November 26, 2025

How to Choose a Strong TOK Exhibition Object (With Examples)

The TOK Exhibition is often the first major IB assessment students encounter — and it sets the tone for how you approach TOK as a whole. Choosing the right object can make your exhibition ten times easier.

Here’s how to pick an object that is meaningful, original, and examiner-friendly.

🌍 1. Start With the Prompt — Not the Object

Many students make the mistake of choosing a “cool object” first.

Wrong order.

Your object must serve the prompt, not the other way around.

Always pick the prompt first.

Then brainstorm objects that naturally fit.

Example prompts:

  • “What counts as knowledge?”
  • “How is current knowledge shaped by its historical development?”
  • “How does our perspective influence our knowledge?”

Write the prompt at the top of your page. Everything must connect back to it.

🧩 2. Choose Objects With Real-World Depth

The best objects have:

  • Context (history, culture, personal story)
  • Interpretation (something to analyze)
  • Ambiguity (multiple viewpoints)

Avoid shallow objects like:

  • “My pencil”
  • “A clock”
  • “A school shirt”

Choose objects such as:

  • A family immigration document
  • A scientific model
  • A historical newspaper clipping
  • A biased news headline
  • A cultural artifact

These naturally create TOK discussion.

🔍 3. Connect Your Object to Knowledge Questions

Your object must help you answer big TOK ideas.

Ask yourself:

  • What knowledge does this object create or represent?
  • Who created it, and who benefits from it?
  • What assumptions does it carry?
  • How might different people interpret it differently?

If you can’t generate at least five TOK-style insights from your object, choose another one.

✍️ 4. Keep Your Explanation Simple and Clear

Examiners prefer clarity over complicated vocabulary.

Your commentary should:

  • State your object
  • State your prompt
  • Explain their connection
  • Analyze the implications
  • Conclude with why this matters

Three paragraphs is enough if each is meaningful.

🎓 Example Objects

Based on real high-scoring TOK exhibitions:

Prompt: “What counts as knowledge?”

  • Object → A medical X-ray
  • Why → Shows how specialized tools create new forms of knowledge but depend on interpretation.

Prompt: “How does our perspective influence our knowledge?”

  • Object → A newspaper from a political event
  • Why → Demonstrates bias, framing, and selective reporting.

Prompt: “How is new knowledge created?”

  • Object → A scientific diagram of DNA
  • Why → Shows how scientific models evolve with new evidence.

📲 For TOK outlines, prompt explanations, and examples, download StudyIB

💬 Discuss your TOK objects with students worldwide on Discord

‍