Intermediate 2
D.C.H.S. English Department
Miss Archibald
Reflective/Personal Writing
A reflective essay is an attempt to explore some aspect of the world, or
yourself. It should have the effect of making the reader think and perhaps
compare his or her own views on the subject with yours.
What the examiner is looking for
 A sense of your own personality; appealing traits are modesty and
enthusiasm.
 Expression of your thoughts and feelings, not just a story.
 An entertaining treatment of the topic; originality and perhaps
humour.
 Appropriate style. A chatty style may be more suitable than a formal
one. Remember, however, that a conversational style must be
controlled with careful and accurate punctuation.
Reminder
The reflective essay at Intermediate 2 and 1 is not simply an account
of an experience.
Stephen’s essay
“Huffy” was the word most commonly used to describe me in my earlier years.
As a small, helpless, handsome, angelic looking boy, I found it necessary to be
able to fight back against the god-like, remote, even at times, rather
frightening figures, more commonly known as my parents. The tantrum,
which consisted mainly of screaming and bawling, was a means of gaining
attention and, to an extent, power. The huff was the more subtle option, and
was frequently used to baffle my parents about the cause if the problem.
Now that I am almost seventeen years old, a new, more sophisticated
development of the “huff” is still occasionally applied. However, I can now
solve problems diplomatically and can even genuinely accept refusal. Perhaps
I am actually becoming more like my parents? The thought which seemed
impossible during my earlier years may now be coming horribly true.
Intermediate 2
D.C.H.S. English Department
Miss Archibald
Kirsty’s essay
Over the last few years I think I have grown up considerably.
I have taken on responsibility both in and out of home. During holidays I help
my mother with the housework, by doing the hovering, dusting, ironing and
washing the dishes. I also help with the animals as I have three ponies, a dog
and a cat which involves an awful lot of work. When I was younger, I
absolutely hated doing the housework or working in the stable. I used to think
my parents moaned at me too much. But, now that I have grown up I realise
how much work my mother and father must have to do, and I think that I
should at least help them when they have had a hard day at work.
The topic of “Myself” is totally focused on personal experience. Some
essays can be very personal, describing the death of a loved one or a
relationship that has gone wrong, for example. Personal essays often
score very well, as each person’s experiences are unique, and so you can
be sure of writing something original. However, while the experiences
themselves may be unique, and so you can be careful that your responses
and reflections are carefully and precisely worked out, and not just
clichés.