Common stages in the writing task Key stages in the writing task
Main language focus of each stage .
Analysing the task to be clear that you y ou are providing the appropriate information - e.g. your choice of information could be different for different readers
Identifying the audience and how that affects content This includes length - the 200 word limit means you will need to make careful decisions about leaving out information while still maintaining enough information for the reader to base an assessment or action on. Focus on meaning— meaning —this will generally be straight forward, but it's a good idea to check. (See also section B in the 'Common OET writing mistakes' document).
Reading the case notes to identify:
Reading and highlighting the key information i nformation
- the main purpose of the referral - what do you want the reader to check or know?
Focus on meaning (see also section B in the 'Common OET writing mistakes' document).
- information which could be relevant to the reader when making their decision
Organising the information into a cohesive (unified and interconnected) whole
Writing a plan Focus on meaning and overall text organisation (see also section B C and E in the 'Common OET writing mistakes' document).
Writing the letter out in full with attention to the details of English
Focus on language forms - using grammar and vocabulary appropriate to formal letter writing (see also sections A, C and D in the 'Common OET writing mistakes' document).
In any test it is helpful to have some strategies to use. The following will help you in the Writing Sub-test.
Remember that in the real OET test, you get 5 minutes reading time (no writing allowed) During this time read everything. You must decide: o
o
o
what is relevant and what is irrelevant eg allergies, family history etc., how you will begin the letter, e.g. with the last consultation or the first consultation, if it's an urgent referral begin the letter with the last consultation.
Keep in mind the OET Assessment Criteria when you are writing. Leave a blank line in between each paragraph. On the real OET test, you can use either a pen or a HB pencil. In this online program, use your computer to create a Word document, save it to your hard disk and submit it online. The date of the letter is the date of the last consultation (nurses: the date of discharge). Use passive voice e.g. NOT "I arranged a blood test." BETTER: "A blood test was arranged." Don't copy exactly from the case notes as the information is written in note form. You will need to EXPAND the notes, e.g. o o
Case notes: sore throat, T 39, infected tonsils - exudate Letter: Mr Smith complained of a sore throat. On examination, he was febrile and the tonsils were infected with signs of exudate.
Assessment criterion A: A ppropriatenes s of lang uag e This criterion assesses whether or not your use of vocabulary is suitable for a formal, professional letter.
Mistake
Correction
I really appreciate your ongoing management ...
I greatly appreciate ... (greatly is more formal)
I ordered some tests.
Some tests were ordered . (passive voice is more formal than active voice)
Mr. Smith is an alcoholic .
These examples are too emotive (and not formally accurate). Better choices include:
Mrs. Smith is fat . Mr. Smith's alcohol intake is above the recommended levels, OR Mr. Smith's alcohol intake is excessive. (The 2nd one is better if you need to save words.) Mrs. Smith's weight is significantly above her ideal weight range, OR Mrs. Smith is overweight or obese.
Using she/he in the 1st sentence of a paragraph.
Write the patient's name or 'the patient ' because the first sentence in a paragraph is the most important sentence.
Assessment criterion B: C omprehension of the s timulus
This criterion assesses your ability to select information from the case notes or other stimulus which is relevant to the reader's needs. The main thing to remember in this criterion is to INCLUDE important information and EXCLUDE unimportant information. So, the question nurses, doctors and dentists need to ask is: "What does the reader need to know in order to treat or care for this patient?" For pharmacists, the question is more like to be: "What does the customer need to know about this product in order to use it safely?"
Mistake
Correction
Including all the normal vital signs.
Only include POSITIVE examination findings BUT sometimes the reader will need to know NEGATIVE findings e.g. with an anorexic patient, the thyroid function tests are normal / negative so the reader will need to know this.
Assessment criterion C: G rammar and cohes ion This criterion assesses sentence level grammar, how sentences are linked together into paragraphs and then how those paragraphs are linked together to form a cohesive, logically developed letter.
Mistake
Correction
Missing articles a or an or the
Write a/an in front of all COUNTABLE nouns the FIRST TIME you write them. The second ti me you mention them, use the e.g. Mrs. Smith underwent an operation yesterday. The operation was a success.
