OET Writing for nurses: a five-step method for the 45 minutes

Many nurses who struggle with OET Writing do not run out of English. They run out of time, or spend it in the wrong order: ten minutes polishing an opening, then a rushed request and no time to check a date. Here is a five-step routine, with a suggested time for each step and an invented nursing example.

How the 45 minutes are set up

You get one task: case notes and an instruction saying who to write to and why. For nurses, the letter is about nursing care: often a referral, sometimes a transfer or discharge letter, or a letter of advice. The first 5 minutes are reading time. In the paper test you may study the task and notes then, but you must not write, highlight, underline or make any notes. The next 40 minutes are for writing, and the notes stay in front of you throughout.

The task asks for a body of approximately 180 to 200 words, in full sentences rather than note form, set out as a letter. OET does not take marks off automatically for a letter outside that range; a letter that is much longer or shorter usually loses marks under the criteria instead. The six criteria are Purpose, Content, Conciseness & Clarity, Genre & Style, Organisation & Layout, and Language.

A suggested time plan

This is a suggestion, not an official rule.

1. Reading time (5 minutes): read the task, then the notes.
2. Writing minutes 0 to 5: choose and group.
3. Writing minutes 5 to 10: layout and opening.
4. Writing minutes 10 to 35: body and request.
5. Writing minutes 35 to 40: check.

The example used below

This scenario is invented. You are a practice nurse at a GP surgery. Amira, aged 9, was diagnosed with asthma two weeks ago after repeated wheeze, most recently during a PE lesson, after which she was seen at the surgery the same day and settled with a reliever inhaler through a spacer. She now takes a preventer inhaler at home each morning and evening, has a reliever inhaler with a spacer, and has a written asthma action plan. Her parents want her inhalers taken on school trips. Her notes list exercise and colds as triggers. The task asks you to write to the school nurse so that her school can support her safely.

Step 1: Read the task first, then the notes (reading time)

Before reading the notes, use the instruction to answer three questions: who will read this letter, do they already know the patient, and what do you need them to do? Here the reader is a school nurse who has never met Amira, and you want a school asthma plan set up for her.

Because you cannot make notes yet, judge each section of the notes in your head: useful to the school nurse, or not. Notice the reader's role too. A school nurse is a colleague, so the tone is formal and factual; a letter to a parent would need plainer words.

Step 2: Choose and group (writing minutes 0 to 5)

Now you can write. Mark each line you will use: on paper, a tick beside it; on computer, a few words in your plan. For a fuller way to make those choices, see our post on choosing what goes into your letter from the case notes.

Write a plan of four or five lines (on paper, on the blank page of the answer booklet; on computer, at the top of the answer box), one per paragraph, a word or two each. For Amira it might read:

• purpose: new diagnosis, ask for school asthma plan
• what happened and what was prescribed
• the action plan; exercise and colds as triggers
• what you are asking the school to do
• close

Each paragraph should have one job. One topic gets one paragraph, however many entries it is spread across in the notes.

Step 3: Layout and opening (writing minutes 5 to 10)

OET does not require one particular layout, but your letter should be clearly set out and suited to the task. Use the name, title and address exactly as the task gives them, then the date, a subject line naming the patient, and a greeting.

The Purpose criterion looks for a reason for writing that is immediately apparent, so make your opening sentence do two jobs: say who the patient is and what you want. For example: "I am writing to inform you that Amira, a 9-year-old pupil at your school, has recently been diagnosed with asthma, and to ask you to put a school asthma plan in place for her." The history can wait until the next paragraph.

Step 4: Body and request (writing minutes 10 to 35)

Work through your plan one paragraph at a time, turning each note into a complete sentence. "Wheeze in PE; seen at surgery same day, settled with reliever via spacer" becomes "She became wheezy during a PE lesson and was seen at the surgery the same day, where her symptoms settled after she was given a reliever inhaler through a spacer."

Two habits keep this step on track:

• Write the request last, but plan it first. OET's Writing guide describes Purpose as having two parts: a clear statement at the start and a more detailed version later in the letter. For Amira, your final paragraph might read: "I would be grateful if her reliever inhaler and spacer could be kept in school where she can reach them quickly, and taken on trips. Please could you share her action plan with her class teacher and PE staff, and follow it if she has symptoms. Please also tell her parents if she needs her reliever more often than usual, so that they can arrange a review at the surgery."
• Keep an eye on length as you go. If you reach the request and are already near 200, you have probably included something the reader does not need. Remove a whole sentence rather than trimming small words.

Finish with a short closing line, such as "Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information.", then "Yours sincerely," with your name and role.

Step 5: Check (writing minutes 35 to 40)

OET's Writing guide recommends finishing with a few minutes to spare so you can read the letter as the reader would. Check in a fixed order:

1. Purpose: is the reason for writing clear in the first sentence or two?
2. Request: does the last paragraph say exactly what the reader should do?
3. Facts: check each name, age, date and time phrase against the notes.
4. Tense: does anything still true sound as if it has stopped, or the other way round?
5. Form: full sentences, no note form, and abbreviations only where this reader will know them.

On paper, cross out mistakes neatly; only the pages with your letter are marked, not your plan or rough notes. On computer, delete your plan and any rough notes from the answer box before time runs out, so they are not read as part of your letter.

Practising the timing

Time each step on every practice letter. Many candidates find one step that keeps overrunning, and that is what to practise. For the full method, a model discharge letter with notes on why it works, and a letter checklist, read our free OET Writing guide for nurses.

Check the current rules. The timing, word range and criteria described here match OET's published information at the time of writing. OET can change the format, so confirm the current details on the official OET Writing page before you sit the test. Clodia is independent and not affiliated with OET or Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment.