TOK Exhibition Prompts: Complete Student Guide

TOK Exhibition Prompts: Complete Student Guide

The TOK exhibition prompts are the starting point for your IB Theory of Knowledge exhibition. You must choose one of 35 prescribed prompts, select three specific real-world objects or images of objects, and write a commentary of no more than 950 words in total. All three objects must connect to the same prompt.

The exhibition is an internal assessment worth 33% of the final TOK result. Your teacher marks it and the IB externally moderates the work. This guide explains the prompt list, how to choose effectively, how to analyse objects, and which mistakes to avoid.

What are TOK exhibition prompts?

TOK exhibition prompts are open-ended questions about the production, communication, interpretation, ownership, and consequences of knowledge. They are not essay titles or broad topics such as “technology” or “bias.” Each prompt gives you a focused knowledge question to investigate through real-world examples.

For example, “What counts as good evidence for a claim?” could be explored through a medical test result, a court document, and a social media post. These objects allow you to compare how evidence is judged in different contexts rather than simply define “evidence.”

The central assessment question is whether your exhibition shows how TOK manifests in the world around us. Abstract discussion is not enough. Your commentary must explain what each particular object reveals about knowledge in a real situation.

The complete list of 35 TOK exhibition prompts

Use the prompts exactly as written. Do not rewrite, combine, or invent a prompt.

1. What counts as knowledge?

2. Are some types of knowledge more useful than others?

3. What features of knowledge have an impact on its reliability?

4. On what grounds might we doubt a claim?

5. What counts as good evidence for a claim?

6. How does the way that we organise or classify knowledge affect what we know?

7. What are the implications of having, or not having, knowledge?

8. To what extent is certainty attainable?

9. Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?

10. What challenges are raised by the dissemination and/or communication of knowledge?

11. Can new knowledge change established values or beliefs?

12. Is bias inevitable in the production of knowledge?

13. How can we know that current knowledge is an improvement upon past knowledge?

14. Does some knowledge belong only to particular communities of knowers?

15. What constraints are there on the pursuit of knowledge?

16. Should some knowledge not be sought on ethical grounds?

17. Why do we seek knowledge?

18. Are some things unknowable?

19. What counts as a good justification for a claim?

20. What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?

21. What is the relationship between knowledge and culture?

22. What role do experts play in influencing our consumption or acquisition of knowledge?

23. How important are material tools in the production or acquisition of knowledge?

24. How might the context in which knowledge is presented influence whether it is accepted or rejected?

25. How can we distinguish between knowledge, belief and opinion?

26. Does our knowledge depend on our interactions with other knowers?

27. Does all knowledge impose ethical obligations on those who know it?

28. To what extent is objectivity possible in the production or acquisition of knowledge?

29. Who owns knowledge?

30. What role does imagination play in producing knowledge about the world?

31. How can we judge when evidence is adequate?

32. What makes a good explanation?

33. How is current knowledge shaped by its historical development?

34. In what ways do our values affect our acquisition of knowledge?

35. In what ways do values affect the production of knowledge?

You can also review the full TOK exhibition prompt list and guidance from RevisionDojo.

How to choose the best TOK prompt

Do not choose a prompt simply because it sounds interesting. Choose one that gives you access to three concrete objects and creates a genuine question or tension.

Look for disagreement and complexity

A strong prompt does not lead to an obvious answer. “Is bias inevitable in the production of knowledge?” lets you argue that bias cannot be completely removed while considering peer review, replication, and multiple perspectives that may reduce its influence.

Likewise, “To what extent is certainty attainable?” invites a qualified response. Mathematical proof may produce a different kind of certainty from historical interpretation or personal experience. The prompt becomes useful when your objects reveal those differences.

Test objects before committing

Write down three possible objects for each promising prompt. They must be specific, not general categories. Weak choices include “a phone,” “a painting,” or “a news article.” Stronger choices include:

• A screenshot of a particular health claim shared in your school group chat

• A specific family photograph whose meaning changed after relatives explained its history

• A named museum label beside an artefact from a particular collection

• A laboratory report from a particular investigation

• A government infographic published during a public-health campaign

Specific objects make it easier to explain who produced the knowledge, who interpreted it, and why context matters.

Give the objects different roles

The three objects should not make exactly the same point. A coherent exhibition may use one object to support an initial claim, a second to complicate it, and a third to reveal a limitation or consequence.

For “What role do experts play in influencing our consumption or acquisition of knowledge?”, you might examine a doctor’s prescription, a social media influencer’s product recommendation, and a museum curator’s description. Together, these objects allow comparison of professional expertise, commercial influence, institutional authority, and audience trust.

