Reflective writing is one of the most commonly misunderstood forms of academic writing. Students often confuse it with personal diary writing or simple storytelling. In reality, a strong reflective essay combines personal experience with critical analysis, theoretical frameworks, and evidence-based insights. One of the most widely used frameworks for reflective writing in higher education is Gibbs' Reflective Cycle (1988). This guide explains what it is, how to use it, and how to write a first-class reflective essay based on it.
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What Is Reflective Writing?
Reflective writing is a form of academic writing that asks you to examine your own experiences, actions, thoughts, and feelings — and to draw meaningful learning from them. It is widely used in nursing, education, social work, psychology, business, and many other disciplines.
Unlike a standard essay, which focuses on an external topic or argument, a reflective essay focuses on you — what you did, what you thought and felt, what you have learned, and how you will change your practice as a result.
💡 Key distinction: Reflective writing is not simply describing what happened. Description is only the first step. True reflection involves critical analysis of your experience in the light of theory, evidence, and professional standards.
What Is the Gibbs Reflective Cycle?
The Gibbs Reflective Cycle was developed by Professor Graham Gibbs in 1988 as part of his work on experiential learning. It provides a structured framework for reflecting on experiences in a way that promotes genuine learning and professional development.
The cycle consists of six stages that guide the writer from describing an experience all the way through to planning future action. It is one of the most widely cited reflective models in nursing, healthcare, education, and social sciences.
The full reference is: Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic.
The Six Stages Explained
Description
What happened? Describe the event or experience objectively, without interpretation or judgement.
"What happened? Where were you? Who was involved? What did you do? What was the outcome?"
Feelings
What were you thinking and feeling at the time? Be honest about your emotional response before and during the experience.
"How were you feeling before it started? What were you thinking during? How did you feel afterwards?"
Evaluation
What was good and bad about the experience? Make a balanced judgement about what went well and what did not.
"What went well? What did not go well? What was your contribution?"
Analysis
What sense can you make of the situation? This is the most academic stage — draw on theory, research, and professional frameworks.
"Why did things happen this way? What theory or evidence helps explain this? What could others have done differently?"
Conclusion
What else could you have done? What have you learned from this experience about yourself and your practice?
"What could you have done differently? What have you learned? What skills do you need to develop?"
Action Plan
What will you do differently next time? Create a concrete plan for applying your learning to future practice.
"If this happened again, what would you do? What steps will you take to develop your skills? What will you read or practise?"
Worked Examples for Each Stage
The following examples are based on a nursing student reflecting on a challenging patient communication experience during a clinical placement. You can adapt these for any discipline.
Stage 1 — Description
During my second week of clinical placement at a district general hospital, I was asked by my mentor to explain a post-operative care plan to a 74-year-old patient, Mr T, who had recently undergone hip replacement surgery. Mr T became visibly distressed during my explanation and interrupted me several times to express confusion about the medication schedule. My mentor intervened to clarify, and I stepped back from the interaction.
Stage 2 — Feelings
Before beginning the explanation, I felt confident, as I had reviewed the care plan thoroughly. However, as Mr T became increasingly distressed, I felt anxious and unsure of how to respond. I became conscious of my mentor's presence and felt embarrassed that I was unable to manage the situation independently. Afterwards, I felt disappointed in myself and questioned whether I had chosen the right approach.
Stage 3 — Evaluation
On reflection, I had prepared well in terms of my clinical knowledge. However, I had not adequately considered the patient's individual needs, including his age, potential health literacy limitations, and the anxiety that often accompanies post-operative recovery. My mentor's intervention was effective because she used simpler language, checked for understanding at each step, and made eye contact throughout — techniques I had failed to employ.
Stage 4 — Analysis
The difficulties I experienced can be understood in the context of person-centred care, a foundational principle of modern nursing practice (McCormack and McCance, 2017). My approach was task-focused rather than patient-focused — I prioritised conveying information over assessing the patient's readiness to receive it. Sully and Dallas (2010) emphasise that effective healthcare communication requires active listening, empathy, and the ability to adapt language to the patient's level of understanding. My failure to do so created unnecessary distress for Mr T and reduced the effectiveness of the interaction.
