Free OET Speaking sample · Medicine
OET Speaking sample for doctors: a GP role-play
OET Speaking is two role-plays, each with 3 minutes to prepare and about 5 minutes to speak. Here is an invented GP role-play card, the start of a model consultation, and how that opening meets each of the five clinical communication criteria.
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Role-play card · Medicine
The role-play card
Read it as you would in the 3 minutes of preparation: what does the patient need from you, and in what order?
Setting: General practice
You are a GP. Ms Joanne Tarrant, 44, an office manager, has had heartburn and a sour taste in her mouth most evenings for 6 weeks. She has no difficulty swallowing, no weight loss and no vomiting. Her examination today is normal. You think she has acid reflux.
Task
- Find out what she thinks is causing the symptoms and how they affect her (e.g., sleep, work, etc.).
- Explain the likely diagnosis in simple terms (e.g., acid rising from stomach into food pipe, common, usually not serious, etc.).
- Find out about possible triggers (e.g., late meals, alcohol, anti-inflammatory painkillers, etc.) and suggest lifestyle changes (e.g., smaller evening meals, not eating within 3 hours of bed, etc.).
- Recommend omeprazole and explain how to take it (e.g., 20 mg once daily, before breakfast, 4-week course, etc.).
- Explain warning signs that need urgent review (e.g., difficulty swallowing, weight loss, vomiting blood or black stools, etc.) and follow-up (review in 4 weeks). Find out any other concerns.
On the interlocutor's card, Ms Tarrant might be worried that the burning is her heart, because a colleague had a heart attack last year, and might mention that she takes ibuprofen most days for back pain.
Model answer · first two tasks
How a strong role-play starts
The first minute or so of a model consultation. Notice that the doctor deals with the patient's worry before giving the diagnosis, and checks she has understood.
Doctor: Good afternoon, Ms Tarrant. I'm Dr Varghese. I understand you've been having some heartburn. How has it been affecting you?
Patient: It wakes me up most nights, so I'm shattered at work. And to be honest, I've been worried it's my heart. A colleague of mine had a heart attack last year.
Doctor: That sounds exhausting, and I can understand why you'd be worried after what happened to your colleague. Can I ask a couple of questions about the burning, so we can look at that properly?
Patient: Yes, of course.
Doctor: Does it come on when you're walking or climbing stairs, or is it more after meals and when you lie down?
Patient: Always after dinner, and worse in bed. Never when I'm walking.
Doctor: Thank you, that's really helpful. With that pattern, and with your examination today being normal, this sounds much more like acid reflux than a heart problem. Would it help if I explain what's going on?
Patient: Yes, please.
Doctor: There's a ring of muscle at the top of your stomach that normally stops acid coming back up. In reflux, it relaxes when it shouldn't, so acid rises into your food pipe. That causes the burning and the sour taste. It's very common, and it usually settles with a few changes and a short course of tablets. Does that make sense?
Patient: It does. That's a relief, actually.
Doctor: Good. Next, I'd like to ask about a few things that can make reflux worse, and then we'll talk about treatment.
Why this opening works
One point under each clinical communication criterion.
- Relationship building
- He greets her by name, introduces himself and asks an open question about her. When she says she's worried, he acknowledges it before asking anything else.
- Understanding and incorporating the patient's perspective
- Her fear about her heart isn't on his card. He picks it up, asks the questions that address it, and answers it directly before giving the diagnosis.
- Providing structure
- He asks permission before questioning and before explaining, and finishes by signposting what comes next: triggers, then treatment.
- Information gathering
- One focused question, offering the two patterns that tell heart pain from reflux, gets exactly what he needs to answer her worry.
- Information giving
- The explanation is short and in plain words ("ring of muscle", "food pipe"), links back to her own symptoms, and ends with a check that she has understood.
Talk to a patient who answers back, timed like the real test, and get marks on all nine criteria. A free practice day, no card needed.
OET Speaking questions
How long is the OET Speaking test for doctors?
About 20 minutes. After a short warm-up conversation that isn't marked, you do two role-plays. For each one you get 3 minutes to read the card and prepare, then about 5 minutes of conversation.
Who do doctors speak to in the OET Speaking role-plays?
An interlocutor plays a patient, or a relative or carer. You play yourself as a doctor, often a GP or a hospital doctor. The interlocutor has their own card, so expect worries and questions that aren't on yours.
How is OET Speaking marked?
The role-plays are recorded and marked afterwards by trained assessors, not by the interlocutor. There are four linguistic criteria (Intelligibility, Fluency, Appropriateness of Language, and Resources of Grammar and Expression) and five clinical communication criteria (Relationship building, Understanding and incorporating the patient's perspective, Providing structure, Information gathering, and Information giving).
Is OET Speaking a test of my medical knowledge?
No. It tests how you communicate with a patient in English. Clinical knowledge helps you sound natural, but you score by explaining clearly in plain words, listening to the patient's concerns and covering the card's tasks in a sensible order.