Free OET Writing sample · Nursing
OET Writing sample: a model nurse letter
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 discharge letter, followed by why it works under each of the six OET Writing criteria.
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Discharge 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
- Mr Liam Fletcher, DOB 14/02/1992 (34 yrs)
- Admitted Mon 12/10/2026. Discharge today, Wed 14/10/2026
- Ward 4 (Surgical), Riverside General Hospital
- GP: Dr S Ahmed, Millbrook Medical Centre
Social background
- Lives with partner; accounts clerk (desk-based)
- Plays five-a-side football weekly
- Non-smoker; alcohol approx. 8 units/week
- Partner to drive him home today
Medical history
- Mild asthma: salbutamol inhaler PRN (rarely used)
- Tonsillectomy aged 7
- Allergy: penicillin (rash, 2015)
Admission
- 12/10: 24 h central abdominal pain moving to R iliac fossa; nausea; T 37.9°C
- Raised WCC and CRP; ultrasound: inflamed appendix
- Laparoscopic appendicectomy same day: uncomplicated, no perforation
- 3 port-site wounds closed with skin clips
- Appendix sent for histology
Progress
- 13/10: eating and drinking; mobilising independently
- 14/10: wounds clean and dry, dressings changed; apyrexial
- Pain controlled: paracetamol 1 g QDS PRN
Discharge plan
- Skin clips out day 7–10 after surgery (19/10–22/10) at GP practice; clip remover given to patient
- May shower; no baths or swimming until wounds healed
- No heavy lifting or contact sport for 4 weeks; back to desk work when comfortable (approx. 2 weeks)
- Advised to seek help if: wound red, swollen or discharging; fever; worsening abdominal pain; vomiting
- Histology result to GP; no hospital follow-up planned
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 · 198 words in the body
The model letter
Ms Rachel Dunn Practice Nurse Millbrook Medical Centre 22 Hill Street Millbrook MB4 7RT 14 October 2026 Re: Mr Liam Fletcher, DOB 14/02/1992 Dear Ms Dunn, I am writing to ask you to review the wounds of Mr Fletcher, who is being discharged home today, and to remove his skin clips between 19 and 22 October. Mr Fletcher was admitted on 12 October with acute appendicitis and had an uncomplicated laparoscopic appendicectomy the same day. His three port-site wounds are closed with skin clips and were clean and dry at today's dressing change. He will bring the clip remover he was given. Please note that he is allergic to penicillin, which causes a rash. He has recovered well: he is eating, drinking and mobilising independently, he has no fever, and his pain is controlled with paracetamol 1 g up to four times a day as needed. He may shower but should not bath or swim until the wounds have healed. He should avoid heavy lifting and contact sport for four weeks, but can return to desk work in about two weeks. He knows to seek medical advice if a wound becomes red, swollen or starts to discharge, or if he develops a fever, worsening abdominal pain or vomiting. The histology result will be sent to his GP, and no hospital follow-up has been arranged. Yours sincerely, Staff Nurse Ward 4 (Surgical), Riverside General Hospital
Why this letter works
One point under each OET Writing criterion.
- Purpose
- The first sentence says what the practice nurse is being asked to do (review the wounds, remove the clips) and when, before any background.
- Content
- Everything she needs to act is there and accurate to the notes: the operation and date, three clip-closed wounds, the clip remover, the penicillin allergy (it matters if a wound becomes infected), the warning signs and who has the histology result.
- Conciseness & Clarity
- Details that don't help her are left out: the tonsillectomy, the rarely used inhaler, alcohol and the lift home. His football is covered by the contact-sport advice, so it needn't be named. The admission is one sentence, not a list of test results.
- Genre & Style
- A polite, professional register in full sentences, not note form. "Port-site wounds" and "histology" suit a nurse reader; abbreviations from the notes (QDS, PRN, WCC) are written out or left out.
- Organisation & Layout
- One job per paragraph: the request, the surgery and wounds, his recovery, the advice he has been given (including his return to desk work), and follow-up. The request is stated once.
- Language
- Accurate tenses keep the timeline clear: past for the admission, present for how he is now. Doses and dates are unambiguous.
Get your letter marked on all six criteria, with notes on your own sentences. A free practice day, no card needed.
OET Writing questions
How long is the OET Writing test?
45 minutes: 5 minutes of reading time, when you may read the case notes but not write, then 40 minutes to write the letter.
How many words should an OET 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.
What letters do nurses write in OET?
Usually a referral, discharge or transfer letter to another health professional, such as a practice nurse, district nurse or GP, written from case notes about one patient.