Figure 1: Image generated using Copilot from prompt: "Image of Critical Thinking".
The importance of critical thinking, or critical analysis, cannot be overstated for your studies here at the University of Derby. Here are the marking criteria that academic staff will use for undergraduate degrees—postgraduate degrees, of course, adopt a comparable system (University of Derby, 2025). Notice what these criteria say about critical thinking and what is expected of you:
First Class Degree (70-100%) - Excellent
Outstanding; high to very high standard; a high level of critical analysis and evaluation, incisive original thinking; commendable originality; exceptionally well researched…
Second Division 1 (60-69%) – Very Good
A very good standard; a very good level of critical analysis and evaluation; significant originality; well researched…
Second Division 2 (50-59%) - Good
A good standard; a fairly good level of critical analysis and evaluation; some evidence of original thinking or originality; quite well researched…
There is an unequivocal expectation, then, that you will use critical thinking skills throughout your university journey. You may even be familiar with feedback from your tutors that says something like ‘your work is more descriptive than critical’ (Neville, 2009, p. 36). Critical thinking is a skill that takes a little time to get used to, but—as with many things in life—the more you do it, the better you get. This may sound intimidating, but Neville (2009, p. 37) explains it well: ‘the heart of the whole process … is the very human instinct to be curious and to seek answers to questions.’(Bassham et al., 2023, p. 8-9).
Look at the expectations of these different sectors:
Nursing - ‘Critical thinking can help nurses provide excellent care and improve patient well-being’ (Kilgore, 2018).
Law - ‘You should focus on developing your critical thinking skills – seeing different perspectives and developing imaginative solutions’ (Gott et al., 2024).
Policing - ‘Critical thinking drives effective policing as we are faced with a wide variety of complex issues on a day-to-day basis’ (College of Policing, 2024).
Education – ‘Enabling critical thinking and problem solving by first teaching the necessary foundational content knowledge’ (Department for Education, 2024, p. 18).
Rolls Royce – ‘Our employees … exhibit excellent communication and teamwork skills, and face challenges head-on with efficient problem-solving and critical thinking’ (Rolls Royce, 2025).
Publishing – ‘Higher-level reading – reading that goes beyond basic decoding and information extraction – is our most powerful tool for critical thinking’ (Schüller-Zwierlein, 2024).
Critical thinking results in positive outcomes in all these examples. They are better outcomes for patients, a greater understanding of clients for lawyers, and a tool that police officers can use to solve the complexities of what they may encounter. In education, too, you can see that teachers are called to use critical thinking in their classrooms to maximise the foundational knowledge that they teach to their students. Rolls Royce, for example, seek candidates who can demonstrate critical thinking skills in their career selection process, and a recent article from the International Publishers Association categorically explained why critical thinking is connected to the importance of reading.
You can use your time at the University of Derby to develop your own critical thinking skills to make you work ready. If you can ask questions about what you see, rather than just describing it, you will be well on the way to thinking critically. In doing so, you will start to understand what your academic staff are looking for when they are marking your work.
References
Bassham, G. et al. (2023) Critical Thinking: A Student’s Introduction. 7th edn. New York: McGraw Hill.
College of Policing (2024) We Analyse Critically – CVF Competency. Available at: https://www.college.police.uk/career-learning/competency-and-values-framework/analyse-critically (Accessed: 4 March 2025).
Copilot (2025) Image of critical thinking [Digital Art], response to Steven Bembridge, 28 March 2025.
Department for Education (2024) Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/661d24ac08c3be25cfbd3e61/Initial_Teacher_Training_and_Early_Career_Framework.pdf (Accessed 14 April 2025).
Gott, P. et al. (2024) Essential Skills for Law Students. Available at: https://www.lawsociety.org.uk/career-advice/law-students/essential-skills (Accessed: 4 March 2025).
Kilgore, C. (2018) How Can Critical Thinking Make Me a Better Nurse? Available at: https://rcni.com/nursing-older-people/evidence-and-practice/practice-question/how-can-critical-thinking-make-me-a-better-nurse-139151 (Accessed: 4 March 2025).
Neville, C. (2009) How to Improve your Assignment Results. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Rolls Royce (2025) Make Your Mark. Available at: https://www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/en_GB/information/careers.html (Accessed 14 April 2025).
Schüller-Zwierlein, A. Why Book Reading Matters. Available at: https://internationalpublishers.org/why-book-reading-matters/ (Accessed 14 April 2021).
University of Derby (2025) Assessment Regulations for Undergraduate Programmes. Available at: https://www.derby.ac.uk/about/academic-regulations/assessment-regulations-for-undergraduate-programmes/ (Accessed: 4 March 2025).
