How to Use Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle in a TMA (With Example)

Reflective TMAs catch many students off guard. You are used to writing about theories and evidence, and suddenly the question asks you to write about yourself: a placement shift, a team project, a difficult conversation at work. Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle is one of the most widely used frameworks for this kind of writing, and when it is used well, it turns a personal story into a structured piece of academic analysis.

This guide explains the six stages of the cycle, how much space each one deserves in a TMA, and shows a short worked example. If your module asks for a different reflective model, use that one. The principles here still apply.

What is the Gibbs reflective cycle and why do TMAs use it?

Graham Gibbs introduced the cycle in 1988 as a way of learning from experience in a structured way. It has six stages, and each one asks a different kind of question. Because it moves from what happened to what you will do next, it suits assignments in nursing, social care, education, business and professional development, where you are expected to link practice with theory.

Tutors like it because it makes your thinking visible. Instead of “this went badly and I learned a lot”, the cycle forces you to show why it went the way it did and what exactly you will change.

What are the six stages of Gibbs’ cycle in a TMA?

Here is each stage with the questions it should answer and a guide to how much of your word count it usually deserves. The proportions are a starting point, not a rule. Your TMA guidance may weight things differently.

Stage	Questions to answer	Rough share of words
1. Description	What happened? Where, when, who was involved, what did you do, what was the outcome?	About 10%
2. Feelings	What were you thinking and feeling before, during and after? How did that affect what you did?	About 10%
3. Evaluation	What went well and what did not, for you and for others?	About 15%
4. Analysis	Why did things go well or badly? What do theory, evidence and your module materials help you understand?	About 35%
5. Conclusion	What have you learned? What else could you have done?	About 15%
6. Action plan	What will you do differently next time, how will you build the skills you need, and how will you make sure it happens?	About 15%

The key pattern: description is short, analysis is long. Many reflective TMAs score poorly because they reverse this.

How much description should I include in a reflective TMA?

Only enough for the reader to follow the rest. Give the context, the key events and the outcome, and stop. Leave your feelings for stage 2 and your judgements for stage 3. A useful test is whether every detail you describe is used later in the analysis. If it is not, cut it.

Remember confidentiality. In nursing, care and workplace reflections, do not name patients, clients, colleagues or organisations unless your guidance says you may. Use roles (“a senior colleague”, “a patient in their seventies”) instead.

How do I move from feelings to real analysis?

This is the step that separates a pass from a strong mark. Feelings and evaluation are about your experience. Analysis is about explaining it, and that is where the theory from your module comes in.

Ask yourself:

• Which concept from my module helps explain what happened? For example, a model of communication, team development, leadership, stress or decision-making.
• Does the theory fit my experience, or does my experience show its limits?
• What factors outside my control shaped the outcome, such as time pressure, roles or organisational rules?
• Would someone else involved have seen it differently?

Write in the first person, because reflection is about you, but keep the tone analytical. “I felt anxious” belongs in stage 2. “My anxiety meant I avoided asking for clarification, which fits the pattern my module describes for new team members” belongs in stage 4.

What does a Gibbs reflection look like in practice?

Here is a short worked example based on a fictional working student on a business module. A real TMA would be longer and would draw on the specific theories in your module materials, cited in your required style.

Description

During a group TMA, our team of four had to deliver a short presentation. I agreed to combine everyone’s slides two days before the deadline. Two members sent their slides late, and I finished the file at midnight. In the presentation, the sections did not link well and we overran the time limit.

Feelings

I felt frustrated with my teammates and anxious about the mark. I also felt reluctant to chase people, because I did not want to seem controlling.

Evaluation

The content of each section was good, and I met my own task. However, the presentation lacked flow, and nobody had rehearsed the timing. My choice not to chase earlier contributed to the rush.

Analysis

Our team had agreed tasks but not deadlines or roles for checking the whole. Using the team development ideas from the module, we never moved beyond an early stage where people avoid conflict, which helps explain why nobody raised the late slides. My reluctance to chase reflected a wish to keep relationships smooth, but it left a gap in coordination that nobody else filled.

Conclusion

I learned that agreeing who does what is not enough. A team also needs agreed internal deadlines and someone with the clear role of pulling the work together. Raising concerns early would have been less awkward than fixing problems late.

Action plan

In my next group task, I will suggest an internal deadline three days before submission and a 20-minute rehearsal. If I take a coordinating role, I will say so at the start and send one reminder halfway through. I will review whether this worked after the next group TMA.

What mistakes do students make with Gibbs in a TMA?

• Too much story. Long descriptions leave no room for analysis.
• No theory. Without module concepts, stage 4 is just opinion.
• Vague action plans. “I will communicate better” is not a plan. Say what, when and how you will check it.
• Blaming others. It is fine to say others contributed, but the reflection should focus on your own role and learning.
• Treating stages as boxes. Headings for each stage are often acceptable, but your writing should still flow and link back to the question. Check whether your TMA wants headings or continuous prose.
• Ignoring the word limit. Reflective writing tends to run long. Our guide on what counts towards a TMA word count can help you trim.

Should I use Gibbs or a different reflective model?

If your TMA names a model, use it. A Gibbs reflective cycle TMA is a good fit when the task asks you to learn from a single, specific experience and plan for next time, but it is not the only option. If it simply asks for reflection, Gibbs is a safe and widely recognised choice because its stages are easy for a marker to follow. Some modules prefer shorter models with fewer stages, and some professional courses use their own frameworks. Whichever you choose, say so briefly in your introduction and apply it consistently. Our guide to TMA introductions and conclusions shows how to signal your approach in a sentence or two.

Can a tutor check whether my reflective TMA is reflective enough?

It is hard to judge your own reflection, because you know the story so well. A tutor can tell you quickly whether your analysis is deep enough, whether your theory links are clear and whether your action plan is specific. Our TMA draft review gives that kind of feedback, and students on care courses can find more on our nursing TMA support page.

Reflection must be your own experience in your own words, so we will never write it for you. We help you see what to strengthen, and you stay within your university’s academic integrity and AI rules.