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How to use the features of PersonalReflective Writing
What is personal writing?
You write about an important event or
experience that has happened in your life and
how you reacted to it.
You could also consider an important person or
object that has had a significant impact on
your life.
If you write about an experience:
The focus is on your thoughts and feelings about
what happened, and how the experience
affected you.
If you write about a person or object:
Again, the focus is on your thoughts and
feelings. You must consider why the
person/object is important and the impact
that this person/object has had on your life.
e.g. Person- boyfriend/girlfriend; parents;
friends; teacher…
e.g. Object/item- a photograph; clothing item;
piece of jewellery; your room; a book…
Important!
You must avoid simply retelling a story of
what happened!
The focus of a personal/reflective essay is
thoughts and feelings!
You must clearly express how you felt/feel
and what you thought/think.
Reflection is also essential.
The marker is looking for you to explain how the
event/experience/person/object has
contributed to your development as a person
and how it has affected the person that you
are.
How will I be successful?
For effective personal-reflective writing, you
must:
1. Describe the event/experience.
2. Describe your reactions to what happened,
and your thoughts and feelings.
3. Reflect on the experience.
Important!
There is no specific structure that you have to
follow for a personal-reflective essay.
e.g. There does not have to be an introduction,
middle or conclusion.
e.g.It doesn’t have to be written chronologically.
You can structure it according to the “flow” of
your thoughts (within reason, of course).
1. Describe the event/experience
As part of your essay you can describe:
What happened.
Why it happened.
When it happened.
Where it happened.
Who was involved.
When describing the experience, try to think
about the five senses:
What did you see?
What did you hear?
What did you smell?
What did you taste?
What could you feel/touch?
Important!
An effective personal essay is not just a series of
details about the experience that you had.
Your description of what happened should only
be the basis of you explaining your thoughts
and feelings.
2. Thoughts and feelings
The essay must put across a sense of your own
personality.
You must describe and explain what you
thought and how you felt.
Thoughts and feelings= essential.
Try to use interesting language when describing
your thoughts and feelings:
• Interesting adjectives and adverbs.
• Similes; metaphors; personification;
onomatopoeia; alliteration.
You should try to vividly describe your thoughts and
feelings.
Instead of saying “I was really angry”, you could say “My
face turned red with rage. Before I lost control and
started shouting at him I ran upstairs furiously and
then aggressively slammed my door”.
As well as vividly describing your thoughts and
emotions, you must also explain them.
Example
1) As I entered the water, a feeling of trepidation washed over
me like a wave. I was convinced that something would go
terribly wrong and that I would end up drowning somehow.
2) As I entered the water, a feeling of trepidation washed over
me like a wave. I was convinced that something would go
terribly wrong and that I would end up drowning somehow.
My mind was suddenly flooded with a memory from my
childhood- an accident at a swimming pool and having to be
rescued by the lifeguard. A water-related encounter with
death, a lesson in my own mortality in my formative years.
• 2) is better than 1) because I have explained
why I felt scared going into the water.
I have not only described my feelings. I have
gone into greater depth and detail about why I
felt that way!
3. Reflection
You must include some reflection throughout
your essay.
This means that you have to write about how
the experience has affected you as a person.
Reflection means looking back at the event or
experience and thinking about:
How do you feel about the experience now?
How do you feel about how you reacted?
How did the experience change your perspective
or opinions?
How have you changed since then?
What did you learn from the experience?
Example 1
“In hindsight, I realise that I have
grown through this experience and I
am now a much more mature
person.”
Try to go into depth and detail with
your reflection.
Fully explain yourself.
Example 2
“In hindsight, I realise that I have grown through
this experience and I am now a much more
mature person. When I was younger, I used to
be so self-obsessed and did not really take
other people’s feelings into consideration. I
was so narcissistic, only thinking about my
own problems and my own happiness. But
now, I have learned to put my friends and
family first as they are the most important
part of my life.”
Example 2 is better than Example 1 because I
have fully explained the ways in which I have
changed as a person.
I have elaborated on my reflection.
Reflective Phrases
There are a large number of different reflective
words and phrases that you can use in your
essay.
These will help the marker to see that you are
being reflective.
However, don’t use them too often.
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Looking back...
In hindsight...
On reflection...
In retrospect...
I should have...
Since this
happened...
• If I could change
things...
• I learned that...
•
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I wish I had...
I now understand...
If this happened now...
If I could do this again...
Because of this, I...
This made me realise...
Now that I have been
through this...
• I grew through this
experience because...
• I could have...
• I remember feeling…