TOK prescribed titles are the fixed set of questions or statements released by the IB each year, from which you must choose one to build your entire TOK Exhibition around. Understanding how to actually interpret and unpack a prescribed title — rather than answering it too literally or too broadly — is the foundation of a strong exhibition.
What Prescribed Titles Actually Are
Each exam session, the IB releases a specific set of prescribed titles for the TOK Exhibition (typically around 35 titles to choose from). These are broad, open-ended statements or questions related to knowledge itself — how it’s produced, shared, evaluated, or contested — designed to be interpreted and explored through real-world objects, not answered directly like an essay question.
How to Read a Prescribed Title Correctly
Prescribed titles are intentionally abstract, which means the first step is genuinely understanding what the title is asking before choosing objects. Break the title down by identifying:
- The key term or concept the title centers on (certainty, bias, values, disagreement, etc.)
- Whether the title is asking about a process (how knowledge is produced or shared) or a judgment (how knowledge should be evaluated)
- What kind of real-world manifestation would genuinely demonstrate this concept, rather than just gesture vaguely toward it
Example: Unpacking a Prescribed Title
A title like «What counts as a good justification for a claim?» is asking you to explore the standards used to evaluate whether a claim is well-supported — not simply to describe examples of claims. A strong interpretation would choose objects that each demonstrate a different type of justification (statistical evidence, expert authority, personal experience) and use them to explore what makes each type more or less convincing.
A title like «Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?» is asking for a comparison — meaning your three objects should ideally represent different types or areas of knowledge (a scientific fact, a historical interpretation, an artistic judgment) so you can genuinely compare how open each is to differing interpretation.
Common Misinterpretations to Avoid
- Answering too literally — treating the title as a simple factual question rather than an invitation to explore complexity and nuance
- Ignoring key qualifying words — titles often include words like «always,» «sometimes,» or «to what extent,» which fundamentally shape what kind of answer or exploration is appropriate
- Choosing objects that describe the title’s topic without actually exploring the title’s specific question — for example, choosing objects about «science» for a title about the limits of scientific knowledge, without ever addressing those limits directly
How to Choose the Right Title for You
Rather than picking the title that «sounds easiest,» choose the one where you can already imagine 2-3 specific, real objects that genuinely connect to it — an abstract title with no clear real-world objects coming to mind will be much harder to build a strong exhibition around, regardless of how interesting the title itself seems.
Final Tip
Once you’ve chosen a title, write out your own one-sentence paraphrase of exactly what it’s asking, in plain language. If you can’t paraphrase it clearly, you likely don’t yet understand it well enough to build a strong exhibition around it — revisit the title with your TOK teacher before committing.