TOK Exhibition — Guide

Reference
Exhibition
What makes a good object, how to write an effective commentary, and common mistakes.

What Is the Exhibition?

The TOK Exhibition is your first major TOK assessment (DP2). You choose three objects from the real world and write a commentary (up to 950 words total, ~300 per object) showing how each object illustrates a different perspective on one of the IB’s 35 prescribed prompts.

  • Worth 33% of your final TOK score
  • Completed at the start of DP2
  • Objects must be distinct — no two objects may make the same point

What Makes a Good Object?

Ask yourself: “What knowledge is at stake regarding this object?” If you cannot answer this question immediately, it may not be a good object.

Eight qualities of a good object:

  1. Links easily to the prompt — the connection is clear and direct
  2. Specific — a particular object, with a particular maker, date, location, and purpose. Generic photographs from the internet are not acceptable.
  3. Accessible knowledge context — the real-world knowledge context can be explained to a non-specialist in 2–3 sentences
  4. The object makes the link visible — seeing or reading about the object helps you see the connection to knowledge
  5. Personal significance — you have a genuine reason to care about this object
  6. Not purely symbolic — a dove representing peace is too indirect; the link to knowledge is too remote
  7. Has features useful for the prompt — the object possesses specific properties that connect to the keywords of the prompt
  8. Unique in your class — no two students may use the same object

Writing the Commentary

Your commentary for each object has three parts:

Part 1: WHAT?

What is the object and what is its real-world knowledge context?

  • Identify the object: what it is, who made it, when, where, and for what purpose
  • Describe its knowledge context: what knowledge is at stake here?
  • Keep it to 2–3 sentences — include only what is relevant to the prompt

Part 2: HOW? WHY?

How does the object link to the prompt? Why did you choose it?

  • This is the majority of the commentary
  • Use the keywords from the prompt and the word “knowledge” at key moments
  • Refer to specific features of the object that make the link visible
  • Cite external evidence or examples where relevant

Part 3: ZOOM OUT

What perspective on the prompt does this object illustrate?

  • Step back and state explicitly what aspect of the prompt this object reveals
  • Link back to both the object and the prompt keywords

Four Elements Every Commentary Must Have

Important
  1. Identification — What is the object, who made it, when, where?
  2. Knowledge context — What knowledge is at stake? (Many students omit this.)
  3. Explicit link to prompt — Use the keywords from the prompt. If neither the prompt’s keywords nor the word “knowledge” appear, warning bells should be ringing.
  4. Justification — Why is this object in the exhibition? Take a perspective on the prompt.

Typical Commentary Language

“This object is an X which is used to do Y in situation S.” “The knowledge involved here is K because …” “The prompt asks about [keyword] and we can see [keyword] in the knowledge context of this object because …” “This object shows that the prompt can be understood from the [perspective] perspective.”

Common Mistakes

Mistake Fix
Too much description of the object, too little about knowledge Ask: what is known because of this object?
Symbolic objects (dove, scales of justice) Choose objects with specific knowledge contexts
Generic images (“a photograph of a microscope”) Name the specific instrument, researcher, institution
Omitting who, when, where Include these — they are part of identification
Dropping TOK vocabulary without making it do work Only use terms when they make a genuine conceptual contribution

The Scoring Rubric

The Exhibition is marked on a single criterion: to what extent does the commentary show how the object illustrates the prompt?

Score 7–9: The object is specific and well-chosen; the commentary clearly and specifically links the object’s knowledge context to the prompt; the perspective is justified.

Score 4–6: The object is adequately chosen; the link is present but may be unclear or underdeveloped; the knowledge context is mentioned but not fully explored.

Score 1–3: The object is generic or symbolic; the link to the prompt is vague or missing; little discussion of knowledge.

Score 0: The prompt is not identified in the commentary.

Warning

Always state the prompt you are responding to. Failure to identify the prompt may result in 0 points.

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