OET- Occupational English Test is the English language test designed particularly for healthcare professionals who want to practice in an English-speaking land. It is recognized by various regulatory healthcare bodies and is developed specifically for 12 healthcare professions. The test reflects real workplace tasks and assesses the relevant language skills.
The test structure consists of three sections: Listening, Reading, and Writing which is designed differently for each kind of profession.
Let’s talk about the Writing segment.
The Writing sub-test includes a task to write a medical-related letter like a letter of discharge, letter of reference, letter of transfer, letter of advice to the patient, etc.
You are assessed based on these points: Purpose, Content, Consciousness and Clarity, Genre and Style, Organisation and Layout, and Language.
Here are a few tips that might be helpful for you to score high on the OET writing test.
- Identify the purpose and write with that purpose. Once you have completely understood the purpose, use appropriate verbs and introductory sentences to convey the purpose to the reader.
- Convey the content clearly. Decide what all is the most important information that needs to be included in the letter for the receiver to take action and continue the task. Include all that relevant information. You need to know what information is unnecessary and can be left out. Write with conciseness and clarity.
- Have a thorough knowledge of medical abbreviations and jargon. Though you should never use abbreviations in your writing, you need to definitely know them to understand the question.
- Organize your case notes in a proper manner. This helps in conveying your case details effectively.
- Use a completely formal style to write your letter. This involves using the right tone, using facts rather than judgments, and starting and ending the letter correctly.
- Write the referral explicitly in the last paragraph, even though you have mentioned it in the starting, it has to be focused on and written explicitly again while ending.
- It is difficult to decide at your level what information the other specialist might need. So, include all the primary and secondary information in the starting paragraphs. Once you are done with including all the relevant information, including any extra information in a separate paragraph.
- Understand the task very well. Read the OET writing task and its instructions multiple times to understand it completely. Also, read the given samples so as to properly understand what you are expected to deliver.
- Practice is the key to success! Practice a lot. Practice with time limits.
- Read the reference material. Also, consider joining a proper guidance center like Speakeng India. We have well-researched study material and experts who guide you on every aspect of the OET test. We also guide you on some tried and tested methodologies to score high in the exam.
