OET Writing Medicine

• What is the Writing Sub-test:

- The Writing sub-test takes 45 minutes
- The Writing sub-test is specific to each profession.
- In each test, there is one task set for each profession based
on a typical workplace situation and the demands of the
profession.
- This sub-test requires candidates to write a letter of referral
based on case notes which are provided.
- Sometimes, and particularly for some professions, a different
type of letter is required (e.g., a letter of transfer or discharge,
or a letter to advise or inform a patient, carer, or group).
 OET Writing Medicine

- Candidates are required to write approximately 180-200

words in the body of the text.
- The first five minutes of the test is allocated for reading
time. During this time, you may study the task and notes
but may not write, underline or make any notes.
- For the remaining 40 minutes you may write your
response to the task. You receive a printed answer
booklet in which you must write your response. This also
has space for rough work. You may write in pen or pencil.
 OET Writing Medicine
• Do:
• Take time to understand task requirement
• Use your own wards to paraphrase or summarize longer
pieces of information from the case note
• Make sure you understand the situation described in the
case note
• Think about how best to organize your letter before you
start writing
• Use the space provided to plan your letter
• Use the five minutes’ reading time effectively to
understand the task set:
- What is your role?
- Who is your audience (intended reader)?
- What is the current situation?
- How urgent is the current situation?
- What is the main point you must communicate to the
reader?
- What supporting information is necessary to give to the
reader?
- What background information is useful to reader?
- What information is unnecessary for the reader & why?
• Explain the current situation at the start of the letter
(perhaps in an emergency situation)
• Use the names & addresses given
• Set out the names, addresses, date and other
information to start the letter clearly
• As you write, indicate each new paragraph clearly,
perhaps by leaving a blank line.
 OET Writing Medicine
• Don’t:

• Include everything from the case note – select

information relevant to the task
• Simply copy chunks of text from the case note
• Write note or numbered points
 OET Writing Medicine
• Check the following at the end:
• Make sure your letter communicates what you intend
• Make sure you meet the basic task requirements:
- Length of the body of the text approximately 180-200 words
- Full sentences, not note form
- Appropriate letter format
• Check for any simple Grammar or spelling error
• Cross out clearly anything you do not want the assessor to
read
 OET Writing Medicine
• General Instruction:

• Have a spare pen and pencil ready just in case

• Fill in the cover pages for the task booklet and the answer
booklet correctly
• Fill your personal information on the answers sheet correctly
• Take a sample test under test conditions beforehand so you
know what it feels like
• Practice writing clearly if you have poor handwriting
• Write clearly & legibly
 OET Writing Assessment Procedure
• After you sit the OET Writing sub-test your sample of writing is
assessed by two qualified and experienced English assessors who
have been trained in OET assessment procedures
• Assessors give a score from 1 to 6 for each of the five criteria
listed above using a detailed set of level descriptors to guide their
decisions. A score of 6 is the highest for each criterion. The five
criteria are equally weighted in the scoring and analysis process.
• Each candidate’s script is graded by two assessors independently.
Neither assessor knows the scores the other assessor gives or the
scores awarded to the candidate for other sub-tests.
• Every Writing sub-test script is assessed in Melbourne. All scripts
are double marked
 OET Writing Assessment Criteria

• overall task fulfillment

• appropriateness of language
• comprehension of stimulus
• linguistic features (grammar and cohesion)
• presentation features (spelling, presentation, layout).
Overall task fulfillment
• Write enough so the assessors have a sufficient sample of your
writing – the task requires approximately 180-200 words in the
body of the letter
• Don’t write too much – you may need to select content carefully
to keep to the required word count
• Use your own words as much as possible – don’t simply copy
sections from the case notes
• Avoid using a ‘formulaic’ response – if you include elements that
do not fit the task, it indicates a lack of flexibility in your writing
• Don’t include information that the intended reader clearly knows
already (e.g., if you are replying to a colleague who has referred a
patient to you)
Appropriateness of language

