✉️ Quick Enquiry
Get a free response within 2 hours
Get a free response within 2 hours
The TIKA Framework for Title Analysis
T — Terms
Identify Key Terms
Circle every significant word. For each: What does it mean in everyday language? What does it mean in a TOK context? Is there more than one interpretation?
I — Implicit Claim
Find the Hidden Claim
Every title contains an implicit assumption. “Knowledge requires certainty” assumes certainty is achievable. Identify and challenge that assumption.
K — Knowledge Framework
Select Your AOKs
Choose two Areas of Knowledge where the title produces genuinely different, contrasting insights — not just different examples of the same point.
A — Argument Map
Plan Both Sides
For each AOK, plan one argument supporting the title claim and one that complicates or challenges it. Balance = marks.
Worked Example: Analysing a Title Step by Step
SAMPLE TITLE
“The reliability of knowledge depends on the methods used to produce it.”
| Step | Analysis |
|---|---|
| Key terms | “reliability” (consistency, trustworthiness), “methods” (empirical, inductive, deductive, intuitive), “produce” (implies active creation) |
| Implicit claim | Assumes a direct causal link between method and reliability — worth challenging (e.g. peer review can still produce flawed knowledge) |
| Suggested AOKs | Natural Sciences (peer review, reproducibility) + History (source criticism, historian bias) |
| Counterargument | Reliable methods can still produce unreliable knowledge if the community applying them has biases — see replication crisis in psychology |
Pitfalls in Title Analysis
⚠ Common Pitfall
Treating the title as a yes/no question. The IB rewards nuanced analysis — “to what extent” thinking is always better than “yes” or “no”.
⚠ Common Pitfall
Paraphrasing the title instead of engaging with its exact wording. If the title says “reliable,” don’t just write “accurate” — explore what reliability specifically means.
✅ Title Analysis Checklist
- ✔ I have defined every significant word in the title
- ✔ I have identified the implicit assumption behind the title
- ✔ My two AOKs produce contrasting, not identical, insights
- ✔ I can challenge the title claim with at least one strong counter-argument
- ✔ My thesis directly engages with the title exact wording