Free PDF guide · OET Writing · nurses
The OET Writing guide for nurses
How the Writing test works, a five-step method for the 45 minutes, one model letter taken apart, and the ten mistakes to fix before test day.
This guide is for nurses preparing for the OET Writing test on the nursing paper. Read it once from start to finish, then come back to one part at a time. Each part links to a practice task in Clodia, so you can try the skill straight away.
Inside the guide
- 1How OET Writing works
- 2A 5-step method
- 3A worked example with a model letter
- 410 mistakes that cost marks, each with a fix
- 5Your last-5-minutes checklist
Mistake 5 of 10Less known
Repeating details the reader already has
The patient's date of birth is already in the Re: line at the top of the letter ("Re: Mrs Anita Patel, DOB 12/04/1947"). Repeating it, or her age, in your opening sentence uses words and pushes your purpose further back.
Before“I am writing to ask you to visit Mrs Anita Patel, born 12/04/1947, aged 78, who is being discharged home today…”
After“I am writing to ask you to visit Mrs Anita Patel, who is being discharged home today…”
Example grades, not a real student's result
Mistake 1 of 10
Hiding the purpose of the letter in the middle
Mistake 2 of 10
Not saying clearly what you are asking the reader to do
A page from the guide
The model letter, from real-style case notes
Ms Grace Okafor District Nursing Sister Brookfield District Nursing Team Brookfield Health Centre 14 Station Road Leicester LE4 2QT 9 March 2026 Re: Mrs Anita Patel, DOB 12/04/1947 Dear Ms Okafor, I am writing to ask you to visit Mrs Anita Patel, who is being discharged home today, to dress the wound on her left shin.
The full letter, the case notes it comes from, and why each part works are in the PDF.