How to analyse an object in TOK

A useful commentary should make five kinds of reasoning visible:

1. Identify: What exactly is the object?

2. Contextualise: Where, when, and by whom was it produced or used?

3. Connect: How does it relate to the exact wording of the prompt?

4. Analyse: What concepts are involved, such as evidence, authority, interpretation, perspective, certainty, or values?

5. Justify: Why does this object make a distinct contribution?

Suppose your prompt is “How might the context in which knowledge is presented influence whether it is accepted or rejected?” A screenshot of a climate statistic is not automatically strong. Explain where it appeared, what design choices surrounded it, who shared it, what assumptions the audience brought to it, and how the same information might be received in a scientific report, political speech, or short-form video.

The important move is from description to analysis. Saying that an object relates to context because it was posted online is only a basic connection. Explaining how the platform, audience, visual framing, and perceived authority affect acceptance demonstrates TOK thinking.

Understanding the assessment requirements

The exhibition is not the same as the TOK essay. The essay is an externally assessed 1,600-word response to one of six session-specific prescribed titles. The exhibition is an internally assessed commentary on three objects connected to one of the 35 fixed prompts.

The 950-word limit applies to the commentary as a whole, not to each object. Around 250 to 300 words per object is a practical starting point, although the balance can vary. Confirm formatting, citation, and submission details with your TOK teacher because schools may provide additional instructions.

The official IB Theory of Knowledge documentation explains the exhibition as an exploration of how TOK manifests in the world around us.

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating the prompt as a topic

“Who owns knowledge?” is not simply an invitation to write about copyright. Examine a specific traditional design, patented medical technology, or online photograph and ask how ownership is established, challenged, or limited.

Choosing generic objects

Replace “a newspaper” with a particular article, publication date, headline, and event. Replace “a painting” with a named work, artist, collection, and setting. Specificity makes the knowledge connection credible.

Describing instead of justifying

A detailed description does not explain why an object belongs in the exhibition. After identifying it, spend most of your words explaining the knowledge issue it reveals and its distinct role alongside the other objects.

Repeating one argument three times

Plan a progression such as support, complication, consequence or individual perspective, institutional perspective, wider social implication. You may draw on school subjects and Areas of Knowledge when useful, but do not force an artificial reference into the commentary.

Keep records of publication details, dates, creators, locations, and sources while researching. The TOK exhibition assessment guidance and exemplars show how context, prompt links, and justification work together.

A practical planning method

Start with three or four possible prompts. For each, create a planning grid with three columns: possible object, specific context, and knowledge issue. Ask:

• Can I explain the object’s context precisely?

• Does it connect directly to the exact prompt wording?

• Does it reveal tension rather than merely illustrate a definition?

• Does it contribute something different from the other objects?

• Can I support factual claims with appropriate evidence?

Once you choose a prompt, write a one-sentence working answer. This is not a final thesis, but it keeps the commentary focused. For example: “The reliability of knowledge depends not only on available evidence but also on the methods, interests, and communities that evaluate it.”

Draft each object around its particular contribution. Use transitions to show how the objects relate, but avoid a separate conclusion that merely repeats the three paragraphs if it consumes valuable words. Finish by checking that the prompt is copied accurately, all three objects are identifiable, and every paragraph returns to the knowledge question.

You can use RevisionDojo’s TOK exhibition guide for a step-by-step workflow, Study Notes and Flashcards in the TOK resource hub to review concepts, and the TOK Exhibition Grader to test whether your draft has clear contexts, prompt links, evidence, and justification. Use Jojo AI to challenge assumptions and generate counter-perspectives, not to replace your own selection and analysis.

Final checklist

Before submission, confirm that:

• You selected one official prompt and copied it accurately.

• You used three distinct objects or images of objects.

• Each object has a specific real-world context.

• Every object connects explicitly to the same prompt.

• Each object contributes a different perspective or function.

• Your commentary stays within 950 words.

• Your analysis focuses on knowledge rather than description alone.

• Factual claims and borrowed ideas are referenced appropriately.

• Your work reflects your own thinking and follows your teacher’s instructions.

Conclusion

The best TOK exhibition prompts do not provide easy answers. They give you a focused way to investigate how knowledge is created, justified, communicated, interpreted, and used in real situations. Choose one prompt exactly as prescribed, select three specific objects with contrasting roles, and make the connection between each object and the knowledge question explicit.

RevisionDojo can support the process with TOK Study Notes, Flashcards, examples, Jojo AI, and rubric-informed feedback. Begin with the TOK resource hub, then use the TOK Exhibition Grader to identify the most important improvements before submission.