Link Object to The Prompt
ToK Exhibition Mini Series #2/4
Link ToK Exhibition Objects to the prompt.
What’s the most basic thing to get right in the ToK Exhibition ?
The first thing that moderating examiners are looking for when they assess your ToK exhibition is whether you have made a link between the object and the prompt. This link needs to be explicit and direct, and is best made frequently during the commentary.
Let’s briefly consider those words:
Explicit means using the word link, I am going to write “the link between my object and the prompt is”.
Direct means that I am going to use the words from the prompt in my answer.
If you do this then there is less chance that the examiner will overlook the link you make, and more chance that you are awarded the marks. I know this sounds obvious, but you'd be amazed how many Exhibition Commentaries that I see where the student has not clearly made the link between the object and the prompt. Linking the ToK Exhibition Object to the prompt is crucial for scoring 2+ marks in the Exhibition.
Examples of direct and explicit links between the object & prompt.
Let’s have a look at some examples.
The first prompt is: Why do we seek knowledge?
The object is: The Natural History Museum in London.
I am going to write : “The link between the Natural History Museum and the prompt is that the museum demonstrates that one of the reasons that we seek knowledge is to resolve unanswered questions”.
OK, maybe it’s a little cumbersome, so maybe we could refine it to:
“The Natural History Museum demonstrates that one of the reasons that seek knowledge is to resolve unanswered questions”.
It’s up to you whether you go with something cumbersome or more refined. Personally, I like to see the word link / linked in there as it reduces any potential equivocation on the part of the examiner.
The important point is that we have the words from the prompt in the answer. The prompt asks “why do we seek knowledge?”, so I have the words “seek knowledge” in my answer - I know it sounds ridiculously obvious, but lots of ToK students are not doing it, maybe they don’t do it because it seems so obvious, obviously.
Another example linking ToK Exhibition object to the prompt
Let’s look at another example:
The prompt is What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?
The object is The Dragon’s Back Hiking Trail in Hong Kong.
I am going to write: “The link between the Dragon’s Back Hiking trail and the relationship between personal experience and knowledge is that it demonstrates that experience can lead to the formation of knowledge”.
Again, it’s a little cumbersome, but the Exhibition is not an exercise in refined prose, it’s an exercise in showing how ToK manifests itself in the world around us.
If you want more help with your Exhibition we have lots of resources available at this link, including the very popular Every ToK Exhibition Prompt Explained. Link in the video description.
The next blog in this series will be on choosing objects,.
For more blogs on the ToK Exhibition check out:
Basic ToK Exhibition Mistakes (Blog 1/4 of ToK Exhibition Mini Series)