After editing nearly a hundred commentaries for IB students from different parts of the world, we’ve identified reasons why many of them fail the ToK exhibition.
This article mentions the most common mistakes that IB students make when it comes to ToK exhibition. Additionally, we share suggestions and tips to keep you from making the same mistakes, so you can write a commentary that scores an excellent.
7 Reasons Students Fail ToK Exhibition
IB students mainly fail ToK exhibition because of the following reasons:
1. Procrastination
Procrastination can seriously affect the quality of your TOK exhibition. Ideally, starting late can lead to rushed work and missed opportunities for thorough research and refinement.
Start your exhibition early to ensure you have ample time for each step of the process, from selecting your objects to writing your commentary. After all, starting early will give you the best chance to succeed and produce high-quality work.
2. Discussing the Exhibition Task in Group Discussions
The TOK exhibition is an individual project that you must complete on your own, not in a group discussion.
According to the IB guide, you should not discuss your exhibition project with classmates in any group setting. The objects (or images of objects) you choose must be unique to your exhibition and should not overlap with your classmates’ choices.
By working independently, you ensure that your project remains original and that it aligns with the guidelines.
3. Choosing a Wrong IA Prompt
Selecting the right TOK exhibition prompt is crucial for a successful project. Here’s how to do it wisely:
- Carefully read all available prompts to get a sense of the options.
- Pick a question that connects with what you’ve learned about TOK and aligns with concepts that intrigue you.
- Make sure your chosen prompt relates to the core theme or one of the optional TOK themes.
- Choose a prompt that excites you or features concepts you’ve always wanted to explore, whether they’re from your classroom or outside of your classroom.
4. Selecting Unsuitable Objects
Selecting the wrong objects for your TOK exhibition can cost you valuable marks. Here’s how to pick the right ones:
- Ensure the objects you choose exist within a specific time and place.
- Objects must have a clear real-world connection and not be abstract or vague.
- Avoid objects that are overly symbolic, generic, or commonly used.
- Choose unique objects. Your classmates shouldn’t know which objects you chose for the exhibition commentary.
- Ensure that your objects directly relate to your chosen exhibition question and connect to a core or optional TOK theme.
By following these steps, you’ll avoid common pitfalls and select objects that will strengthen your exhibition.
5. Poorly Written Exhibition Commentary
The 950-word commentary is a crucial part of your Theory of Knowledge exhibition. If not written correctly, it can significantly affect your grade.
You need to take your time on this one. While you can complete the task in one sitting, it’s important to focus on quality rather than rushing through it.
We highly recommend that you check out our detailed guide on how to write an exhibition commentary. The guide walks you through the process and highlights common mistakes to avoid.
By following the suggestions in the guide and taking your time to focus on the exhibition task, you’ll improve your chances of submitting a well-written, high-quality commentary.
6. Failing to Link the Commentary to a ToK Theme
It’s essential to connect your IA prompt and objects to the core or optional themes for a successful Theory of Knowledge exhibition.
Even with interesting prompts and relevant objects, failing to connect them to TOK themes will weaken your exhibition.
According to the IB guide, your IA prompt and chosen objects must relate to a core theme or one of the optional TOK themes. So before you begin writing your commentary, ensure that both your exhibition question and objects align with these themes to strengthen your analysis.
7. Plagiarism
Many IB students have the preconceived notion that they can copy content from the internet, tweak some parts, and then submit the commentary as their own.
This is a wrong approach.
Plagiarism can have serious consequences, both academically and ethically. IN most cases, plagiarizing, whether intentional or not, can harm your reputation and reflect poorly on your work ethic.
Be a responsible and a careful IB student. Avoid the temptation to copy content. Write your own commentary from scratch to demonstrate your understanding and critical thinking.
We strongly advise that you start working on your ToK exhibition as soon as your teacher asks you to. Doing so ensures you have enough time to write a high quality, authentic commentary.
Submitting original work will help you maintain academic integrity and ensure your success in the IB program.
ToK Exhibition Writing Service
Are you having a hard time with prompt selection, objects options, and writing? Or maybe you’re running late on your commentary but you don’t want to pull an all-nighter for it? You can use our ToK exhibition writing service to get the task completed on time.
We charge $12.99 to $40 per page depending on the urgency of the task. Additional features such as expert proofreading, subject expert and copy of sources also add to the overall cost of the writing service.
Our IB writers focus on delivering high quality work. Ideally, we invest time in in-depth research, custom writing, and timely delivery. We don’t use AI-text generators such as ChatGPT and Claude, so you can be confident that that ToK exhibition commentary will be 100% unique.