TOK Essay May 2025 BREAKDOWN & TIPS
Summary
TLDRThis video script outlines a teacher's approach to guiding students through the IB TOK essay, focusing on the ethical obligations of historians and human scientists to consider contradictory evidence. The teacher, with a background in mathematics and chemistry, shares effective strategies that have helped students score well. The script discusses various essay titles, emphasizing the importance of reasoning beyond a simple 'yes' or 'no' and providing examples from history, human sciences, and other areas of knowledge. The teacher promises to release dedicated videos for each essay title, encouraging students to engage with the material and improve their essay writing skills.
Takeaways
- 😀 The speaker is a teacher of mathematics, chemistry, and TOK essay, aiming to share effective tips and guides for TOK essay writing.
- 📚 The speaker's students have achieved high marks in TOK essays, indicating the effectiveness of the teaching methods.
- 📝 The first prescribed title discusses the ethical obligation of historians and human scientists to not ignore contradictory evidence.
- 🔍 The speaker emphasizes the importance of providing both 'yes' and 'no' perspectives with supporting examples and reasoning.
- 🌐 Examples for the first title include Holocaust denial, climate change, and the discovery of the Americas, highlighting the need for evidence-based discussion.
- 🎨 The second prescribed title explores the fragility of rebuilt knowledge, with a focus on Arts and another area of knowledge, suggesting the interpretation and change of knowledge over time.
- 🌱 The third title addresses the reconciliation of the relentless pursuit of knowledge with finite resources, encouraging a discussion on the feasibility and methods of such reconciliation.
- 🔬 The fourth title questions if the ever-improving tools in an area of knowledge always result in improved knowledge, prompting a debate on the reliability of advancements.
- ⚖️ The fifth title, attributed to George Box, challenges the validity of models, suggesting that while all models are wrong, some are useful, which is to be discussed with reference to Mathematics and another area of knowledge.
- 🌟 The sixth and final title ponders whether the acquisition of knowledge destroys our sense of wonder, inviting a discussion on the impact of knowledge on curiosity and awe.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video script?
-The main focus of the video script is to provide a breakdown and guidance on the prescribed titles for the TOK (Theory of Knowledge) essay in May 2025, offering tips and examples to help students approach each topic effectively.
Why does the teacher mention their background in mathematics and chemistry?
-The teacher mentions their background in mathematics and chemistry to establish credibility and explain why they are qualified to teach TOK essay, despite it not being directly related to those subjects.
What is the significance of the teacher's claim that most of their students got 'A' grades in the past two years?
-The teacher's claim signifies the effectiveness of their teaching methods and the relevance of their tips and guides for the TOK essay, as they have been successful in helping students achieve high grades.
What are the two focus words in the first prescribed title and what do they imply?
-The two focus words in the first prescribed title are 'ethical obligation' and 'contradictory evidence'. They imply the need to discuss whether historians and human scientists have a moral responsibility to consider evidence that contradicts their views.
Why does the teacher advise against simply stating 'yes' or 'no' to the essay questions?
-The teacher advises against simply stating 'yes' or 'no' because the essay requires a nuanced discussion that includes both perspectives and reasoning, which is essential for a high-scoring TOK essay.
What examples does the teacher suggest for the first prescribed title?
-The teacher suggests examples such as Holocaust denial, climate change, environmental history, Turkish history, and the discovery of the Americas and Indigenous populations for the first prescribed title.
What is the second prescribed title discussed in the script?
-The second prescribed title is 'Our knowledge must be more fragile than it is assumed to be', which requires discussing the fragility of knowledge with references to the Arts and one other area of knowledge.
What is the significance of the phrase 'all models are wrong but some are useful' in the context of the fifth prescribed title?
-The phrase 'all models are wrong but some are useful', attributed to George Box, is significant because it highlights the limitations of models in representing reality while acknowledging their utility. This is central to the fifth prescribed title's discussion on the reliability of models in knowledge acquisition.
How does the teacher suggest approaching the third prescribed title about reconciling the relentless drive to pursue knowledge with finite resources?
-The teacher suggests approaching the third prescribed title by discussing whether the relentless drive to pursue knowledge can be reconciled with finite resources, focusing on the methods and benefits of such reconciliation, with references to Natural Science and one other area of knowledge.
What is the main challenge the teacher anticipates for the sixth prescribed title?
-The teacher anticipates that the main challenge for the sixth prescribed title, which discusses whether acquiring knowledge destroys our sense of wonder, will be to balance the discussion between the acquisition of knowledge and its impact on curiosity and wonder.
