IB TOK tutors in Switzerland & online

Theory of Knowledge lessons with experienced TOK teachers, for Diploma students from Basel to Geneva. We coach the DP1 exhibition and the DP2 essay by arguing with you, not for you, so the ideas you submit are your own and can stand up to an objection. One to one and online in Central European Time, from £58 (~65 CHF) an hour.

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TOK tutors for students in Switzerland

TOK is graded on reasoning, so the right tutor is one who pushes back. We match you with tutors who have taught the course and know how the exhibition and the essay are marked.

Helena

Helena

IB graduate

IB TOK Tutor45/45 IB graduateUniversity of Oxford4 years' IB tutoring

I'm Hela, an IB graduate with 45 points who now studies Neuropsychiatry at University of Oxford. Previously I have received a first-class bachelors degree from St Andrews University. I received 7s from all of my studies, and I have been an IB tutor for the past 4 years, teaching mainly Biology and Mathematics AA and AI, both at a SL and HL. Despite having done these subjects at a university level, I remember studying them back in high school and how stressful and sometimes complicated the concepts were. Thus, I pride myself on being a patient tutor, that takes time whenever a concept needs to be explained in more detail, whilst at the same time providing further learning opportunities (recommending further readings/ competitions) for students who want to do explore a topic in more depth. Outside of tutoring I am an avid runner and rower and love to paint in my free time.

  • Biology
  • Maths AA
  • Maths AI
  • TOK
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Melanie

Melanie

IB specialist

IB TOK TutorHead of Languages20+ years' teaching

I am an experienced IB examiner in Literature, Language & Literature, and Literature & Performance, with over two decades of teaching experience across the Diploma Programme, including Theory of Knowledge (Essay). I currently teach IB English Language & Literature (HL/SL), Literature & Performance, and Theory of Knowledge at an all-scholarship K–12 international school, where students are deeply engaged, academically ambitious, and highly motivated.

  • English Lang & Lit
  • Literature and Performance
  • TOK
  • Drama
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Millie

Millie

IB graduate

IB TOK Tutor45/45 IB graduateUniversity of Cambridge

I’m Millie, an IB graduate with a full score of 45, currently doing a Master's in Environmental Policy at the University of Cambridge. I previously earned a First Class BA in Politics and Anthropology, also from Cambridge, and have worked full-time for the university on youth empowerment and climate education initiatives. I achieved 7s in all my Higher Level subjects and have taught Theatre and Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) in international schools. I also offer tutoring in English, Global Politics, and Extended Essay support. What sets me apart is my personalised approach to exam preparation and coursework. I help students develop effective strategies to excel academically, while ensuring they truly understand the material. I specialise in bridging gaps in knowledge by breaking down complex ideas and applying them to case studies and exam-style questions. My aim is not only to improve performance but to spark genuine interest and confidence in each subject. Outside of tutoring, I’m passionate about travel, language learning, skiing, and nature photography, pursuits that keep me curious and inspired. I bring that same energy into my sessions, helping students feel motivated and supported every step of the way.

  • ESS
  • Theatre
  • Global Politics
  • Extended Essay
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James

James

IB specialist

IB TOK Tutor17+ years' teaching

I’m James, an experienced IB Global Politics and Theory of Knowledge teacher with over 17 years of international experience. I’ve taught at leading IB schools in Wales, Japan, Jordan, and Austria, where I also served as a TOK Coordinator and led initiatives to strengthen interdisciplinary learning across the IB Diploma Programme. I hold degrees in education and the social sciences, and I currently examine for both IB Global Politics and TOK. My experience as an examiner gives me a deep understanding of what IB assessment criteria truly value—helping students not only achieve higher marks but also think critically and write with academic precision. My tutoring approach is highly structured yet engaging. I help students master essay planning, argument development, and conceptual understanding, ensuring they can apply political theory and TOK frameworks confidently under exam conditions. I see tutoring as both academic guidance and mentorship, helping students find their voice as independent thinkers. Beyond the classroom, I’m passionate about global education, culture, and travel—interests that continually shape how I teach Global Politics and TOK through real-world perspectives.

  • Global Politics
  • TOK
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Shilpa

Shilpa

IB specialist

IB TOK Tutor15+ years' teachingKing's College London

I currently lead the IB DP Biology and Theory of Knowledge programmes at Ambassador International Academy in Dubai and hold IB certifications at Level 3 for both teaching and coordination. I hold a Ph.D. in Medicine and M.Phil. in Pharmaceutics and Nanotechnology from King’s College London, along with a B.Sc. in Biology, B.Pharm., and PGCE.

  • Biology
  • TOK
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
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Florence

Florence

IB specialist

IB TOK Tutor15+ years' teaching

I currently teach at an international school in Nairobi, Kenya, specializing in History, Geography, and Theory of Knowledge (TOK) both Cambridge and International Baccalaureate(IB) curriculum. Alongside teaching, I serve as an active IB diploma History examiner for Paper 2 and Internal Assessment (IA) and an A Level Cambridge History examiner for Paper 2.

  • History
  • Geography
  • TOK
  • Internal Assessment
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Core points in Switzerland

Swiss universities count 42 points, not 45: why TOK still matters

No Swiss university threshold includes the up to 3 bonus points from TOK and the Extended Essay. swissuniversities sets its minimum at 32 of 42 points "not counting bonus points", and the higher bars work the same way: 38 of 42 at ETH Zurich and for EPFL applicants with a foreign certificate, 36 of 42 for Swiss and resident applicants to EPFL. Our Zurich and Lausanne pages give those rules in full.