Missing the or pronoun before the object of the sentence
Write the OR his OR her in front of all body parts e.g. Mr. Smith sustained fractures to the ribs, OR I sold Mr. Smith a medication for pain in the knee. An exception is: a fractured femur , however, you say: a fracture of the femur .
Missing a joining word (this is not a comprehensive list - see Weblinks to grammar websites for further grammar information).
Write furthermore or in addition or moreover , and , etc. when adding more, related information to the previous clause/sentence. Write consequently or therefore or as a result to indicate that something happens because of what you have mentioned in the previous clause/sentence. Write however , but , etc. to indicate that you are presenting information that contrasts the information in the previous clause/sentence. Write In view of the above , ... to indicate that you are about to make a suggestion or give an opinion based on the information you have presented earlier.
Using the wrong tense (this is not a comprehensive list - see Weblinks to grammar websites for further grammar information).
Common tenses useful for the writing task include: Simple present to describe facts that stay the same for a long time e.g. The tests show that Mrs Jones has a respiratory disease. Simple past to describe aspects of a patient's history that were completed in the past e.g. Mrs Jones had a major operation in 2002. Present perfect to describe aspects of a patient's history that continue to have an effect in the present e.g. Mrs Jones has completely recovered from her operation. (Note the placement of the adverb between the two parts of the verb.) Present continuous to describe a patient's currently uncompleted treatment e.g. Mrs Jones is undergoing radiation therapy.
Assessment criterion D: S pelling and Punctuation This criterion assesses the accuracy of your spelling and punctuation.
Mistake
Correction
... a sever cold
a severe cold
There are lists of commonly misspelled words in the grammar websites that you can find in the Weblinks. Missing commas after adverbial phrases or clauses before the main clause e.g. Over the past five years Mrs Jones has been responding well to treatment.
Over the past five years, Mrs Jones has been responding well to treatment.
Assessment criterion E: General This criterion assesses things like your use of letter-writing norms.
Mistake
Correction
You include a patient's minor social history in the body of the letter.
Write it in the Re section e.g. Re: Mrs. Joan Smith, 45 years old, married, two children. The Re section is not counted so you save words. HOWEVER, if some social history is important e.g. if an emphysema patient is a smoker, the fact that he smokes should be written in the body of the letter.
Speaking WARM UP: In the warm up, which is not assessed, listen to the examiner's voice (speed, accent/pronunciation) and get used to it. Also, control your breathing in order to relax. DURING READING TIME: • Make notes on the role-play cards (key words, make notes in short sentences etc.) • Underline only the main points. • Ask the examiner to explain anything you don't understand. • Read the situation on the role-play cards including the setting and the time. • When the role-play begins you cannot stop until the end of the role-play. DURING THE TASK: • Don't be worried about doing everything in the task. The examiner will stop you when he/she has enough language samples to make a judgement.
• The Speaking sub-test is like a normal conversation in English so you need to respond to the examiner/patient. A typical mistake is to ignore the examiner/patient because you are thinking what to say next.
• If the "patient" is worried you must reassure the examiner/patient, for example, "I understand why you're worried, but from what you've told me and from my examination I can tell you that you have tension headaches."
• Listen for signals which tell you that you need to respond. For example: Patient: I'm concerned about immunisation. Candidate: What exactly are you concerned about? • Don't worry about the time - that is up to the examiner.
Assessment criterion A: overall communicative
effectiveness Here the examiner is looking to see that the overall purpose of the situation is achieved e.g. whether or not the patient or customer has received an adequate response to their particular health concern as outlined in the roleplay card and in the patient's/customer's questions and emotional state.
Mistake
Correction
1. Misinterpreting the roleplay card. This is not that common, but when such misinterpretation occurs, it can lead to embarrassing miscommunication with the patient/customer.
Make sure you clarify any terms you are at all unsure about with the examiner. One way to do this would be to state to the examiner what you think are the key facts you need to consider in the roleplay to check if your understanding is right.
2. Forgetting polite introductions and initial small talk.
Don't forget polite introductions and questions e.g. Hello Mr/Ms Black and how can I help you today? (There are a number of other possible introductions.)