Why is reasoning considered the most important part of the essay according to the teacher?
-Reasoning is considered the most important part of the essay because it demonstrates the student's ability to critically analyze and support their arguments with logic and examples, which is key to scoring higher points.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to TOK Essay Titles
The speaker, a teacher of mathematics, chemistry, and TOK essay, introduces their upcoming series of videos dedicated to breaking down TOK essay titles for May 2025. They share their experience in teaching TOK essay and the success of their students, who have achieved high scores in the past two years since the curriculum update. The speaker emphasizes the importance of discussing both 'yes' and 'no' perspectives on the essay titles and provides guidance on how to approach the prescribed titles, focusing on the keywords and the need for reasoning with examples. They also mention specific examples such as the Holocaust, climate change, and the discovery of America to illustrate the points.
🌿 Deconstructing Prescribed Title Two: Rebuilding Knowledge
The speaker discusses the second prescribed title, which questions the fragility of knowledge in the Arts and another area of knowledge. They emphasize the need to focus on the word 'fragile' and to provide examples that illustrate how knowledge can be rebuilt or reinterpreted. The speaker suggests using examples from the Arts, such as the interpretation of the Mona Lisa's smile, and from history, like the collapse of the Mayan civilization. They also caution against using contemporary political examples, such as statements from public figures, which may not align with the academic nature of the TOK essay.
🌱 Reconciling Knowledge Pursuit with Finite Resources
The third prescribed title is about reconciling the relentless pursuit of knowledge with the finite resources available. The speaker predicts this title will be popular among students and advises on how to approach it. They stress the importance of discussing the possibility of reconciliation and providing methods to achieve it. The focus words are 'reconcile,' 'relentless pursuit,' and 'finite resources.' The speaker suggests discussing the benefits of pursuing knowledge within resource constraints and proposing ways to reconcile the two. Examples include adopting green labs in Natural Science and cost-benefit analysis in economics.
🛠️ Tools of Knowledge and Their Impact on Knowledge Improvement
The fourth prescribed title discusses whether the ever-improving tools in an area of knowledge always result in improved knowledge. The speaker points out that the word 'always' is key and must be addressed in the essay. They suggest discussing both the affirmative and negative perspectives, using two areas of knowledge, such as Natural Science and Art. Examples provided include CRISPR gene technology and the development of digital tools in graphic design and planning.
🔍 Models in Science: Useful Despite Their Limitations
The fifth prescribed title, attributed to George Box, questions the usefulness of models despite their inaccuracies. The speaker explains that the phrase 'all models are wrong' acknowledges the limitations of models but also their utility. They advise discussing this with reference to mathematics and another area of knowledge, such as Natural Science. Examples include linear models in statistics, chaos theory, atomic models, and pharmacokinetics models.
🌟 The Impact of Acquiring Knowledge on Our Sense of Wonder
The sixth and final prescribed title explores the idea that acquiring knowledge might destroy our sense of wonder. The speaker finds this title challenging but intriguing. They emphasize discussing the process of acquiring knowledge and its potential to diminish curiosity or wonder. The speaker plans to provide a dedicated video for this title and suggests examples from astronomy, biology, music, and art to illustrate the points made in the essay.
📢 Conclusion and Upcoming Videos
In conclusion, the speaker reminds the audience about the upcoming dedicated videos for each prescribed title and encourages viewers to like and subscribe for more content. They express enthusiasm for the series and provide a light-hearted sign-off with music and applause.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡TOK Essay
💡Ethical Obligation
💡Contradicting Evidence
💡Holocaust Denial
💡Climate Change
💡Reconciliation
💡Finite Resources
💡Degenerate Art
💡Mona Lisa Smile
💡Wonder
Highlights
The speaker plans to post dedicated videos for each TOK essay title.
The speaker's background in teaching mathematics and chemistry aids in teaching TOK essay effectively.
Most of the speaker's students scored 7s in TOK over the past two years.
For the first prescribed title, the focus words are 'ethical obligation' and 'contradictory evidence'.
Historians and human scientists should confront and refute Holocaust denial by acknowledging all available evidence.
Examples for the first title include Holocaust denial, climate change, and the discovery of the Americas.
The second prescribed title discusses the fragility of rebuilt knowledge in Arts and another area of knowledge.
Art examples should focus on how knowledge has been changed or interpreted differently, not physical destruction.
Degenerate art in Nazi Germany is a suggested example for the second title.
The third prescribed title explores reconciling the relentless drive for knowledge with finite resources.
