What Happened to the TOK Presentation?
If you have searched for TOK Presentation tips and found confusing or contradictory advice, there is a simple explanation: the TOK Presentation no longer exists.
The IB retired the TOK Presentation as part of its 2022 curriculum revision. In its place, every TOK student now completes the TOK Exhibition – a fundamentally different assessment that tests different skills in a different format. If you started the IB Diploma in 2022 or later, the Presentation is not part of your course.
This article explains what the Presentation was, why the IB replaced it, and – most importantly – what you need to know about the Exhibition that took its place.
What the TOK Presentation Used to Be
Under the pre-2022 syllabus, the TOK Presentation was a live, spoken assessment delivered to your class. Students would:
- Identify a real-life situation (RLS) that raised knowledge questions
- Extract one or more knowledge questions from that situation
- Present a structured 10-minute argument (individually or in groups) exploring those questions
- Apply their analysis back to the original real-life situation
Teachers assessed the Presentation using the Presentation Planning Document (PPD), which recorded the student’s RLS, knowledge question, and argument structure. The assessment was internal – marked by your teacher and moderated by the IB.
The format rewarded public speaking, spontaneous thinking, and the ability to explain abstract ideas to a live audience. Many students found it stressful. Some found it rewarding. Either way, it is gone.
Why the IB Made the Change
The IB does not publish detailed rationale for every curriculum decision, but several factors likely drove the shift:
- Consistency: Live presentations varied enormously in conditions – class size, time of day, group dynamics. Written assessments are easier to standardise.
- Moderation: It is difficult for external moderators to assess a live presentation they never witnessed. The PPD was a proxy, not the real thing.
- Alignment with the new framework: The 2022 TOK guide replaced Ways of Knowing with the Knowledge Framework (Scope, Perspectives, Methods & Tools, Ethics) and introduced the Core Theme (Knowledge and the Knower). The Exhibition format tests these ideas more directly.