3. Ignoring the patient/customer's questions and/or information. It is common for candidates to read the roleplay card and then assume they have enough information to start giving the patient advice. This can lead to: • missing vital information from the patient that could affect the information given • a one-way flow of information that could lead to friction with the patient.
Remember that the examiner/patient has extra information on their roleplay card that could be useful to your assessment. Remember to: • get a brief history from the patient–this could turn up some useful information • periodically check you understand the patient's/customer's concerns by paraphrasing / summarising what you understand their concerns are • when you are giving advice, periodically check that the patient has understood your advice so far.
4. Ignoring or failing to respond appropriately Ways to reassure include using phrases such as: to a patient's/customer's emotional state–often a patient/customer will be anxious or angry I understand .. but the chance of and you need to be able to reassure them that you might anything going wrong and/or calm them down. .. is very small.
or
It is quite normal to ..
.. feel anxious or worried about ..
or
.. but I can assure you that this operation / problem is a common one and …
Assessment criterion B: intelligibility The focus here is on whether or not what you say is understandable. Pronunciation is important, but word order and vocabulary choice can also affect intelligibility.
Mistake
Correction
1. Pronunciation and/or sentence stress issues differ between individuals. They are often affected by pronunciation and/or rhythmical differences between a person's first language and English.
The course includes links to pronunciation websites which will allow you to practice any particular English sounds you might have difficulty with. Try this site
2. Some candidates speak too quickly. This could be because of first language differences or because of nervousness; whatever the cause, it can make speech more difficult to understand.
Stress management techniques such as becoming aware of your emotional state, controlling your breathing and consciously slowing down your speech can help. (Don't slow down too much!)
Assessment criterion C: fluency Here the examiner is assessing your ability to maintain and ongoing conversation that links together cohesively e.g. you don't have to hesitate too much trying to think of what to say next.
Mistake
Correction
There seems to be a couple of main causes for this problem:
The course includes links to health-related websites which can be used to build your healthrelated vocabulary. The development of more general vocabulary is also important–reading and listening to English everyday is an i mportant way to build up general vocabulary.
1. uncertainty about what vocabulary to use
2. being overly concerned with grammatical accuracy at the expense of communicating meaning.
It is too late to worry about your grammar once the roleplays start–working on grammatical accuracy needs to take place before the roleplays. It can be useful to focus on the fact that you are a health professional trying to provide someone with useful information rather than a test candidate having their English analysed.
Assessment criterion D: appropriateness of lang uag e The examiner will be looking to see that you use language (verbal and nonverbal) suitable for a health professional e.g. you need to be speak reasonably formally and to be confident of your knowledge, but at the same time to be aware that you need explain technical terms for the non-expert patient and to be aware of, and respond to, your patient's ideas and feelings.
Mistake
Correction
1. Using technical terms that a non-expert would be unlikely to understand e.g.
Use synonyms and/or more everyday terms e.g.
- for dentists: occlusal
= biting surface
- for doctors: myocardial infarction
= heart attack
- for nurses: diabetic nephropathy
= kidney disease caused by diabetes
- for pharmacists: allergic rhinitis
= hay fever
2. Being either too aggressive or not assertive enough when talking with patients/customers. Being too aggressive can make patients/customers feel negative and less likely to provide useful information.
You need to strike a balance here–you need to present your professional opinion with a confidence that gives the patient/customer the assurance that your information is reliable, while at the same time being careful not to 'lecture' the patient/customer as though their opinion is not important.
3. However, a patient/customer might be quite aggressive uncooperative towards you and if you 'give in' and agree with them too easily,
If a patient/customer is being difficult and they are questioning your knowledge, it is not good enough to simply dismiss their ideas and assert
your professional knowledge might be ignored and/or undervalued.
that you are right because you 'are an expert'. A better response would be to acknowledge that a range of opinions exist about the topic but that 'recent research' suggests that there i s scientific/statistical support for your advice.
Assessment criterion E: res ources of g rammar and
expression This criterion assesses your ability to express yourself using accurate English grammar and expression.