The focus words for the third title are 'reconcile', 'relentless pursuit', 'knowledge', and 'finite resources'.
Examples for the third title include adopting green labs in Natural Science and cost-benefit analysis in Economics.
The fourth prescribed title questions if improved tools always result in improved knowledge.
The focus of the fourth title is on the word 'always' and the impact of improving tools on knowledge.
Examples for the fourth title include CRISPR gene technology and the development of digital tools in Natural Science.
The fifth prescribed title, attributed to George Box, discusses the usefulness of models despite their inaccuracies.
The fifth title requires discussing the application of models in Mathematics and another area of knowledge.
Linear models in Statistics and chaos theory in Natural Science are suggested examples for the fifth title.
The sixth and final prescribed title debates whether acquiring knowledge destroys our sense of wonder.
The focus words for the sixth title are 'acquiring knowledge' and 'destroying sense of wonder'.
Examples for the sixth title include advancements in Astronomy, Biology, and the emotional depths in Music.
The speaker will upload dedicated videos for each prescribed title in the coming weeks.
Transcripts
okay so let's try to break down the Tok
essay prescribed title May
2025 and incoming weeks I'm going to
post a dedicated videos for each topics
okay uh I've been teaching mathematics
and chemistry and you guys must be
thinking you're the stamp teacher why
you talking about Tok at this point
right but I've been also teaching Tok
essay and maybe because of my background
I was able to help my students more
efficient ly and that is reason why I
want to share my tips and guide with you
guys okay so just for your information
most of my students got ambs in past two
years uh since Tok curriculum has been
updated so I'm pretty sure my tips and
guides are effective okay okay so
prescribe title number one do historians
and human scientists have an ethical
obligation to follow the directive to
not ignore contract
evidence discuss with a reference to
history and human science so there are
two Focus word with this title they
are ethical obligation and
contradictory evidence uh this is a
typical yes and no question so you have
to find yes and no perspective but you
know in my opinion never say just yes
because of this example yet no because
of of this example you have to reason
with your example so you're like sharing
yeah you want to say yes this is example
that can support my answer yes but
because of these reasons okay same thing
no be because of this reasion or this
example and because of my
reasons for this example okay so
something like that so don't forget I'm
going to unload a specific videos
dedicated for each title in coming weeks
right let's go back to the title okay so
because it says that do historians and
human scientists have an ethical
obligation to follow the directive to
not ignore contradictory evidence right
so here the ethical obligation that they
are talking about here is not about your
individual opinion right this is about
uh the whole fi
of the historians and human scientist
okay so you need to think about what is
the ethical obligation of the historians
and what are the ethical obligation of
the human scientists and then think
about the examples that where this
historians and human scientists followed
the directive to not ignore the
contradictory evidence right and then
because it says the discuss with Le to
history and the human science you can
only talk about AOK history AOK human
science so let's briefly talk about the
examples so examples are I said like
Holocaust n religionism climate change
environmental history the Turkish cppy
study and the discover Discovery of the
American and Indigenous populations okay
so some of you might be thinking but
some of the teachers like maybe my
teachers they never talk about the
Holocaust or World War II
like in my opinion you can talk about it
like you can discuss the Holocaust in
your to essay how however you need to
reason it really well because you're
competing maybe a few hundred other
students discussing about the Holocaust
right so you choose this example if you
can listen it well okay so uh the first
example Holocaust denial and revisionism
right so you know there are some people
who denies the Holocaust right so
because of that historians have to go
back and then the like you know
historians and human scientists have uh
uh because of that like you know because
in the face of the Holocaust Deni so
what historians and human scientists
have done is like they because they have
an ethical obligation to confront and
refute these claims by presenting and
acknowledging all abailable evidence
right so they did talked about it and
same thing with the climate change and
environment history and Turkish SL
history discovery of the Americans and
Indigenous population I'm going to talk
more about these examples with my a
video that is dedicated for this topic
only okay and some of you might be
thinking like thinking about like you
know Donal Trump Mr President discussed
global warming is expensive huls in his
Twitter but and then thinking about how
people responded to it like and use it
as example that's not a good example to
use okay because this title talks about
the history and human science right you
have to discuss this topic with the
history example that actually
happened discussed officially and have a
primary sources
okay okay then let's talk about the
prescribed title number two is our must
reild knowledge more fragile than it
assumed to be discussing with the
reference the Arts and the and one other
area of knowledge so Focus word with
this title is rebuild knowledge and then
assume okay and then may be fragile but
you need to focus on the Fragile the we
have to discuss this topic with the
