Free OET Writing sample · Nursing referral
OET referral letter sample for nurses
OET Writing is one letter in 45 minutes: 5 minutes to read the case notes, then 40 minutes to write. Here is an invented set of nursing case notes, the task, and a model referral letter to a district nursing team, followed by why it works under each of the six OET Writing criteria.
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Referral letter · Nursing
The case notes
Read them as you would in the 5 minutes of reading time: who is the reader, what do they need to do, and which notes help them do it?
Patient details
- Mrs Doreen Hollis, DOB 03/05/1942 (84 yrs)
- Admitted Tue 20/10/2026. Discharge today, Sun 25/10/2026
- Ward 9 (Elderly Care), St Anne's Hospital
- GP: Dr P Lewis, Eastfield Health Centre
Social background
- Widow; lives alone in a bungalow
- Daughter (Karen) visits daily, does shopping
- Walks short distances with a walking frame; spends most of the day in an armchair
- Enjoys crosswords; has a cat
Medical history
- Hypertension: amlodipine 5 mg once daily
- Osteoarthritis both knees
- Bilateral cataract surgery 2019
- No known drug allergies
Admission
- 20/10: 3 days of cough, fever, increasing breathlessness; chest X-ray: right lower lobe pneumonia
- IV antibiotics 20/10–21/10, then oral amoxicillin 500 mg TDS; 5-day course in total, completed 24/10
- 21/10: category 2 pressure ulcer found on sacrum, 2 cm x 1.5 cm, shallow, no slough
- Waterlow score 18 (high risk)
Progress
- Chest: apyrexial since 22/10; breathing back to usual
- Sacrum: foam dressing, changed every 3 days, last changed today; 25/10 (at dressing change) wound 1.8 cm x 1.2 cm, no slough, no signs of infection
- Repositioned 4-hourly; needs prompting to change position
- Poor appetite: eating about half of meals; weight 52 kg (58 kg in March)
Discharge plan
- Pressure-relieving mattress and cushion delivered to home 24/10
- Seen by dietitian 23/10: oral nutritional supplement drinks twice daily (prescribed)
- Daughter shown how to check skin and prompt position changes
- District nurses: first visit within 48 h; dressing changes, wound review, pressure area care
In your answer:
- Expand the relevant notes into complete sentences.
- Do not use note form.
- Use letter format.
- The body of the letter should be approximately 180–200 words.
Model letter · 200 words in the body
The model letter
District Nursing Team Eastfield Health Centre 4 Market Road Eastfield EF2 9LP 25 October 2026 Re: Mrs Doreen Hollis, DOB 03/05/1942 Dear District Nurses, I am writing to refer Mrs Hollis, who is being discharged home today, for ongoing care of a category 2 sacral pressure ulcer. I would be grateful if you could visit her within 48 hours. She was admitted on 20 October with right lower lobe pneumonia. She has responded well to a five-day course of antibiotics, which she completed yesterday. The pressure ulcer was found on 21 October, measuring 2 cm by 1.5 cm. It has since reduced to 1.8 cm by 1.2 cm and shows no signs of infection. Her foam dressing is changed every three days and is next due on 28 October. Her Waterlow score is 18, indicating high risk. She spends most of the day in an armchair and needs prompting to change position at least every four hours. Her appetite is poor, and she has lost 6 kg since March. Following a dietitian review, she takes supplement drinks twice daily. A pressure-relieving mattress and cushion have been delivered to her bungalow. She lives alone, but her daughter visits daily and has been shown how to check her skin and encourage position changes. Please could you continue dressing changes, monitor healing and provide pressure area care. Yours faithfully, Charge Nurse Ward 9 (Elderly Care), St Anne's Hospital
Why this letter works
One point under each OET Writing criterion.
- Purpose
- The first paragraph says who she is being referred to, for what (a category 2 sacral pressure ulcer) and how soon (within 48 hours). The request is repeated in a closing line that lists exactly what the team should do.
- Content
- Everything the district nurses need to act is there: the wound's size and how it is healing, the dressing and when it is next due, the Waterlow score and how little she moves, her weight loss, the equipment at home and who supports her.
- Conciseness & Clarity
- Details that don't help the reader are left out: the cataract surgery, the crosswords and the cat. The pneumonia gets two sentences: the community nurses only need to know why she was admitted and that it has been treated.
- Genre & Style
- A professional register in full sentences. "Yours faithfully" matches "Dear District Nurses", because the letter goes to a team, not a named person. Abbreviations from the notes (TDS, IV) are written out or left out.
- Organisation & Layout
- One topic per paragraph: the request, the admission, the wound, nutrition, home support, and the final request. The wound, the reason for the referral, gets the longest paragraph.
- Language
- Clear tenses (past for the admission and the completed antibiotics, present for how she is now and what she needs) and accurate measurements and dates.
Get your letter marked on all six criteria, with notes on your own sentences. A free practice day, no card needed.
OET referral letter questions
What is a referral letter in OET?
A letter asking another health professional or team to take over or continue part of a patient's care, written from case notes in 40 minutes after 5 minutes of reading time. The reader needs to know what you are asking them to do, how soon, and the facts they need to do it.
How do I start an OET referral letter?
Say why you are writing in the first paragraph: who the patient is, what you are asking the reader to do, and how urgently. For example: "I am writing to refer Mrs Hollis for ongoing care of a pressure ulcer. I would be grateful if you could visit her within 48 hours."
How many words should an OET referral letter be?
Aim for 180 to 200 words in the body of the letter, not counting the address, date or sign-off. Leaving out what the reader doesn't need usually keeps you in that range.
Should I end with Yours sincerely or Yours faithfully?
Use "Yours sincerely" when you write to a named person ("Dear Ms Dunn"). Use "Yours faithfully" when you don't have a name, such as a letter to a team ("Dear District Nurses") or "Dear Sir or Madam".