If you are an IB student in the final year of the diploma program, you are probably starting to think about the TOK essay. And if you are stuck on how to go about it, here is a way to go about it! Of course, this is a simplified guide, but may give you an idea of how to break the process down into steps.
Step 1:
Read through the essay titles and brainstorm ideas for each. After you have noted down your initial ideas, you will be in a better place to decide which one to focus on. The more brainstorming you do, the better!
After brainstorming, choose the title you want to write on. My advice is to not choose the one you think is easiest, but rather, the one you find most interesting. Remember, you have to go deep and really reflect in your TOK essay. So, it will be more enjoyable if you choose a topic you find interesting.
Step 2:
Research your topic and write down any initial thoughts on paper. This is just to get you to start thinking and getting your mind flowing. Once you have some ideas on paper, you can start building your essay with an essay plan.
Step 3:
Create an essay plan. This is an incredibly important step, where you start to structure your argument and discussion in a clear and organized manner. A simple essay plan you can follow is this:
Introduction
Claim 1 with Area of Knowledge 1
Counterclaim 1 with Area of Knowledge 1
Clam 2 with Area of Knowledge 2
Counterclaim 2 with Area of Knowledge 2
Conclusion
A lot of students forget Steps 1, 2 and 3, and simply just start writing the essay. This can be problematic because without a clear plan, the essay could turn out to be a series of disparate thoughts that lack analysis. But if you have a solid plan, you will avoid this problem.
Step 4:
Once you have a solid plan, you can start writing your essay. This should be easy because you have done a lot of the heavy lifting in the previous steps. Here, remember to use clear and concise language that gets your point across. Use connectors and provide references (in text and at the end as a bibliography) to support your points.
After you have written the essay, get feedback. From your teacher and also anyone else who is willing to read it and provide an opinion. The more feedback you get, the better. Feedback is super important as it can provide you with perspectives that you may have missed.
Step 5:
Write the final draft based on the feedback you have gotten. After this, your essay is ready!
Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.
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