How Specific Is Specific Enough in TOKHow Specific Is Specific Enough in TOK

How Specific Is Specific Enough in TOK

Specific Enough to Analyze

TOK examples do not need endless detail. They need the right detail. Specific enough means the example has enough information to support a knowledge claim without turning the paragraph into a subject report.

Name the Case

A useful standard is the 3-2-1 rule. You need three factual anchors, two knowledge links, and one limitation. The factual anchors might be the case, the source or method, and the outcome. The knowledge links might be evidence and interpretation, or method and certainty. The limitation is what the example cannot prove.

Show What Changed

For example, if your example is about a scientific model, three factual anchors might be the model, the data it used, and a prediction or error. Two knowledge links might be how models simplify reality and how uncertainty is communicated. One limitation might be that one model failure does not mean scientific modelling is unreliable in general.