A TOK example stops sounding descriptive when you add the knowledge mechanism, the condition, and the limit behind the case.
Fixing an Example That Sounds Descriptive
Spot Description
A descriptive TOK example tells the reader what happened. An analytical TOK example explains what the case reveals about knowledge. The difference is not length. It is the kind of sentence you write after the example.
Ask What It Shows About Knowledge
A descriptive version might say: 'This case shows that scientists made a mistake and later corrected it.' That is a summary. An analytical version asks why the mistake happened, what method was involved, what counted as evidence, and what the correction suggests about certainty.
Add a Mechanism
To fix a descriptive example, use three moves. First, identify the knowledge verb. Did someone interpret, classify, measure, model, verify, remember, translate, predict, or evaluate? A knowledge verb moves the sentence away from story and toward analysis.