tok extended essay matrix 2022

Overview of the TOK essay (first assessment 2022)

There have been some important changes to the TOK with the new curriculum (first assessment 2022). Overall, the “heart” of the essay remains the same but there are some key differences. When searching for resources online about the TOK essay, pay careful attention to whether or not they are geared towards the new essay. While many older resources are still somewhat relevant you need to be aware that some of has been written about the older curriculum may not apply anymore.

Additionally, there are a large number of sample essays available online but the vast majority of them are written for an older TOK curriculum. Older TOK curricula have some different requirements and different assessment criteria. Looking at older TOK essays can be beneficial as the basic core of the new essay has not changed dramatically. Be careful though.

The first place to look when trying understand the TOK essay is the assessment instrument. Page 48 of the TOK subject guide states a basic question that underlines the marking of all TOK essays:

“ Does the student provide a clear, coherent and critical exploration of the essay title?”

Each of the three “c” key terms needs further investigation:

• Is the essay as a whole clearly linked to the essay title?
• Are all of the key terms in the essay title clearly addressed in the essay?
• Are the arguments clearly linked to the essay title?
• Do the specific examples have a clear connection to the prescribed title?
• Is the writing clear? Writing clarity is itself not assessed by TOK markers but markers can only give you credit for your arguments if they are written clearly enough to be fully understood.
• Does the essay overall have sufficient coherence?
• Do the arguments flow logically from one to another?
• Do the AOKs flow logically from one to another? You do not have to separate your essay into two distinct AOK sections but there needs to be a logical reason for the order of your body paragraphs.
• Are the specific examples organized in a logical way?
• Are the different points of view discussed in an effective and logical sequence?
• Does the essay use transitions words and phrases effectively to improve the coherence of the essay?

Note: To be able to create a coherent TOK essay you first need to be able to create a coherent essay. You need to develop your general essay writing skills before your start working on your TOK essay.

• Do the arguments in the essay have sufficient depth of critical analysis in its approach to the prescribed title? Does the essay overall have sufficient depth of critical analysis?
• How are the specific examples used to support the arguments? Are the specific examples examined in sufficient depth?
• Do the different points of view in the essay have sufficient depth? If a different point of view in the essay is fairly superficial it make it more difficult for the essay to be successful.
• Does the evaluation of the different points of view in the essay have sufficient depth? Is this evaluation linked directly to the arguments and the prescribed title?
• Are the implications in the essay critically considered ? Just mentioning a couple of implication may not quite be enough.

Most of the points above are drawn directly from the TOK essay assessment instrument. It is extremely important that very early on you take some time to closely examine the TOK essay assessment instrument. All parts of your essay must directly connect to both the essay title and to the TOK essay assessment instrument.

• During the TOK essay writing process make sure you examine and re-examine whether or not your essay fully addresses the prescribed title .
• If there is some part of the essay title that you are not covering sufficiently in your essay, make sure you make the necessary changes as soon as possible
• If there are parts of your essay that have weak links to the prescribed title strongly considering cutting them out. Save space in your essay for in-depth critical analysis that is directly linked to the prescribed title.
• During the TOK essay writing process make sure you examine and re-examine whether or not your essay fully addresses the TOK assessment instrument .
• If there is some part of the TOK assessment instrument that you are not covering sufficiently in your essay, make sure you make changes before you hand in your final draft.
• If there are parts of your essay that have indirect / weak links to the TOK assessment instrument strongly considering cutting them out. Use the space in your essay for in-depth critical analysis that is directly linked to the prescribed title and the TOK assessment instrument.

Essay requirements

Beyond the basics (making sure you address the essay title as well as the TOK assessment instrument), there are additional requirements for the TOK essay. Check the TOK subject guide for details.

• Academic honesty / authenticity: Page 44 of the TOK subject guide is quite clear: “The TOK essay must be the student’s own work.”
• You must submit both your essay and the TOK essay Planning and Progress Form (TK/PPF) for marking. The form is not taken into consideration in the marking of your essay but it may be important if questions are raised about the authenticity of your work.
• Maximum 1600 words (make sure you are clear about what is and is not included in the word count).
• 12 point, double spaced, standard font. This is now the standard for most if not all IB EAs and IAs. If you do not follow these simple basic requirements you are indicating to the marker right from the start that you are not careful and do not follow basic instructions. That is not the frame of mind you want the marker to be in when they start reading your essay.

Privacy Overview

Gr. 11-12 Extended Essay

What is the extended essay.