That doesn't make TOK optional. An E in TOK or in the Extended Essay is a failing condition, so strong subject grades can still end without a Diploma, and without the certificate Swiss universities assess. Families who also apply to the UK meet the opposite logic: offers there are made on the full 45-point total, and LSE's BSc Economics, for one, asks for 39 points overall.

For a Swiss application, then, TOK is about getting safely through; for a UK one, the points themselves count.

One set of results, read two ways

Two example students: how a Swiss threshold and a UK offer count the same IB results
Student AStudent B
Six subject grades3137
TOK and EE bonus points23
Total on the IB results3340
Read by a Swiss threshold31 of 42: under the 32 minimum37 of 42: under ETH’s 38
Read by a UK offer33 of 4540 of 45

Student A's 2 core points are invisible to a Swiss university, and Student B's full 3 still leave a point short for ETH. In both cases an E in TOK would have cost the Diploma outright. The kind of reasoning that avoids it is set out in our guide to strong IB argumentative essays.

How TOK is assessed

An exhibition in DP1, an essay in DP2

Theory of Knowledge has two assessed pieces: an exhibition and an essay of up to 1,600 words. Your school marks the exhibition and the IB moderates it, for a third of the TOK grade; the essay is marked externally and makes up the other two-thirds.

For the exhibition you choose three objects and link them to one of 35 prompts set by the IB, in no more than 950 words. The essay answers one of six titles the IB releases for each exam session. Both reward a precise claim tested against a strong objection more than breadth of reading.

Language adds a Swiss twist. At cantonal Gymnasien that run an IB class next to the Matura, some subjects are usually taught in English, and TOK asks for fine distinctions that are harder to draw in a second language. Lessons with Lanterna are in English, and a tutor can help you test whether your wording says what you mean.

Academic integrity

What a TOK tutor will and won't do

The IB's academic integrity policy leaves the title, the objects and every sentence to you, and rules out anyone else editing what you submit.

Inside that line, a lesson is mostly argument: which knowledge question you are really answering, what the best reply to your claim would be, and whether your example is a real case or a vague one. At school, your TOK teacher comments once on a full essay draft and logs three planning interactions on the TK/PPF form; lessons prepare you for those conversations and never replace them.

Free resources

TOK reading from our tutors

All free IB resources
Reviews

Students on their TOK lessons

“Javeria has helped me majorly in navigating my way through the IB Diploma. She provided assistance and tips on writing my TOK Essay, which helped me achieve a very good result. Moreover, she significantly helped me feel confident ahead of the IB English Lang&Lit exams.”
“Javeria Tamim's help” Theory of Knowledge
“Without Louis help I know for sure that I would have failed my TOK essay, and his help during the lessons and after (through email) has been a great support system throughout my journey in TOK. He helped me with grammar and digging deeper into the ideas I had, fully allowing me to decide on my own what I wanted to say but helping me to communicate that more effectively.”
“A good TOK tutor” Theory of Knowledge
Grade 6 to 7
“She was really helpful in breaking each criterion down into smaller more understandable pieces and also at learning how to consistently structure all of my essays”
Eliza D., student Lyford Cay International School · Class of 2026 · English A Literature

The leading IB tutoring platform, trusted by 20,000+ IB students

More students and parents share their experience in our review collection.

FAQs

TOK tutoring questions from Swiss families

Is TOK tutoring worth paying for if Swiss universities leave out bonus points?

For many families, yes, though for a different reason than in the UK. In Switzerland the aim is a safe TOK grade, because an E costs the whole Diploma; if your child also applies to UK universities, each core point counts towards the offer as well. We weigh those two goals in a free consultation and plan the hours so that TOK takes no more time from the six subjects than it needs.

Where can a student in Geneva or Lausanne find a TOK tutor?

Online, with Lanterna, from tutors who teach Theory of Knowledge. Lessons run one to one in Central European Time, so a student at a school in Geneva or Lausanne has the same choice of tutors as one in Zurich, and can keep the same one from the DP1 exhibition to the DP2 essay.

Can a TOK tutor help a student taking the IB together with the Matura?

Yes. TOK is marked against the same criteria whether the Diploma is taken on its own or as a double qualification at a cantonal Gymnasium. Lessons are in English, and for a student whose school language is German or French, a tutor can help check that a distinction is worded as precisely as it is understood, without writing it for them. Online lessons in the late afternoon or evening fit after a full school day.

What won’t a TOK tutor do?

Pick your prescribed title or your exhibition objects, write any part of the commentary or essay, or edit what you hand in. Those choices and those words are what the IB assesses, so they have to be yours. A tutor's job is to question them until they hold up.

How close to the essay deadline can TOK lessons start?

Ideally soon after the IB releases the titles for your session, with several weeks left to test two or three before choosing. Many schools collect the essay between October and January of DP2, but your school sets its own date, and the teacher's comments on your one draft need time too. A DP2 student who hasn't started yet should book now rather than after the Christmas break.

What do TOK lessons cost, and how many do students book?

From £58 (~65 CHF) an hour, online and one to one. Students often book TOK twice: around the DP1 exhibition, then while planning the DP2 essay. Because TOK and the Extended Essay share the core points, it often makes sense to plan both together; the price tiers are on our home page.

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