reference the art and then one other
area of knowledge and
probably with this one other area
knowledge you will choose history
because there will be a lot of examples
to discuss it with right and then with
the art part the reason why I'm saying
art and history is uh with
art I mean let's talk about art right
the art is the a that I actually chosen
it for you right uh with the art you're
not talking about the how the
picture is destroyed right is you're
talking about how
knowledge has been changed and then like
maybe how it was like interpreted
interpreted differently that's what you
need to discuss with this art part and
same thing with the history all right so
uh this is another fun yes and no
perspective title and just I said before
you never never just going to say yes
because of this example no because of
this example right you're going to
always say yes because of this example
and this is how is uh interpreted by me
and then this is my reasoning to support
my answer that's how you're going to say
right so examples that you can use with
the title this title is first thing is
degenerate art in Nazi Germany okay
again another word word to example yes I
know like you know some of you some of
your teachers and might be saying like
don't use word word to is too common
among your peers but if you can't my
opinion is if you can talk about it well
you definitely should use it because if
you know that example very well that
means you will reason it very well too
right so that means that can lead to a
high score right so for example here
first example here I'm saying they
degenerate art in na Germany so the
reason why I'm saying is like during the
Nazi uh reason Modern Art especially
that of you know abang movement
was labeled as a degenerate and it was
banded and it was like destroyed or they
removed from the public P so that can be
a good art uh example and then Holocaust
denial can be an history example you
know I say that use history as your
other T I mean other a right because
that's like that's where you can find
the most of the example for this title
and then another thing that you can
discuss is the collapse of the Asian
civilization like a Mayas like in
history okay interpretation of the monaa
Lisa smile you know monaa smile has been
interpreted quite differently throughout
the history so it can be good example in
art and then destruction of the culture
Heritage side okay that can be another
example for art so you know destruction
of the culture uh Heritage s I'm not
just talking about you know people just
going there and then you know like write
something on the historical like
constructions or the sites like I'm
talking about you know uh cases where
you know like talibans uh destroying
such like such thing as like B man
Buddha right in
2001 that can be a good example for the
art okay um the reason why the Taliban
destroy that uh B ban Buddha is due to
the religion
right so that can be a good art example
I'm going to talk more about these
examples in my uh upcoming video for
this title
okay then title prescrip title number
three how can we reconcile the rentless
drive to pursue knowledge with the fite
resources we have available so uh we had
how can we
reconcile topic or the title in 2024
okay I think you know like honestly
quite a lot of my students chose how can
you reconcile title in 2024 and they did
well okay so this topic prescribe title
number three will
be uh very popular I think this year
again and then you know will be uh
chosen by many students uh but I'm not
saying that you should not do this
question right you should do this
question if you like this question and
then
um what you need to remember is because
it says that how can we
reconcile because of that what you need
to discuss with this prescribed tit is
uh like you know canot reconcile you
need to focus on this uh we cannot
reconcile or we can reconcile
some and then reconcile fully that's
what you need to
uh discuss with this title and also you
need to discuss the method to do it okay
that's the most important part okay so
how can we reconcile the rentless drive
to person knowledge with the finite
resources we have available so the focus
word in this case are reconcile rentless
Pursuit knowledge andite resources
that's what you need to remember in your
essay okay and we need to discuss it
with the reference to the Natural
Science and one other are area of the
knowledge right so to this question you
know this is not a yes or no question as
I discussed it before you need to
address this like why might be good to
personal with definite resources and
discuss it the benefits then discuss way
of reconciling the rentless drive so I'm
going to talk more about this in my
dedicated video but you know this is
what you need to remember with this
title this is not yes or no question
this is uh this is addressing question
you need to talk about why might be a
good to person knowledge with the fin
resources and discuss the benefit and
discuss way of reconciling the rentless
drive or you need to talk about why not
might be a good personality with the
resources and then discuss the benefit
and discuss way of reconciling the
rental drive right so let's talk about
this with my next video and the examples
that you can use is the such thing as
like you adopting green labs in
initiative in Natural Science Focus on
urgent Global challenges just natural
science uh cost benefit analysis in
economy in human science yes it's we
have to we're going to use economies as
a you know examples from the economies
because that's what you know right some
of you might be taking economics already
in your school okay uh so it's good to
use economy as a you know your human
science example because you can maybe
ask your econ teacher more about it
right and then write about it more with
a more better reasoning so that's reason
why I'm saying use economies then large
scale research collaboration or like you
