Guide to writing reflective journals on CAS (creativity, action, service) activities as part of the IB (International Baccalaureate) program.

1. Writing CAS Journals
A Presentation by
IB Screwed
www.ibscrewed.org

2. General Points
 Write in first person: the reflections should be personal
ones – don’t write too formally.
 Feel free to say things like “It was really fun” or “I hated
this bit, but I think I’ll be a lot better at it next week”
 Don’t repeat yourself: if you are writing multiple journal
entries for one activity (e.g. taking a martial arts class for
several months), each journal entry should reflect your
growth. The first one might show that you struggled
because you are new, the second might show your
progress and increased enjoyment, and the last one can
reflect on how much you’ve learnt.

3. Questions to Think About
 What did you do in this activity and how did you interact with others?
 What did you hope to accomplish through this activity?
 How successful were you in achieving your goals?
 What difficulties did you encounter and how did you overcome them?

4. More Questions to Consider
 What did you learn about yourself through this activity, and what
attitudes, abilities and values have you developed?
 Did anyone help you to think about your learning during this activity,
and how? How did this activity benefit others?
 What would you do to improve next time? How can you apply what
you have learned to other life situations?

5. Final Notes
 CAS journaling is not like EE – it shouldn’t be too stressful or difficult to write.
 Just give an honest account of how the activity made you feel (physically and
emotionally!)
 Consider the IB learner profile for inspiration – was the activity outside your
comfort zone (risk taker)? Did the service activity benefit someone else
(caring)?
 Stay on top of it! Journaling is something that many IB students procrastinate,
so that they try to write them months after doing the activity.
 Try to write them the same day so that you can capture exactly what you
were feeling at the time.
 Enjoy it!
www.ibscrewed.org