TOK Exhibition: Object Selection and Commentary
The TOK Exhibition is internally assessed and contributes 33% of the TOK grade (equivalent to approximately 2 of the 3 bonus points). Students select one of 35 IA prompts provided by the IB and identify three real-world objects that collectively demonstrate how TOK manifests in specific real-world contexts. Each object must be a real, specific thing — not a concept, not a category. A photograph of a specific DNA double helix model is an object; 'DNA' is not.
The three objects must each connect independently and directly to the IA prompt. A common error is selecting objects that are thematically related to each other but do not individually and clearly exemplify the IA prompt. For example, for IA Prompt 25 — 'How can we distinguish between good and bad explanations?' — a strong selection might include: (1) Ptolemy's geocentric model and its eventual rejection, (2) a specific medical case where the wrong explanation led to harmful treatment, and (3) a controlled experiment replication that confirmed or refuted an earlier claim. Each of these individually demonstrates the prompt's concern with the criteria for explanation quality.
Commentary for each object is approximately 100 words and must do three things: (1) Identify the object precisely (with a specific image or link if digital); (2) Explain how the object directly demonstrates the IA prompt; (3) Connect to at least one TOK concept (knowledge, justification, evidence, certainty, perspective, culture, language, power, or responsibility). The commentary should not merely describe the object — it must analyse its epistemic significance. The difference between a 6 and a 10 (out of 10) is whether the student engages philosophically (what does this object reveal about how we know?) rather than descriptively (this object is about science).
Strong exhibitions avoid three common failures: (1) selecting objects that require the same TOK argument — the three objects should collectively offer variety and depth; (2) commentary that is primarily biographical or historical narrative rather than TOK analysis; (3) making the IA prompt secondary — the prompt must drive every sentence of the commentary, not appear only in the introduction.