know development of the co9 vaccines so
co9 vaccine is not just natural science
it also falls into the human science you
know development means that there's CA
right okay so prescribed title number
four this is very interesting title IB
is doing their own thing again okay with
this title so to the ever improving
tools of an area of knowledge always
result in improved knowledge so the IB
gave you the answer already you know
they say that always that means you need
to discuss this title around the always
part okay so it's asking do the ever
improving tools on area of knowledge
always result in improved knowledge so
you're going to
say no it's not always or yes it is
always and then you're going to use two
areas of knowledge right so you need to
say okay so ever improving tools always
result in improved knowledge ever
improving tools not always result in
improved knowledge okay that's what you
need to discuss so means this is another
yes and no perspective so just like I
have said before you never never never
never going to just say yes because of
this example no because of this example
you're going to say yes here's my
example because of these reasons no here
are my example because of these regions
okay and examples that you can use here
is the crib gen technology this is
natural science right uh and then
development of the digital tools such as
graphic design software and dig digital
planning platforms this is another
Natural Science you remember in my first
video I have said that this title is
more for the St people right and then
number three R rules of the transition
skills and a density concerns in art so
this
is from the AOK of art right so maybe
with this topic you can use natural
science and art as your AOC case Okay
okay then let's talk about the prescrib
title number five you know personally I
love this title you know if you're doing
HMS or if you're St person you also
going to love this title okay so to what
extent do you you agree with the claim
all models are wrong but some are useful
attributed to the Georgie box Georgie
box me Professor box you know like he's
a statistic professor and he's quite
famous for saying this uh phrases okay
and then we have to discuss it with the
reference to mathematics and one other a
of the one other area of the knowledge
so we have to discuss with the reference
to mathematics and one other area of the
knowledge do you know why we have to
discuss that with the mathematics
because this place is from
statistic right so that's is why they
want us to discuss with the mathematics
and we can use quite a lot of the
statistic models as example for this
title okay so let's talk about a little
bit more about this like praise right so
George box you know he is famous for
writing an accidental statian okay is
it's it's going to be boring if you're
not math person but it's quite fun okay
so with you know with this phrase the
first part all mod
wrong is a common apparis in statistic
okay so the aism acknowledge that
statistical models always for short of
the complexities of the reality but can
still be used this is the something that
you need to remember when you're
thinking about the examples right uh and
the aism originally refer just to
statistical models but now sometimes use
for the scientific models too that means
you can on top of your mathematics right
your AOK
one you can
use natural
signs as your AOK to okay because now
this aerm all models are wrong is
actually used in some models of the some
scientific models right so that's what
you need to remember so examples that
you can use are the linear models in
statistic right and then chaos theory
and the more more models of the atom in
Natural Science and then parac kinetics
models in natural science uh this is
like going to be a very good example I
think also the Minar models in statistic
okay then let's talk about title number
six the last title
okay that's acquiring knowledge destroy
our sense of wonder like when I first
saw this title this going to be the
hardest
one to discuss right so the focus word
with this title is are acquiring and
destroying so we have to talk about
acquiring knowledge so when you get
smarter it's going to destroy our sense
of curiosity sense of wonder that's what
you need to discuss the discuss with the
prescribed title number six okay and we
need to discuss it with the reference to
two areas of knowledge I'm going to
upload don't forget I'm going to upload
a dedicated video for this prescrib
title okay but let's talk briefly about
this title first so this is another F
yes and no perspective title but never
never never never say just yes because
of this example no because of this
example right you want to say yes this
is my example and because of these
reasons and no this is my example and
because of this example and we going to
present your reasoning don't forget that
reasoning is the most important part of
your essay to score higher
points and examples that you can use
with this title are like astronomy and
the cosmos in the Natural Science and
biology and complexity of the life
music and emotional depths and the over
iniz art these are the examples that you
can use for this title okay so that's it
for the my breakdown videos and don't
forget I'm going to post the dedicated
videos for each title next week so uh if
you like my videos please like the
videos and subscribe to my channel bye
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
Ver Más Videos Relacionados
Higher Level Essay - 10 Common Mistakes
O QUE ESTUDAR PARA O ENEM 2024 | Lista completa das matérias que mais caem no Enem!!!
What are the implications in the ToK Essay ?
Méthode : tout sur le sujet de réflexion (troisième)
COMO FAZER UMA REDAÇÃO NOTA MÁXIMA? - Professora Pamba
Why You Don’t Have to Write about Trauma/Challenges in Your College Essays (and What to Do Instead)
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)