Are you having sleepless nights about the November 2025 TOK essay titles? Fear not! This guide is here to help you decode the cryptic titles, break down key concepts, and master the art of structuring your essay. With the right approach, you can conquer the TOK beast in style!
- What is the TOK Essay?
- How to Approach the Prompts?
- How to Decrypt the N25 TOK Essay Titles?
- Final Tips and Tricks
- FAQs
What is the TOK Essay?
The TOK Essay is a compulsory assessment task for all IB students. It is a 1600-word essay exploring a specific prompt, with the prompts changing every examination session. It is marked out of 10, and counts for â…” of your final TOK mark.
If you are not sure what the prompts for 2025 are, check out this KIS Academics article below:
Manoj Arachige
How do I approach the prompt?
When approaching the prompt, there are two phases that I like to go through:
Phase 1: Understanding and Brainstorming phase
- Read the prompt several times - Make sure you understand fully what it is asking for. The criteria states that for a 9-10, “The discussion [should have] a sustained focus on the title and is linked effectively to areas of knowledge”.
- Highlight and break down key words - I would recommend doing a mind-map of the prompt. Highlight the key words and write down your ideas:
- What does the word mean?
- What can they mean?
- Can I interpret this word slightly differently?
- For example, how would you interpret “sever ties”? “Put aside”?
Phase 2 - Development Phase
Great! Now that we’ve understood the question and broken down some of the key words, perhaps even generated some initial ideas, let’s develop them into potential writing points. Few pointers for this phase:
- Do NOT use AI - Not only will you run the risk of academic dishonesty, AI examples are often overused and generic, which will not lead to very good marks.
- Try to generate your own unique ideas/arguments - Uniqueness and personalisation can make your essay score better. Take the time and effort to really sit down and have a deep think.
Now let’s look at the process:
- Generate a wide range of arguments.
- Have multiple perspectives attacking the argument: "well, from this perspective it is valid, but from this other perspective, it isn’t."
- Diversify your arguments by generating more than is required - that way, you can select your best ideas.
- Remember to find arguments that support both sides of the argument.
- Think of examples of the arguments through the lens of AOKs.
- Is there an example in maths that illustrates this? What about science?
- I would think of broader statements before thinking about specific examples. This gives you a direction to explore.
- Start researching about the specific examples.
- You neeed to make sure you use the example to fit your argument. Do not force the argument to fit the example.
When you develop ideas, branch off the initial unpacking on your mind-map. For instance, here is what the initial mind-map now looks like:
How to Decrypt the N25 TOK Essay Titles?
I am not here to hand you ready-made arguments or tell you exactly what to write. TOK examiners love originality — they want to see your thought process and a unique, personal touch in your essay. Instead, I’ll highlight the key terms, underlying concepts, and potential angles for exploration. By posing thought-provoking questions, this guide will help you generate your own ideas and craft a compelling, well-reasoned response.
1. For historians and artists, do conventions limit or expand their ability to produce knowledge? Discuss with reference to history and the arts.
| Key Words | Possible Line of Arguments |
| Conventions - What do we mean by conventions? Are they methods? Guidelines? Even ethical considerations? | Do conventions limit? |
| Ability - Expand on this word more. Ability as in accurate/unbiased info? Ability as in actually being able to produce knowledge? | When do they not limit? |
| Producing knowledge - What does that look like in history and the arts? | Do they instead enhance, perhaps? |
2. What is the relationship between knowing and understanding? Discuss with reference to two areas of knowledge.
| Key Words | Possible Line of Arguments |
| Relationship - what kind of relationship? Do we need to know before we understand? Are they intertwined with each other? Can one be achieved without the other? | What are the different types of relationships? |
| Knowing and understanding - what does it mean to know? To understand? | Is one dependent on the other? Are they independent? |
| Are there some scenarios where they are effectively the same thing? |
3. Should knowledge in an area of knowledge be pursued for its own sake rather than for its potential application? Discuss with reference to mathematics and one other area of knowledge.