• The York School Extended Essay Handbook 2021/2022

IB Extended Essay Guide (updated November 2023)

Student responsibilities, tips for a successful ee journey, extended essay workshops 2022-2023, extended essay workshops 2021-2022, support for the extended essay.

• Reflections
• Choose a Subject
• Choose a Topic
• Draft a Research Question
• Develop Your Search Strategy
• Computer Science
• Visual Arts
• World Studies
• Introduction
• Academic Integrity
• Common Questions
• For Supervisors
• EE Examples

EE Coordinator

MS/SS Librarian

What is the significance of the extended essay.

The extended essay provides:

• practical preparation for undergraduate research
• an opportunity for students to investigate a topic of personal interest to them, which relates to one of the student's six DP subjects, or takes the interdisciplinary approach of a World Studies extended essay.

Through the research process for the extended essay, students develop skills in:

• formulating an appropriate research question
• engaging in a personal exploration of the topic
• communicating ideas
• developing an argument. 

Participation in this process develops the capacity to analyze, synthesize and evaluate knowledge.

An extended essay can also be undertaken in world studies , where students carry out an in-depth interdisciplinary study of an issue of contemporary global significance, across two IB diploma disciplines.

How is study of the Extended Essay structured?

Students are supported throughout the process of researching and writing the extended essay, with advice and guidance from a supervisor who is usually a teacher at the school.

Students are required to have three mandatory reflection sessions with their supervisors. The final session, a concluding interview, is also known as  viva voce .

The extended essay and reflection sessions can be a valuable stimulus for discussion in countries where interviews are required prior to acceptance for employment or for a place at university.

How is the Extended Essay assessed?

All extended essays are externally assessed by examiners appointed by the IB. They are marked on a scale from 0 to 34.

The score a student receives relates to a band. The bands are:

A – work of an excellent standard. B – work of a good standard. C –work of a satisfactory standard. D – work of a mediocre standard. E – work of an elementary standard.

Find out how points awarded for the extended essay contribute to a  student’s overall diploma score .

IB Diploma Points Matrix (TOK + EE)

Source: International Baccalaureate. (n.d.).  What is the extended essay?   https://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/curriculum/extended-essay/what-is-the-extended-essay/ 

Regarding the EE in general:

• Observe the extended essay regulations as set by the school and the IB
• Meet all EE deadlines
• Practice Academic Integrity by careful note-taking and proper referencing & citation of information sources used
• Maintain and update the Extended Essay workspace in ManageBac

Regarding subject choice:

• Choose a subject in which you are already enrolled,   and which you thoroughly understand and are comfortable with
• READ the subject-specific requirements for your chosen subject

Regarding your supervisor:

• Initiate regular communication with your supervisor & respond to their communications
• Attend  3 mandatory   reflection sessions with your supervisor

Start EARLY! 

Talk to diploma subject teachers. Ask questions!

Map out a timeline of deadlines, research days, writing days. Allow for unforeseen delays. 

Plan your information sources. Keep track of what you've used through a working bibliography. 

ALWAYS proofread your drafts before submitting them

Get a Toronto Public Library card (free access to their databases & resources)

What strategies can students use to discuss the extended essay in their university application?

• Intro to EE Research Resources Presentation from November 2022 sessions.
• Choosing & Refining a Topic / Identifying Sources Presentation from December 2022 sessions.
• Annotating & Evaluating Sources Presentation from January 2023 sessions.
• Rocking the Research Question Workshop Presentation from April 6, 2022 EE Research Day.
• Identifying & Accessing Sources Workshop Presentation from April 6, 2022 EE Research Day.
• Evaluating Sources Workshop Presentation from April 6, 2022 EE Research Day.
• Structure & Formatting for the EE Workshop Presentation from May 3, 2022 EE Research Day.
• Awesome Editorial Techniques Workshop Presentation from May 3, 2022 EE Research Day.

Librarians can provide important and additional support in some of the fundamental research and information literacy skills. These skills can include:

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• Last Updated: Jun 12, 2024 3:38 PM
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Extended Essay

• The Extended Essay
• EE Inquiry Process
• Extended Essay Guide
• Sample EE's
• Finding Sources
• Academic Honesty - Citing Sources
• Formatting the EE

The IB Extended Essay Guide outlines the criteria and assessment methods for the Extended Essay. Always refer to this when you are writing your essay!

• EE Guide - Part 1 - EE Description Part 1 of the EE Guide provides a thorough description of the process and requirements of the EE.
• EE Guide - Part 2 - Subject Specific Guidance Part 2 of the EE Guide covers individual subject requirements for the EE.
• Ethical guidelines for extended essays research and fieldwork These guidelines apply to research and fieldwork in all EEs.
• Guidelines for the use of animals in IB World Schools
• Academic Integrity Policy
• Effective Citing
• From Principles into Practice

The Diploma Points Matrix shows how many bonus points you can earn from the combined assessment results for your EE and TOK.

