5 Bonus Bypass Blunders: ToK Essays Nov 25

I’ve been working with students across four continents on their November 2025 ToK Essays, and I keep seeing the same five problems cropping up again and again. So here’s a quick rundown of the top five ToK essay blunders – and how you can avoid them.

#5: Ignoring Half the Question – Q5

Question 5: Is it possible, or even desirable, to set aside what we already know?

Some students are only answering part of the question – either “is it possible” or “is it desirable”. That’s not how this question is meant to be tackled.

You need to consider the whole phrase: “Is it possible, or even desirable…” as a single unit. That means evaluating combinations, like cases where something is possible but not desirable, or desirable but not possible. You can treat these ideas separately within your analysis – but don’t ignore one entirely.

If you want detailed help on this, check out the full video dedicated to Question 5 on ToKToday.

#4: Defining Instead of Relating – Q2

Question 2: What’s the relationship between knowing and understanding?

Some essays treat this as “What’s the difference between knowing and understanding?”, or worse, as a call to define each concept separately. That’s a misstep.

This is a question about relationship – how knowing and understanding influence, rely on, or inform one another. A quick way to check if you’re on the right track? Do a Ctrl+F search of your essay and count how many times you use the word relationship. Or other words like connection, interaction, or link. If they’re absent, your essay may be off-course.

Again, the Question 2 deep-dive video is linked on the site if you need help refocusing your answer.

#3: Lopsided Essays – Q1

Question 1: Do conventions limit or expand the production of knowledge ?

Students often ask if they can focus just on one part – either the limiting or the expanding. Technically, yes. Strategically? Not a good idea.

A well-balanced essay should deal with both. One effective approach is to use the idea of expanding as your claims, and then evaluate whether conventions might simultaneously limit knowledge production.

Need help structuring this? Watch the Question 1 breakdown video on ToKToday.

🎓 

Quick-Fire Bonus Tips

Before we jump into the final two, here are three common mistakes worth avoiding:

1. No “Great Thinkers” Required
   
   You don’t need to include quotes or names from a prescribed list of philosophers. The IB doesn’t want their thinking — they want your thinking.
   

2. Avoid Claim–Counterclaim Format
   
   The old-school structure of claim vs. counterclaim is discouraged. Use evaluation instead — it offers more nuance and depth.
   

3. Be Cautious With AI-Generated Content
   
   It’s really obvious when AI has written your draft. A student once submitted an essay on “dialectical materialism” — but when asked about it, they had no clue what it meant. Turns out it came straight from a generative tool. Don’t get caught like that.
   
   

#2: Misunderstanding “Scope” – Q4

Question 4: Does changing methods affect the scope of knowledge in an area of knowledge (AoK)?

Many students overlook that scope is part of the knowledge framework for each AoK. That framework matters – a lot.

To answer this question well, think about what determines the scope of an AoK. How might a change in method affect the boundaries of what counts as knowledge within that field?

Need a refresher on knowledge frameworks? — check the video on Knowledge Frameworks and Question 4 on the site.

#1: Example Confusion – All Questions

Without a doubt, the biggest issue I’m seeing relates to examples. And to be fair, this one’s not entirely students’ fault – the advice out there is inconsistent (sometimes even from teachers… whisper it).

So let’s do some quick mythbusting:

• Myth #1: You can’t use examples from the IB’s “Examples Not to Use” list.
  
  ✅ FALSE – that list was retired years ago. You can use examples from it.
  

• Myth #2: You can’t use examples from World War II or other “typical” cases.
  
  ✅ FALSE again. The IB has never said not to use conventional examples.
  

What matters most is not what example you use, but how well you use it. The May and Nov 2024 ToK Subject (Examiner)  Reports make this clear: effective examples are relevant, accurate, and meaningfully analysed.

Examples from your own DP subjects usually work better than ones you found through AI or from a dodgy essay site (ahem… like this one 😉). I’ll always show you how I would use an example, but then help you tailor one from your academic experience.

Final Thought

I hope these bonus bypass bugs have been helpful in your final stages of essay preparation. If you’d like more support — whether it’s coaching, marking, or feedback — click here. or contact me here.

Stay ToKtastic, my friends.

Daniel, Lisbon, May 2025