Mistake
Correction
1. There are so many grammatical errors that your meaning becomes unclear. There is more room for grammatical error in the speaking sub-test than in the writing sub-test because the main focus here is on effective communication. However, it is obviously better to be grammatically accurate.
The course includes links to grammar websites which will allow you to practice particular English grammar you might have difficulty with and course teachers will provide additional feedback on this aspect of your performance.
Reading In any test it is helpful to have some strategies to use. The following will help you in the Reading Sub-test.
When you receive the Reading paper and the supervisor tells you to begin, immediately tear the papers from the staple. In this way you can put the text next to the questions so that you don’t have to keep turning the pages. Read the title, this will give a general idea of the whole passage EITHER read the whole passage quickly to get a general idea then start the questions OR
Read the first few paragraphs then read the first question THEN underline key words in the question THEN go back to the paragraphs and look for the answer to Q.1 MANAGE THE TIME - do not spend too much time on a difficult question. Have a GOOD GUESS then go to the next question. Later, go back to the difficult question and try again.
General hints for reading passages If you do well in the reading tasks already, you are probably already aware of the following hints. If you are not doing as well as you would like, think about the hints when you try your next reading task.
MCQs are made up of a QUESTION STEM and four POSSIBLE ANSWERS. There are a number of common 'tricks' to reading the two parts of MCQs that we will discuss here.
A. What is the question stem asking EXACTLY? There are a number of things to be aware of in the question stem. 1. Be aware of KEY WORDS in the question. The core part of question-stem one (Q1) is seeking to find out something about the number of people with cholera, but there are a number of LIMITING WORDS AND PHRASES which narrow down the topic e.g. Q1 is after information about the number of people who:
have been affected (this could possibly include those killed, those infected, those with a family member infected, etc - not just those that have died) have been affected by the current epidemic (not an earlier one or a predicted one) live in Latin America (not on another continent and not just from one country within Latin America) have been affected so far (not those who might be affected in the future).
2. Be aware of NEGATIVE QUESTION forms e.g. Q3 asks you to identify a FALSE statement which means that any true statements are the wrong answer. Other negative question forms include:
Which of the following statements DOES NOT reflect the researcher's findings? Which of the following statements COULD NOT be inferred from the article?
There are others of course - be sure to check. 3. Be aware of QUESTIONS OF DEGREE i.e. some questions include limiting words/phrases which ask for an answer that is the BEST or MOST USEFUL or LEAST USEFUL (see Q9), etc.
This means that more than one answer could be correct, and that there will be more information you need to find which indicates how one answer compares to others.
B. How do the possible answers compare to the text? The key 'trick' of MCQs is to distract you from the correct answer. There are a few ways that this can be done. 1. Using terms in the correct answer that are different from those in the reading text but which have a similar meaning (i.e. SYNONYMS). It is very common in MCQs to use synonyms for words in the text e.g. Q3 uses the term large scale to refer to the cholera outbreak whereas in the text the term used is widespread . A particular example of the use of synonyms in the sample task can be seen in the way that statistics are referred to in different ways–see the detailed answers to Q2 and Q3 for examples of this. (The opposite of a synonym is an ANTONYM. Being aware of words and phrases with opposite meanings to those in the possible answers is also an important tool when trying to choose the most appropriate answer.) 2. Using language in the incorrect answers which makes them sound as though they could be correct, even though they are not. Some ways this is achieved include:
The use of different degrees of definiteness - e.g. if a possible answer states that an article says that something IS true (i.e. 100% definite) but the article says that something COULD BE true (i.e. it is possible but not 100% certain) then you need to be wary. The use of different tenses - e.g. if a possible answer states that a disease HAS BEEN a widespread problem for some time (i.e. the disease became widespread some time ago and has continued to be a problem up to the present time) but the article says that the disease WAS a widespread problem [before a vaccine had been found] (i.e. it is no longer a problem now) then you need to be wary. The use of referencing (how the Subject of a sentence is referred back to in other parts of the text). Sometimes this is relatively easy to see such as when words are repeated e.g. people affected ' ' in Q1 links to 'could affect as many as 120 million people ...') in the reading. Sometimes it is more subtle (see the detailed answer to Q7).
