To write a reflective essay, you describe an experience, examine your thoughts and actions, link them to theory and explain what you will do differently. It is personal, but it is still academic writing.
This page covers how to choose an experience, how to use Gibbs' reflective cycle stage by stage, other models you might be asked to use, how to link experience to theory and the mistakes that cost marks.
What Reflective Writing Must Do
Reflective writing must go beyond describing what happened. It should explore how you felt and why, evaluate what went well and badly, analyze the experience using theory or evidence, and end with specific learning and an action plan.
Most of your word count should go on evaluation and analysis, not description.
Choosing an Experience to Reflect On
The best experiences are specific and contain some tension: a decision you were unsure about, a conflict, a mistake or a surprise. A smooth, uneventful day gives you little to analyze.
- A clinical or placement incident, anonymized
- A group project that went well or badly
- A presentation, interview or difficult conversation
- A moment when your assumptions were challenged
In nursing, teaching and social work, protect confidentiality. Remove names, places and any detail that could identify a patient, pupil or client.
Reflective Models Compared
| Model | Stages | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Gibbs' reflective cycle | Description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, action plan | Single experiences; very common in nursing and education |
| Driscoll's model | What? So what? Now what? | Short reflections and journals |
| Kolb's learning cycle | Concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, active experimentation | Linking experience to learning theory |
| Schön | Reflection-in-action and reflection-on-action | Professional practice and decision-making |
Use the model your brief names. If none is set, Gibbs is a safe, well-structured choice.
Gibbs' Reflective Cycle, Stage by Stage
1. Description
Briefly set out what happened: where, when, who was involved and what you did. Keep it short, around 10 to 15 percent of the essay. Detail belongs only where it matters to your analysis.
2. Feelings
Explain what you thought and felt at the time, and why. Be honest, but stay analytical: "I felt anxious because I had not managed this situation before" is better than a list of emotions.
3. Evaluation
Judge what went well and what did not. Be balanced. Markers distrust reflections that are entirely positive or entirely self-critical.
4. Analysis
This is the academic heart of the essay. Use theory, research or professional guidance to explain why things happened as they did. What does the literature say about situations like yours?
5. Conclusion
Draw out what you learned. What could you have done differently, and what does the experience show about your practice or skills?
6. Action Plan
Set out specific steps for the future. "I will be more confident" is vague; "I will practice the SBAR handover format with my mentor twice a week this month" is a plan.
Linking Experience to Theory
Reflection becomes academic when you connect your experience to wider knowledge. Each key point in your analysis should draw on a source.
Example analysis paragraph (Gibbs stage 4). My hesitation to challenge the senior colleague reflects what research on hierarchy in healthcare teams describes: junior staff often stay silent even when they notice a risk, because speaking up feels socially costly. Seen this way, my silence was less a personal failing than a predictable response to team culture. Structured tools such as graded assertiveness give junior staff a script for raising concerns, which suggests the problem can be addressed through training rather than confidence alone.
Notice how the paragraph uses the first person, but frames the experience through research and moves towards a practical conclusion. In your own essay, cite the specific studies you draw on.
Reflective Essay Structure
| Section | Content | Approximate share |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | The experience in one line, the model and the purpose | 10 percent |
| Description and feelings | What happened and your response | 15 to 20 percent |
| Evaluation and analysis | What went well or badly, explained with theory | 45 to 50 percent |
| Conclusion and action plan | Learning and specific next steps | 20 percent |
Writing in the Academic First Person
Reflective essays use "I", which is expected and correct. The tone should still be formal: full sentences, careful claims and citations where you use evidence.
Use the past tense for the experience and the present tense for what theory says and what you now understand. Avoid casual phrases and emotional exaggeration.
Common Reflective Essay Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Too much description | Cut to essentials; expand evaluation and analysis |
| No theory | Support each key point with a source |
| Only positive or only negative | Give a balanced evaluation |
| Vague action plan | Set specific, time-bound steps |
| Identifiable people | Anonymize all names and settings |
Final Checklist
- The experience is specific and contains something to analyze.
- Description is brief; analysis takes the largest share.
- Each stage of the chosen model is covered.
- Theory or evidence supports the analysis.
- The action plan is specific and realistic.
- All people and places are anonymized.
- References follow your required style.
How EssayHorse Helps with Reflective Essays
Send your own notes on the experience, the reflective model your course uses and your rubric. A writer shapes your account into a custom reflective essay, structured with the model and linked to relevant theory.
Writers never invent experiences or feelings; the essay is built only on the details you supply. Free revisions within your brief are included.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Reflective essays are written in the first person, but the tone should remain formal and analytical.
Use the one your brief names. If none is set, Gibbs' reflective cycle is widely accepted and easy to follow.
Usually, yes. Linking your experience to theory and evidence is what makes reflection academic.
Only enough for the reader to understand the experience, often 10 to 15 percent of the essay.
Yes. Mistakes and difficulties often make the strongest reflections, as long as you analyze them and show learning.
The past tense for the experience and the present tense for theory and your current understanding.
No. A reflective essay needs your real experience. Send your notes and the writer shapes them into a structured essay.