TOK exhibition: what does a strong example show?
Worked example on prompt 5: What counts as good evidence for a claim? Each object shows a weak commentary line and a strong one. The strong version names a specific claim, links it to the prompt, and says what the object shows about knowledge.
Object 1: My grandmother's handwritten recipe card
Weak
This recipe is evidence because my grandmother wrote it and she is a good cook.
Strong
The card claims 'bake 40 minutes', yet the family trusts it over the printed cookbook it was adapted from. Here good evidence is judged by the knower's track record, not by testing: the claim is accepted because forty years of meals confirmed it.
Object 2: A COVID-19 rapid antigen test
Weak
A test is good evidence because it is scientific.
Strong
The test gives a clear line, but its false-negative rate means one negative result is weak evidence on its own. Its evidential value depends on base rates and repetition, which is why guidance asked for two tests 48 hours apart.
Object 3: A screenshot of a viral social media post
Weak
This post is not good evidence because social media is not reliable.
Strong
The post has 2 million shares, and shares work as social proof. But popularity measures reach, not accuracy: the image was later traced to a different event, showing that what spreads fastest is often judged as good evidence without checking its source.
Worked-example object comparison
What does each object contribute to the same prompt?
In the simulated exhibition above, each object represents a different reason someone might accept a claim: remembered experience, a technical test, and public attention. The distinction is the argument, not the objects themselves. Your own objects do not have to be different kinds of thing; each still needs a specific context and a justified link to the prompt.
01Handwritten family recipe card
- What it could help examine
- The family uses a record of repeated successful meals as its reason for trusting a particular instruction.
- What it cannot establish alone
- That the cooking time works for every oven, ingredient or location.
- Question to answer in your commentary
- What is the difference between testimony from a trusted person and a repeatable measurement?
02Rapid antigen test
- What it could help examine
- The result follows an instrument's testing procedure. Reliability depends on conditions, timing and limitations of the test.
- What it cannot establish alone
- That a single negative result rules out an infection in every situation.
- Question to answer in your commentary
- When does a technical measurement need additional evidence before it justifies a conclusion?
03Viral social-media screenshot
- What it could help examine
- A visible post and the fact of its circulation show what people encounter and share.
- What it cannot establish alone
- That the depicted event or accompanying claim is authentic because it was widely shared.
- Question to answer in your commentary
- Can the popularity of a claim ever substitute for checking its source?
This is an explanation of original teaching scenarios, not evidence that these specific fictional objects existed or were accepted by an examiner. For your own exhibition, name and document your real objects and their contexts.
What are the TOK exhibition prompts?
The IA prompts are fixed and do not rotate each session. Pick one and connect all three objects to it.
- 01 What counts as knowledge?
- 02 Are some types of knowledge more useful than others?
- 03 What features of knowledge have an impact on its reliability?
- 04 On what grounds might we doubt a claim?
- 05 What counts as good evidence for a claim?
- 06 How does the way we organise or classify knowledge affect what we know?
- 07 What are the implications of having, or not having, knowledge?
- 08 To what extent is certainty attainable?
- 09 Are some types of knowledge less open to interpretation than others?
- 10 What challenges are raised by the dissemination and/or communication of knowledge?
- 11 Can new knowledge change established values or beliefs?
- 12 Is bias inevitable in the production of knowledge?
- 13 How can we know that current knowledge is an improvement upon past knowledge?
- 14 Does some knowledge belong only to particular communities of knowers?
- 15 What constraints are there on the pursuit of knowledge?
- 16 Should some knowledge not be sought on ethical grounds?
- 17 Why do we seek knowledge?
- 18 Are some things unknowable?
- 19 What counts as a good justification for a claim?
- 20 What is the relationship between personal experience and knowledge?
- 21 What is the relationship between knowledge and culture?
- 22 What role do experts play in influencing our consumption or acquisition of knowledge?
- 23 How important are material tools in the production or acquisition of knowledge?
- 24 How might the context in which knowledge is presented influence whether it is accepted or rejected?
- 25 How can we distinguish between knowledge, belief and opinion?
- 26 Does our knowledge depend on our interactions with other knowers?
- 27 Does all knowledge impose ethical obligations on those who know it?
- 28 To what extent is objectivity possible in the production or acquisition of knowledge?
- 29 Who owns knowledge?
- 30 What role does imagination play in producing knowledge about the world?
- 31 How can we judge when evidence is adequate?
- 32 What makes a good explanation?
- 33 How is current knowledge shaped by its historical development?
- 34 In what ways do our values affect our acquisition of knowledge?
- 35 In what ways do values affect the production of knowledge?
What questions do students ask about TOK exhibitions?
The exhibition is assessed through a single holistic prompt-focused commentary, so each object should have a clear and specific connection to the chosen prompt.
How is the TOK exhibition marked?
Your teacher marks it out of 10 against a single holistic assessment instrument, and the IB moderates a sample. It is worth one third of your TOK grade; the essay is the other two thirds.
How many words is the TOK exhibition?
The commentaries on your three objects total a maximum of 950 words, not including references.
Can I use a different prompt for each object?
No. You choose one of the 35 IA prompts and all three objects must connect to that same prompt.
What makes a good TOK exhibition object?
A specific object with a real-world context, ideally one with a personal connection. 'A smartphone' is generic; 'the screenshot I sent my family in March 2020' is specific.
Sources & verification
Primary-source references used to verify key assessment facts on this page. Last source check: September 25, 2026.
The worked example is original iBacalao writing, not an official IB exemplar. Check the TOK guide for your session.
- IB - Theory of knowledgeOfficial overview of the TOK course and its two assessment components.
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