Using Examples Effectively (DP IB Theory of Knowledge): Revision Note

Using examples effectively

• ToK examples work best when they involve specific, real-world situations, e.g. a concrete event, decision, study or controversy

• Using real-world examples matters because the prescribed title is asking about knowledge in practice, not just abstract ideas

Illustration vs analysis

• Illustration uses an example to show what you mean, while analysis uses an example to test whether your claim about the title’s key concept holds true

• An example becomes analysis when you explain what the example shows about a knowledge claim and the conditions under which it is accepted, e.g.:

  • illustration: 

    • Replication in scientific studies shows that repeating a study can reveal whether the same result happens again

  • analysis: 

    • Replication can support a claim about reliability because independent repeats can expose random error or biased sampling, so the title’s claim about reliability is stronger when results can be checked in this way

    • Replication also has limits, because repeated studies can still share the same flawed assumption or method, so the title’s claim about reliability may depend on the conditions of the study

Linking examples explicitly to the title

• Linking an example means stating exactly what the example shows about the key concept in the prescribed title

  • A clear link answers the question “So what does this example change about my answer to the title?”

• Links are stronger when they include a judgment, meaning that you state whether the example supports your claim, challenges it or forces you to qualify it

Using examples to support evaluation

• Examples support evaluation when they help you weigh the strengths and limitations of a claim, method or perspective in relation to the prescribed title

  • Evaluation is clearer when you use the same example to support both a claim and a counterclaim, because the reader can see the tension within the situation

• Examples also support evaluation when you use them to show the conditions under which your argument is more convincing and when it is less convincing

Avoiding narrative or descriptive examples

• Narrative or descriptive examples retell what happened, while ToK examples should focus on what the situation reveals about knowledge and the prescribed title

• Description becomes a problem when the example takes up word count without adding to the exploration of the title

• A useful check is whether your example paragraph contains a clear claim and a clear link to the prescribed title