The big idea: The Tao Te Ching isn't only about inner peace — a lot of it is quiet advice to rulers.
Power turned upside down: Its advice flips the usual picture of power: the best ruler is the one you barely notice, who governs least and mostly by example. Everything so far — the Tao, wu wei, naturalness — comes together here.
The book's ideal leader is the sage. The sage takes wu wei (10.10.2) and applies it to a whole society: lead by not-forcing, so people flourish in their own natural way.
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'The best ruler, the people barely know he exists': Lao Tzu ranks rulers from worst to best — and the best is the one the people barely notice.
| Rank | The ruler |
|---|---|
| Worst | The one people hate and fear. |
| Better | The one they love and praise. |
| Best of all | The ruler the people barely know is there — things run so smoothly that they say 'we did it ourselves'. |
How the sage rules: Such a sage rules by wu wei: few laws, little meddling, no showing off. Instead of forcing people into shape, the sage sets a quiet example and lets them settle into their own natural balance.
Checkpoint — the sage: In one line: the best ruler governs least and by example, so people flourish in their own natural way and say 'we did it ourselves'. Now see how this pulls the whole text together.
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The sage isn't a new idea — it's the whole book lived out in one person.
Go further — higher-level insight: The strongest essays test the sage against a hard case. 'Govern least' sounds wise for a peaceful village — but what about famine, invasion, or injustice that light rule won't fix?
Go further — how to answer it: A top-band answer grants the force of that worry, then replies with Lao Tzu's own point: much disorder is CAUSED by over-governing, so the burden is to show when light rule really is enough. Weighing that, rather than just admiring the sage, is what scores.
Checkpoint — the whole text: In one line: the sage is the Tao Te Ching in a single life — trusting the Way, not forcing, living simply, and leading by barely leading.
How Paper 2 works (open book): Paper 2 is on your prescribed text — here the Tao Te Ching. It's open book (you may bring a clean copy), lasts one hour, and each question has two parts.
| Part | Task | What it rewards |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Explain a concept from the text [10] | A clear, accurate account of the idea (use short quotes to anchor it). |
| (b) | Evaluate a claim from the text [15] | Weighing the claim — arguing for and against and reaching a reasoned view. |
About the model below: Below is the Evaluate half worked as a full [25]-style model so you can see the whole shape; in the real paper you'd split it 10 + 15.
IB-style questionEvaluate[25 marks]
Evaluate the Tao Te Ching's claim that the best ruler is the one who governs least.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Common mistakes
- Only explaining — part (b) asks you to EVALUATE, so argue, don't just describe.
- Ignoring the text — anchor points in the Tao Te Ching (short quotes are fine, it's open book).
- One view only — top bands need tension.
- No conclusion — decide, with a reason.
- Quote-dumping — a quote earns nothing without your explanation of it.