• Organize the information clearly – the sequence of

information in the case notes may not be the most
appropriate sequence of information for your letter
• Highlight the main purpose of your letter at the start –
this provides the context for the information you include
• Be clear about the level of urgency for the
communication
• Always keep in mind the reason for writing – don’t just
summarize the case notes provided
• Consider using dates and other time references (e.g.,
three months later, last week, a year ago) to give a clear
sequence of events where necessary
Appropriateness of language
• Focus on important information and minimize
incidental detail
• Remember that all professional letters are written in a
relatively formal style
• Avoid informal language, slang, colloquialisms and
spoken idiom unless you are sure this is appropriate
(e.g., use ‘Thank you’ rather than ‘Thanks a lot’)
• Avoid SMS texting abbreviations in a formal letter
(e.g., use ‘you’ not ‘u’)
• Give the correct salutation: if you are told the
recipient’s name and title, use them
Comprehension of stimulus
• Demonstrate in your response that you have understood the
case notes fully
• Be clear what the most relevant issues for the reader are
• Show clearly the connections between information in the case
notes if these are made; however, do not add information
that is not given in the notes (e.g., a suggested diagnosis)
• Take relevant information from the case notes and transform
it to fit the task set
• Don’t simply try to include every piece of information from
the case notes in your letter in the same order it is presented
in the case notes
Control of linguistic features (grammar
and cohesion)
• Show that you can use language accurately and flexibly i
• Make sure you demonstrate a range of language
structures – use complex sentences as well as simple
ones
• Split a long sentence into two or three sentences if you
feel you are losing control of it
• Review areas of grammar to ensure you convey your
intended meaning accurately:
- articles – a/an, the (e.g., ‘She had an operation.’, ‘on the
internet’)
- countable and uncountable nouns (e.g., some evidence,
an opinion)
- verb forms used to indicate past time and the relationship
between events in the past and now (past simple, present
perfect, past perfect)
- adverbs that give time references (e.g., ‘two months
previously’ is different from ‘two months ago’)
- prepositions following other words (e.g., ‘Thank you very
much to see for seeing …’, ‘sensitivity of to pressure’, ‘my
examination on of the patient’, ‘diagnosed with cancer’)
- passive forms (e.g., ‘The patient should advised to relax’, ‘He
involved in an accident.’ for ‘He was involved in an accident.’)
• Use connecting words and phrases (‘connectives’) to link
ideas together clearly (e.g., however, therefore,
subsequently)
• Create a mental checklist of problems that you have with
grammar and go through this when you review your response
towards the end of the test: particular areas to focus on might
include
- number agreement, e.g. ‘The test result shows that …’, ‘There
is no evidence …’, ‘He lives …’, ‘one of the side effects’
- complete sentences, i.e., the main clause includes ‘subject and
verb’, e.g., ‘On examination showed that …’ should be
‘Examination showed that …’ or ‘On examination it was found
that …
- gender agreement, e.g. ‘Mr Jones and her daughter’
- tense agreement, e.g., ‘Examination on 15 May 2006 revealed
she is overweight.’ [creating confusion over whether she is still
overweight at the time of writing]
Control of presentation features (spelling,
punctuation and layout)
• Take care with the placement of commas and full stops
• Make sure there are enough – separating ideas into
sentences
• Make sure there are not too many – keeping elements of
the text meaningfully connected together
• Leave a blank line between paragraphs to show clearly the
overall structure of the letter
• Don’t write on every other line – this does not assist the
reader particularly
• Check for spelling mistakes and for spelling consistency
through your writing (e.g., with a patient’s name)
Control of presentation features (spelling,
punctuation and layout)
• Remember that many of the words you write are also in the
case notes – check that the spelling
• Be consistent in your spelling: alternative spelling
conventions (e.g., American or British English) are acceptable
as long as your use is consistent
• Don’t use symbols as abbreviations in formal letters
• Avoid creating any negative impact on your reader through
the presentation of the letter
• Use a clear layout to avoid any miscommunication
• Make sure poor handwriting does not confuse the reader
over spelling and meaning
• Write legibly so the assessor can grade your response fairly
using the set criteria