-Be brief.

-Use past tense.

-Use first person pronouns.

Useful expressions： 

I had three choices…

I had…

I did…

I decided...

I made up my mind to...

Tips

-Make critical analysis.

-This is the key part of your essay.

-The interpretation and evaluation should be personal and subjective.

-Be creative.

-Have conversations with yourself, as well as the AI bot.

Useful Expressions:

If I had done, I would have done...

Had I done, I would have done...

I might not have done... if it hadn't been...

I ended up choosing...mainly because...

At that time, I felt...

In hindsight, I found that ... was crucial for...

Personally, I feel that I performed well in..., but there is considerable room for growth in...

-Using quotes and antithesis to wrap up your essay.

Ask yourself:

-What you would do differently?

-What lessons have you learnt?

Useful Expressions:

-I have learned that...

-I have developed that...

-If I were you, I would do...

-Having experienced..., I now know that...

-The most important lesson I can draw from my experience is that …

-From this experience, I have realized that …

-My experience of … tells me that …

-What matters is …

When editing your draft, try colour coding each element of DIEP to be sure you have a balance of elements.

After finishing the draft, ask yourself:

1. Have I based my reflection on a specific incident, activity, idea or example?

2. Have I sufficiently critically analysed the situation?

3. Have I integrated theory in a meaningful way? Can I elaborate further to demonstrate the relevance of the idea and my understanding of it?

4. Are my plans specific enough? Can I be more concrete?

– What have you learned about yourself as a result of the experience?

– Have you developed because of it? How?

– Did it have any positive or negative bearing on your life?

– Looking back, what would you have done differently?

– Why do you think you made the particular choices that you did? Do you think these were the right choices?

– What are your thoughts on the experience in general?

– Was it a useful learning experience?

– What specific skills or perspectives did you acquire as a result?

These signpost questions should help kick-start your reflective process.

Writing reflectively involves critically analysing an experience, recording how it has impacted you and what you plan to do with your new knowledge. It can help you to reflect on a deeper level as the act of getting something down on paper often helps people to think an experience through.

The key to reflective writing is to be analytical rather than descriptive. Always ask why rather than just describing what happened during an experience.

2. Some typical reflection essay topics include: a real-life experience, an imagined experience, a special object or place, a person who had an influence on you, or something you have watched or read.