The Assessment Criteria for your TOK Exhibition

by Sweety Samson

Hello dear students, who are single-handedly undertaking the TOK Exhibition.

As you likely know by now, you will be assessed on your ability to explore different knowledge questions based on real-life objects set in the world around us. It is a task to look at an ordinary, tangible object that you have been seeing for a majority of your life, and relating it to something that is very vast - namely, the theory of knowledge itself.

The assessment instrument will be assessing you and your performance based on five levels that look like this, from the bottom up: Rudimentary → Basic (!) → Satisfactory → Good → Excellent!

The single question that is going to be the driving force of your assessment is going to be:

- Does the exhibition successfully show how TOK manifests in the world around us?


If you have finished choosing your three objects and are confident, we can look at the 4 main criteria you are going to be assessed by.

Main Assessment Criteria for the TOK Exhibition


  • Criteria Number 1
    Does your exhibition clearly identify why you have chosen the three objects? Does your exhibition also show your understanding of their specific real-life context?

Here, it is important that you show why your objects were well-chosen. You also need to showcase why your objects contribute perfectly to your argument.

  • Criteria Number 2
    Have you provided clear connections between your three objects and the IA prompt? Is this connection clearly made and well-explained?

Here, the connections you have made to the IA prompt will be assessed. Make sure to refer to the prompt at the end of your analysis for each object, as well as in your conclusion.

  • Criteria Number 3
    Have you provided a strong justification about how each of the objects you have chosen are providing a significant contribution to your overall argument in your exhibition?

Your justification for each object is very important. Without a proper justification for why the object was chosen, your object will not properly gel in with your overall argument, when you think about it.

  • Criteria Number 4
    Overall and in general, are all of your points well-supported by enough evidence and analysis, and have you provided explicit references from your justification to the IA prompt?

Evidence and analysis is crucial. If you are already familiar with the PEEL technique, or even otherwise, you can see for yourself how far a detailed explanation will go to strengthen your argument. And make sure to connect everything to your IA prompt!

If these criteria are met for the content of your Exhibition, you will be scoring the highest band, which is a score of 9-10.

Sub-Criteria for Assessment


Yes, you read that right. Your discussion is also going to be assessed by 3 sub-criteria that analyse your work from a very objective, and overall point of view. These criteria are focused more on the quality of your presented work, and not the content itself.

The secondary criteria are useful when kept in mind, because they are going to help with the general ease and flow of your exhibition, and make your argument stronger. Also, it is beneficial to make accurate use of grammar, spelling and syntax - it will elevate your writing in the eyes of your reader.

Let's take a look at them without further ado:

1. Is the presentation of your argument convincing?


With the Exhibition, you will be assessed on the quality of your expression - the way you express your subjective perspective about a completely abstract concept. The justification of your objects is actually the 'argumentative' aspect of this activity, when you think about it.

Here, the focus will be on whether your evidence is presented confidently with clear links and transitions. Is your argument well-rounded enough to convince your reader of your understanding of knowledge, and convey your personal interest in your undertaking of the exhibition?

You can convey your personal interest by linking your interest or connection to at least one of the objects, and presenting it in a convincing and authentic manner.

2. Is the presentation of your argument lucid?


Here, the focus will be on the form of your language, and whether the discussion of one idea can seamlessly flow into the next. It is essential to discard or rephrase any rough 'speedbumps' that seem a bit too abrupt and disengaged from the rest of your argument.

It will be helpful if you are mindful of the delivery of your argument, since the delivery itself is a big part of your presentation, regardless of the TOK terms or general definitions you use.

So what you can aim for, is a definitional unity in your whole argument, with all the objects and justifications fitting in perfectly, as parts of the whole.

3. Is the presentation of your argument precise?


Here, the focus will be on whether you are able to control the words of your argument to make it more precise, by using accurate words for descriptions and concepts.

Since TOK itself deals with abstract concepts, it makes it a bit more essential that the terms used are very specific in order to avoid any vagueness in the argument.

It is important to keep in mind that precision is a necessity for scoring well on the TOK. Since the Exhibition and Essay asks you to ponder about the nature of facts that are already accepted in the world, redefining it using your own perception about things requires your precision and focus!

Good luck on your studies.

If you have any doubts and require guidance for your practice TOKs, or if you are just looking to enhance your academic performance in general, take a look at our IB mentorship options here at Vidyalai.com