Stage 5 — Conclusion
I could have improved this interaction in several ways. Prior to speaking with Mr T, I should have assessed his level of health literacy and his current emotional state. During the conversation, I should have used teach-back techniques to confirm understanding and spoken more slowly using plain language. This experience has highlighted a significant gap in my communication skills that I must address before progressing in my clinical career.
Stage 6 — Action Plan
To improve my patient communication skills, I will: (1) complete the e-learning module on health literacy available through my university's learning portal; (2) observe my mentor and other experienced nurses during patient interactions and identify specific techniques I can adopt; (3) practise using teach-back methods with peers in simulation sessions; and (4) revisit the relevant chapters in Sully and Dallas (2010) on therapeutic communication. I will review my progress at my next supervision meeting in four weeks.
How to Structure Your Reflective Essay
A reflective essay using Gibbs' model can be structured in two main ways depending on your institution's requirements and your word count.
Option 1 — Six Separate Sections (Most Common)
Use a heading for each of the six stages. This makes it easy for your marker to see that you have addressed each stage fully. It is particularly useful for shorter essays (500–1,500 words) where clarity is paramount.
Option 2 — Integrated Prose (Advanced)
Write the essay as flowing academic prose without explicit headings, weaving all six stages naturally into the narrative. This approach is more sophisticated and is better suited to longer essays (2,000+ words) where the writer has the space to develop each stage more fully.
💡 Word count guidance: If you are writing a 1,000-word reflective essay, aim for roughly 100–150 words per stage, with slightly more in the analysis and action plan sections. If you are writing 2,000+ words, give the analysis stage the most space — this is where your academic depth is demonstrated.
Top Tips for Reflective Writing
- Write in the first person — reflective writing uses "I" throughout. This is one of the few forms of academic writing where first-person narrative is not only acceptable but required.
- Be honest — markers want to see genuine reflection, not a polished account of perfect performance. Acknowledging mistakes and areas for development is a sign of academic and professional maturity.
- Use theory and evidence — particularly in the analysis stage, your reflection must be anchored in relevant academic literature and professional frameworks. Unsupported personal opinion is not sufficient at university level.
- Be specific — describe a particular event or experience, not a general pattern of behaviour. The more specific your description, the more meaningful your reflection will be.
- Maintain confidentiality — if your reflection involves real people, particularly in healthcare or social work settings, ensure all identifying details are anonymised in accordance with professional and ethical guidelines.
- Connect stages clearly — each stage of Gibbs' cycle should flow logically from the previous one. Your action plan should directly address the limitations identified in your conclusion.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
⚠️ Staying in the description stage. The most common weakness in student reflective essays is spending too much time describing what happened and not enough time analysing it. Description earns few marks; analysis earns high marks.
- Omitting the feelings stage — some students feel uncomfortable writing about their emotions in an academic context and skip this stage. However, the feelings stage is a required part of Gibbs' model and its omission will be penalised.
- Vague action plans — "I will try to communicate better" is not an action plan. Your action plan must be specific, measurable, and realistic.
- Insufficient academic references — particularly in the analysis stage, your reflection must engage with relevant literature. A reflective essay is still an academic essay.
- Writing in the third person — reflective writing must be in first person. Writing "the student felt anxious" instead of "I felt anxious" is incorrect.
- Being too self-critical or too self-congratulatory — the evaluation stage requires balance. An honest, measured assessment of both strengths and areas for improvement is more credible than an extreme position in either direction.
Other Reflective Models Worth Knowing
While Gibbs is the most widely used reflective model in UK higher education, it is not the only one. Your institution or module may specify a different framework:
- Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle (1984) — four stages: Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualisation, Active Experimentation
- Driscoll's Model of Reflection (1994) — simplified three-stage model: What? So What? Now What?
- Johns' Model of Structured Reflection (1994) — uses guided cue questions across five areas of reflection
- Schön's Reflection-in-Action and Reflection-on-Action (1983) — distinguishes between reflecting during an experience and reflecting after it
💡 Always check: Before choosing a reflective model, confirm with your module handbook or tutor which model is required or preferred. Using a different model from the one specified may result in lost marks, even if your reflection is otherwise excellent.
Frequently Asked Questions
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