topics
• May 2021 topics
• November 2020 topics
• May 2020 topics
• November 2019 topics
• May 2019 topics
• November 2018 topics
• May 2018 topics
• November 2017 topics

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