Hack IB

The TOK Exhibition is a new assessment in the revised TOK syllabus for first examination in 2022. Since it is a new format, there is quite a bit of confusion on how to do well on it. The best way to learn is to look at what the IB considers to be a 10/10 full mark TOK Exhibition. So let’s deconstruct the below perfect scoring exhibition and find out what merits it has to do so well in the eyes of the IB.

Criteria

The key to any assessment is to look at the grading criteria. For the TOK exhibition, you can find out more about the criteria and key specifications in my explainer article. But taking it straight from the TOK guide, the summary of the criteria includes:

• Has three objects with clear real-world context
• The connection between each of the three objects and the prompt chosen is clear
• Each object’s place in the exhibition is justified
• Every point you make is directly related to the prompt and explained with evidence from the object

The Example

So let’s take a look at this 10/10 TOK Essay example:

Here is what the IB said about this piece of work:

This is an example of an excellent exhibition. It was awarded a mark of 10/10.
The student has clearly identified three specific objects and has effectively linked each one to the selected prompt. There is also a strong justification for the selection of each object.
This student has included an introduction to their work. It should be noted that this is not required, but students are free to include a short introduction if they wish to do so. In this case the introduction is helpful as the student clearly identifies their selected prompt and theme, and explains why they have focused particularly on issues around subtext and connotation. The student then makes explicit references to the prompt throughout the response.
In their discussion of the third object, the student makes a comparison between the dictionary and the song. It should be noted that there is no requirement that students make connections or comparisons between their objects. They may choose to do so, but it is also perfectly acceptable to discuss each of the three objects entirely individually.
The piece of work should be judged holistically using the marking instrument, which means that, for example, the discussion of the dictionary should be rewarded wherever it appears in the response, not just where it appears under the section labelled object two.

Keys to success

After looking at the exhibition, you can see a few properties within this assessment example that clearly connects with the criteria as the IB has pointed out.

To see me explain the keys to success, read the full article for free on MyIBTutor.

Conclusion

Hopefully, by deconstructing a 10/10 example of a TOK Exhibition, you had a few takeaways as to what makes a good exhibition and know what you need to do to improve! Any questions, chuck it in the comments!