IB Diploma · Years 12-13
IB Theory of Knowledge tutors
The exhibition and the 1,600-word prescribed-title essay carry the assessment. Both reward a clear knowledge question and disciplined argument far more than wide reading, which makes TOK unusually responsive to focused help.
- USD 30-36 per hour
- One-to-one, online
- Free 1-hour trial class
What IB Diploma actually demands
Six subjects plus Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS. The workload is the defining feature, and the Internal Assessments, coursework worth a substantial share of each subject grade, are what most often slip.
The IB's compulsory course on how knowledge is produced and justified. Assessed by an exhibition and a prescribed-title essay, and marked on the quality of the knowledge argument rather than on subject content.
Where IB Theory of Knowledge students lose marks
- Essays that discuss the topic of the title rather than the knowledge question inside it
- Real-life examples chosen because they are interesting rather than because they illuminate the argument
- Areas of knowledge treated as labels to name rather than as frameworks to compare
- Counterclaims added at the end as a formality instead of shaping the argument
Is this the right subject at this level?
Every IB Diploma student. It contributes to the core points alongside the Extended Essay and is frequently left too late, despite being one of the most improvable parts of the Diploma.
What it costs
USD 30-36 per 60-minute one-to-one lesson at IB Diploma, the same rate in every city we teach in. Billed monthly against lessons actually taught, with no prepaid blocks and no minimum commitment.
Paired lessons (2 students) are USD 21-25 per student. Small group lessons (up to 6 students) are USD 15-18 per student. What each format is good for is here.
How we teach it
One-to-one, online, with a shared whiteboard. The first thing we establish is the exact syllabus the student is entered for: schools do not always publish the version they actually enter, and preparing for the wrong paper structure wastes a term.
After that the work is diagnostic: a past paper under timed conditions, marked together against the published scheme, to find out where the marks are genuinely going. That is almost always more useful than covering the syllabus again more slowly. The full process is here.
Theory of Knowledge: questions parents ask
How much does TOK affect the Diploma score?
It contributes to the core points alongside the Extended Essay, and those points decide borderline cases. It is also one of the most improvable parts of the Diploma, because the assessment rewards technique over content.
Why do strong students write weak TOK essays?
Because they write about the topic in the title rather than the knowledge question inside it. A well-informed essay on artificial intelligence that never examines how knowledge is produced or justified will score poorly however good the writing is.
How should real-life examples be chosen?
By how well they illuminate the knowledge argument, not by how interesting they are. A modest example that genuinely tests the claim is worth far more than a dramatic one that sits decoratively alongside it.