Writing
OET Writing (Nursing) is 45 minutes: about five minutes reading case notes, then 40 minutes writing a letter of 180–200 words. Nursing tasks are typically a referral to a community nursing or allied health team, a discharge letter to a GP, a transfer letter to another ward or facility, or a letter to a residential aged care home.
What is scored
Six criteria: Purpose, Content, Conciseness and Clarity, Genre and Style, Organisation and Layout, and Language (grammar and vocabulary). Purpose asks whether the reader knows immediately why the letter was sent and what is wanted. Content asks whether the case-note information selected is relevant to that reader's task.
Structure that works
- Opening line stating the reason for writing and identifying the patient (name, age, relevant dates).
- Body: relevant history, current status, care already given, and the specific plan or request.
- Close: what you are asking the reader to do, plus contact details.
Worked example
Case notes: 79-year-old woman, fall at home, fractured neck of femur, hemiarthroplasty day 5, lives alone with two steps at the front door, warfarin commenced, wound dry, district nurse referral. Also noted: childhood asthma, husband deceased, retired teacher. Aim: referral to the community nursing service. Include the mobility and living situation - they determine the service. Include the wound and anticoagulation monitoring - that is the requested work. Omit childhood asthma, bereavement and occupation: true, but not decision-relevant. The opening might read: "I am writing to refer Mrs Ellen Marsh, 79, who requires wound review and INR monitoring following a hemiarthroplasty."
Traps
- Lifting sentences verbatim from the notes; they are not written for the reader.
- No explicit request, leaving the reader guessing what to do next.
- Wrong register: contractions, "Hi", or overly deferential phrasing.
- Addressing the patient instead of the clinician.
- Padding to reach 200 words with irrelevant history.