Prescribed Titles (DP IB Theory of Knowledge): Revision Note

Understanding the prescribed titles

• The prescribed titles give you a single knowledge question to explore

• The titles are designed to be debatable, so you should expect more than one reasonable answer depending on assumptions, perspectives and selected areas of knowledge

• A strong response is selective and precise:

  • it discusses fewer ideas, but links each one clearly to the title

  • it tests each claim with examples to show its strengths and limits

Identifying command terms

• Command terms within each title tell you what kind of judgment is required, e.g.:

  • “To what extent” requires a reasoned judgement about scope, conditions and limits

  • “Discuss” requires you to explore different viewpoints and weigh them

  • “...agree” requires you to take a clear position while still considering alternatives

Identifying key concepts and assumptions in the title

• The key concepts in ToK are: certainty, evidence, interpretation, truth, power, justification, explanation, objectivity, perspective, culture, values and responsibility; you should identify the concepts in the title before developing your ideas

• The title also contains assumptions, because it often treats an idea as already true and asks you to explore this

  • E.g. in “To what extent is interpretation a reliable tool in the production of knowledge?”, the title assumes interpretation is something we use to produce knowledge, so you should consider whether interpretation is always present and whether it functions differently across areas of knowledge

Maintaining sustained focus on the title

• Sustained focus means every paragraph explores the title in its exact terms, rather than drifting into a general discussion of a theme

  • The essay is marked against the title exactly as it is written, so you should not change the wording of the title

  • Any quotation marks in a title should be treated as part of the task wording, even when you disagree with the viewpoint

• You should keep returning to the same key concepts as the essay develops, because the essay is judged on how well you explore one title, not on how many ToK ideas you mention

  • Material that does not help answer the title weakens the line of argument, even if it is interesting

Prescribed titles by examination session

• The prescribed titles are the six official essay questions set by the IB for your examination session, and your ToK essay must respond to one of them

• The titles for each examination session are published six months before the submission deadline

• Find your examination session below

  • Titles from other sessions are useful for practice, but your essay must respond to one of the six titles for your own examination session, or it will score 0

May 2027

1. Do we gain a better appreciation of the human experience from the artist or the historian? Discuss with reference to the arts and history.

2. If values change over time, how can they, nevertheless, continue to guide the pursuit of knowledge? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.

3. In the production of knowledge, how can knowledge be reliable if it is built on assumptions? Discuss with reference to the human sciences and one other area of knowledge.

4. To what extent do you agree with the claim that “any coincidence is worth noticing; you can throw it away later if it is only a coincidence” (Agatha Christie). Answer with reference to mathematics and one other area of knowledge.

5. In the production of knowledge, when choosing one explanation over another, to what extent should simplicity be prioritized? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.

6. In the pursuit of knowledge, what value is there in exploring the paradoxical or the counterintuitive? Discuss with reference to the natural sciences and one other area of knowledge.

November 2026

1. Is the advice to “study the historian before you begin to study their work” (adapted from E.H. Carr) good advice? Explore with reference to history and one other area of knowledge.

2. To what extent do you agree that failure is an essential part of the production of knowledge? Answer with reference to two areas of knowledge.

3. In the production of knowledge, why is it that ideas are so often more alluring than facts? Discuss with reference to the human sciences and one other area of knowledge.

4. To what extent do you agree that the artist and the natural scientist should be equally concerned with ethical questions? Discuss with reference to the arts and the natural sciences.

5. Does the need to share knowledge pose challenges in the production of knowledge? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.

6. Given that it lacks evidence, how is it that intuition is so valuable in the production of knowledge? Discuss with reference to mathematics and one other area of knowledge.

May 2026

1. In the production of knowledge, does it matter that observation is an essential but flawed tool? Discuss with reference to the natural sciences and one other area of knowledge.

2. To what extent do you agree that doubt is central to the pursuit of knowledge? Answer with reference to two areas of knowledge.

3. Is the power of knowledge determined by the way in which the knowledge is conveyed? Discuss with reference to mathematics and one other area of knowledge.

4. In the acquisition of knowledge, can we only understand something to the extent that we understand its context? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.

5. To what extent do you agree with the claim that “all things are numbers” (Pythagoras)? Answer with reference to the arts and the human sciences.

6. To what extent is interpretation a reliable tool in the production of knowledge? Answer with reference to history and one other area of knowledge.