• Diploma Points Matrix (EE & TOK)
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• Next: Assessment >>
• Last Updated: Nov 18, 2022 9:14 AM
• URL: https://gss.sd42.libguides.com/c.php?g=720592

Garibaldi Secondary School, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada

Understanding the TOK essay rubric

TOK Home > Free TOK notes > TOK essay guidance > Understanding the TOK essay rubric

After understanding the of the basics of the essay, your next step is to grasp how it is evaluated and marked, which is outlined in the ‘assessment instrument’. Your TOK teacher will give you a copy of this, or you can find it online in the 2022 TOK Guide.

The overall assessment objective of the TOK essay is to answer the prescribed essay title in a clear, coherent, and critical way. In order to do this, the assessment ‘instrument’ looks for five different skills.

STEP 1: Understand the TOK essay rubric

1. making links to tok.

The discussion within your TOK essay should be linked very effectively to the  areas of knowledge . Most, TOK essays expect you to discuss two AOKs, which will provide you with the context to explore and answer the prescribed title you’ve chosen.

2. Understanding perspectives

Your TOK essay should show a clear awareness of different points of view, and should offer an evaluation of them. This means considering how different perspective might approach the question in different ways.

3. Offering an effective argument

The arguments within your TOK essay are clear and coherent, and are supported by strong examples.

This means expressing your opinions clearly, and supporting them with original and meaningful real-life situations.

4. Keeping discussions relevant

Your essay’s discussions should offer a ‘sustained focus’ on the title. This means that you should be able to pick out any section of your essay, and be able to identify what question it is answering.

5. Considering implications

Your essay needs to not just present and evaluate arguments, it also needs to say why these arguments are significant, and what their implications are.

After you have grasped the rubric strands, you are ready to move on to choosing your prescribed title from the choice of six that are published in March or November – which we provide guidance on here .

Creating a TOK essay: our four-step guide

Click on the buttons below to take you to the four steps of creating a great TOK essay. Don’t forget that we have plenty of videos on this and other aspects of the course, and members of the site have access to a huge amount of other resources to help you master the course and assessment tasks.

How to write a TOK essay: webinar

This 80-minute webinar video and presentation gives you a clear, engaging, step-by-step guide to the task, helping you to understand the assessment rubric, choose the right PT, and produce an essay that hits all the assessment targets.

The video is supported by a presentation, and a Q&A debrief answering some of the most common questions asked about writing a TOK essay. Purchase your ticket here .

More support for the TOK essay

Make sure that your TOK teacher has given you access to all the documents and online material that support the essay. These include the TOK Subject Guide, the TOK essay rubric, and exemplar TOK essays (found in ‘MyIB’, which is accessible to teachers).   Make sure you go through our other pages on writing the TOK essay. You’ll find help on understanding what the is looking for, that works for you, what each of the should focus on, how to an effective TOK essay, and how to fill in your .   If your school is a  member  of theoryofknowledge.net, we have designed a series of lessons on the essay, with two formative assessment tasks. These will familiarize you with the essay rubric, knowledge questions, real-life situations, how to deal with perspectives and implications, and structuring an essay. If you are signed into the site, you can access these lessons  here .   You can also find out our thoughts on the TOK essay (and the TOK exhibition) in several webinars that we have delivered. The main one is the TOK Assessment 2022 webinar, but we also consider this form of assessment in our free webinars on the 2022 course. You can see these webinars on  this page  of the site.

Subscribe to the free TOK newsletter!

Subscribe to our free newsletter, and collect fantastic examples that will help you to understand the key ideas of TOK, support your essay and exhibition discussions, and help you to become an authentic critical thinker .

You’ll encounter some of the most important thinkers from the past and the present, go beyond the headlines of contemporary events and issues around the globe, and see how TOK concepts manifest in the real-world. Subscribe HERE !

• Support Sites

Extended Essay Support Site

Grade boundaries.

After marks are awarded for all five assessment criteria , they are converted into letter grades using 'grade boundaries'. Grade boundaries are not subject specific. In theory these boundaries can change from year to year. In practice they usually stay the same. The following boundaries can be applied to sample Extended Essays. They can also be used as a tool to determine a candidate's 'predicted grade'. Please note, however, that the 'official' boundaries are not published by the IB until after each exam session.

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