| Key Words | Possible Line of Arguments |
| Pursued - what does it mean to pursue knowledge? Produce? Seek? Understand? | Pure vs Applied - what are the reasons for doing both of them? Do this for both AOKs |
| For its own sake pursued for interest? To satisfy curiosity? Just because we want to? | What are the benefits? |
| Potential application - in what ways can we apply knowledge? To solve problems? To convince ourselves? Utility? | Do we need to do one or the other? How about both? |
Manoj Arachige
4. To what extent do you agree that, however the methods of an area of knowledge change, the scope remains the same? Answer with reference to two areas of knowledge.
| Key Words | Possible Line of Arguments |
| Scope - what does this mean for an AOK? Is it the purpose? Does the knowledge it covers fall under its net? | When does the scope change? |
| Methods…change - how do they change? For what purpose? | In what instances does the scope not change? |
| Does it partially change depending on how you define scope? | |
| To what extent question - need to address both sides, and then a final conclusion synthesising the arguments |
5. In the pursuit of knowledge, is it possible or even desirable to set aside temporarily what we already know? Discuss with reference to the natural sciences and one other area of knowledge.
| Key Words | Possible Line of Arguments |
| Set aside - what does this mean specifically? Discarding previous knowledge? Putting another perspective on hold to try and seek another one? | Desirable vs not desirable? How desirable? More desirable than not? Consider the consequences of doing so. |
| Desirable - why is it desirable? Does it benefit us? In what ways? To what extent is it desirable? | When is it possible? Are there some cases where it isn’t possible? |
6. Is empathy an attribute that is equally important for a historian and a human scientist? Discuss with reference to history and the human sciences.
| Key Words | Possible Line of Arguments |
| Empathy - what does that look like in history and the human sciences? | Is it equally important? In what cases are they not equally important? |
| Historian and Human scientist - consider their roles. What is their purpose? | Consider the reasons why - is it due to the difference in roles? |
| Important - important in what ways? Respecting others? |
Manoj Arachige
Final Tips and Tricks
- Start Planning EARLY - Ideas take time to generate. It could take over 3 weeks to generate excellent and unique ideas. Sometimes, ideas don’t work, or don't fit the argument. Having fully developed ideas early makes the writing process so much easier.
- Get feedback from multiple people - everyone has different perspectives in TOK, and it can be a really good idea to ask your friends as well as teachers to read your work. That way, you can hear a range of ideas to improve your work and elevate it to new heights.
- It’s ok to feel confused! - TOK is a confusing subject! It’s designed to test your critical thinking and evaluation skills. At any phase during the process, if you feel overwhelmed, take a deep breath, take a break and return to it later on. Who knows - you might get a genius idea when you are doing homework for another subject!
Conclusion
Wishing you the best of luck as you tackle your TOK essay! Stay curious, think critically, and trust your unique perspective—after all, that’s what TOK is all about. You’ve got this!
FAQs
How do I choose which Title to write about?
- Pick a title that genuinely interests you and connects well with subjects you study.
- Consider which Areas of Knowledge (AOKs) you feel most confident discussing.
How should I Structure my TOK Essay?
- Introduction: Define key terms and outline your approach.
- Body Paragraphs: Explore knowledge questions using real-life examples from at least two AOKs, and consider different perspectives.
- Counterclaims: Address possible objections or alternative views.
- Conclusion: Summarise your argument and reflect on implications for knowledge
Where to find more Resources to help me with TOK Essay?
- Reviewing examiner reports and high-scoring sample essays can help you understand expectations.
- IB study guides, teacher guidance, or your tutor can help you breakdown, outlines, and give you tips for each title.
Written by KIS Academics Tutor for IB Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology and Economics, Nick Liang. Nick is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science/Masters of Data Science at the University of Melbourne and has received stellar reviews from her past KIS Academics students. You can view Nick's profile here and request him as a tutor.
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