Decoding the TOK Exhibition: Your Guide to a Top Score
Hey there! Let's talk about one of the most interesting parts of the IB Core: the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Exhibition. This isn't an essay or a traditional exam; it's your chance to show how TOK concepts live and breathe in the world around you. It's a significant task, making up 33% of your final TOK grade, but it's also a fantastic opportunity to showcase your critical thinking skills. This guide will walk you through exactly what you need to do to master it.
Think of this guide as your personal tutor. We'll break down the structure, help you choose powerful objects, and show you what examiners are really looking for.
Part 1: The Core Rules of the Game
Before we get into strategy, let's make sure we're clear on the non-negotiables. The TOK Exhibition is an individual project with a very specific format. Here’s the breakdown:
- The IA Prompt: You must choose one of the 35 prescribed IA prompts provided by the IB. You can't change it or rephrase it. Your entire exhibition must be a direct response to this prompt, and it should be stated directly in the work itself.
- The Three Objects: You need to select three specific, real-world objects that connect to your chosen prompt.
- The Commentary: You will write a single document containing a commentary on your three objects. This has a strict maximum word count of 950 words.
- The Assessment: It's marked internally by your teacher and moderated by the IB. The final score is out of 10 marks.
Part 2: Choosing Your Three Objects - The Make-or-Break Decision
This is where students often get stuck, but it's also where you can set yourself up for a top grade. The key is to be specific. Vague, generic, or purely symbolic objects won't get you the marks you want. Your objects must have a specific real-world context – they exist in a particular time and place.
Here’s a comparison to get you thinking:
| Vague/Generic Object 👎 | Specific/Real-World Object 👍 |
|---|
| A photograph of a doctor. | A specific photograph of my grandfather receiving his medical degree in 1985, which hangs in his office. |
| The Bible. | The specific copy of the King James Bible that was gifted to me for my confirmation, with my family's handwritten notes in the margins. |
| A map. | A tourist map of London from 2005 that I used on a family holiday, which omits newer landmarks like The Shard. |
| A tweet. | A specific tweet by astronaut Chris Hadfield from the International Space Station on May 12, 2013, showing a photo of Earth. |
The Lanterna Tip: The best objects are often personal to you. An object you created (like your Extended Essay draft), an item from your childhood, or a tool you use for a hobby all have a rich, specific context that you can analyze deeply. Just remember, the object must pre-exist; you can't create it *for* the exhibition.
Part 3: Crafting the 950-Word Commentary
Your commentary is where you explain the "why." Why did you choose these objects? How do they illuminate your chosen IA prompt? The 950-word limit is tight, so every word counts. A good structure is to dedicate roughly a third of the word count (around 315 words) to each object.
For each of your three objects, your commentary must do four things:
- Identify the object and its specific real-world context. Where is it from? Who made it? Why does it exist? Be precise.
- Explain the link between this object and your IA prompt. Don't just state the link; unpack it. Show the examiner exactly how this object is a manifestation of the knowledge question in your prompt.
- Justify its inclusion in the exhibition. Why this object and not another? What unique perspective or point does it bring to your overall argument? How does it help you explore the prompt in a nuanced way?
- Provide evidence and support for your claims. This is about analysis, not just opinion or summarising. Refer back to the object's features and its context to support the points you are making about knowledge.
Part 4: How It's Marked - Decoding the Rubric
The TOK Exhibition is assessed against a single, holistic rubric with five mark bands. To get into the top bands ("Good" 7-8 or "Excellent" 9-10), you need to move beyond a satisfactory explanation and provide a truly insightful analysis.
Here’s what a top-scoring exhibition looks like to an examiner:
- Convincing Links: The connections between each object and the prompt are not just clear, they are convincing and well-argued.
- Strong Justification: The commentary provides a strong rationale for why each specific object was chosen. It's obvious that the objects are not easily replaceable.
- Insightful Analysis: The discussion goes beyond the obvious. It explores different perspectives, nuances, and complexities of the knowledge questions raised by the prompt.
- Well-Supported Claims: Every point made is backed up with clear evidence drawn from the objects themselves and their real-world contexts.
- Clarity and Precision: The writing is clear, concise, and uses TOK terminology accurately and appropriately, without just "jargon-dumping".
Final Check: The "So What?" Test. Before you submit, read through your commentary for each object and ask yourself, "So what?". Does your analysis clearly explain what this object reveals about how we produce, share, or value knowledge? If you can answer that confidently for all three objects, you are on the path to obtain a great score.
