In what ways do values affect the production of knowledge?
TOK Exhibition Prompt 35 — Object Examples & Rationale
A complete, examiner-written breakdown of IB TOK Exhibition IA Prompt 35 — five worked object examples, linked optional themes, knowledge questions and top-band commentary to help you nail the TOK exhibition for IB DP May 2026.
The Prompt
“In what ways do values affect the production of knowledge?” — Prompt 35 of the 35 prescribed IA prompts.
Assessment Weight
TOK exhibition = one-third of your final TOK grade.
Word Count
950 words max across all 3 objects combined (plus references).
Session
Updated & mapped for TOK assessment.
Decoding Prompt 35 – “In what ways do values affect the production of knowledge?”
TOK Exhibition Prompt 35 closes the prescribed list with one of the most institutionally important questions in the Theory of Knowledge course: how do values shape not just what knowers seek, but what gets produced and certified as knowledge? The prompt invites you to examine the governance frameworks, funding structures and collaborative norms that determine which research is done, which is published, and which is protected — from AI ethics guidelines to grant criteria to participatory community research. For a strong exhibition, each of your three objects must reveal a different angle on this.
A top-scoring IB TOK exhibition on Prompt 35 does three things well: it links each object to a specific real-world context, it justifies why that object illustrates the prompt through a clear knowledge claim about how values shape production, and it connects back to an optional theme or area of knowledge.
TOK Exhibition Objects for Prompt 35
Each example below includes the object, linked optional theme, examiner-written rationale, and a knowledge question to extend your analysis.
Guidelines for Ethical AI Development
Guidelines established for the ethical development of artificial intelligence (AI) systems reflect a commitment to values such as fairness, transparency, and respect for privacy. These principles directly influence the methodologies and objectives in the production of AI knowledge, ensuring that technological advancements align with ethical standards and societal expectations. This object illustrates how the prioritization of ethical values shapes the direction and nature of knowledge production in the field of technology, affecting how AI systems are designed, implemented, and deployed.
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Funding Criteria Document from a Scientific Research Granting Agency
The criteria used by granting agencies to allocate funding for scientific research often reflect underlying values about what types of knowledge are deemed important or beneficial. For instance, a shift towards supporting sustainable energy projects over fossil fuel research indicates a valuation of environmental sustainability and long-term ecological health. This document highlights how financial and institutional support structures, guided by specific values, can influence the scope, direction, and pace of knowledge production in the sciences.
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A Crowdsourced Climate Change Data Compilation Platform
This platform, which aggregates data on climate change contributed by scientists and citizens worldwide, represents how values around environmental stewardship and collective responsibility influence the production of scientific knowledge. By valuing and utilizing diverse data sources, including citizen science contributions, the project reflects a commitment to inclusivity and the democratization of scientific research. It demonstrates how technological solutions can embody and promote values that prioritize comprehensive and collaborative approaches to understanding and addressing global challenges, shaping the production of knowledge in ways that align with these ethical and practical commitments.
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2 More Objects for Prompt 35
Two additional examiner-written object examples to help you finalise your TOK exhibition selection.
A Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report for a Multinational Company
CSR reports, which detail a company’s efforts to operate in an ethically responsible manner, reflect how corporate values influence the production of knowledge within the business sector. These reports, by documenting practices related to environmental sustainability, social equity, and economic development, illustrate the role of values in shaping organizational knowledge—both in terms of internal practices and the dissemination of this knowledge to stakeholders and the public.
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Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Project Outline
CBPR projects, especially those involving partnerships with indigenous communities, highlight how values like respect, collaboration, and cultural sensitivity guide the production of knowledge in social sciences. By centering the values, perspectives, and needs of community members, these projects produce knowledge that is not only academically valuable but also directly beneficial to the communities involved, emphasizing a value-driven approach to research that respects and uplifts indigenous knowledge systems.
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Knowledge Questions for Prompt 35
Use these knowledge questions to strengthen the analytical depth of your exhibition commentary.
Do values precede the production of knowledge, or do they emerge through it?
How do funding structures encode value-judgements about which knowledge is worth producing?
Can ethics guidelines genuinely steer the direction of new knowledge, or only legitimise it after the fact?
Is the production of knowledge ever a value-neutral process?
How do communal and indigenous value-systems alter what counts as legitimate knowledge production?
Whose values are most influential in modern knowledge production — researchers, funders, regulators, or the public?
How to Score High on Prompt 35
Three strategies our IB examiners use when coaching students through the TOK exhibition.
Distinguish acquisition from production
Prompt 35 is paired with Prompt 34 for a reason. Make the distinction explicit early: acquisition is what knowers take in; production is what institutions formally generate and validate.
Use objects that show governance in action
Funding criteria, ethics guidelines, CSR frameworks and CBPR outlines all explicitly encode values — examiners reward objects whose value-content is visible in the document itself.
Examine both intended and unintended value effects
Top-band commentary acknowledges that values can produce knowledge (by enabling research) and constrain it (by ruling questions out of bounds).
TOK Exhibition Prompt 35 — FAQs
What is TOK Exhibition Prompt 35?
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