7 Tips for OET Writing Success

OET writing test requires examinees to write a letter based on the given data. Often, students who are not native English speakers can find this to be a daunting start, especially if they are unable to join us in Portland for our live, in-person English classes. Even though there is no set formula to follow to complete this task, there are some tips that can prove to be handy for the OET writing test.

The following advice and tips offer an insight into what the students can expect when it comes to the OET writing test regardless of the kind of healthcare profession you are involved in. Performing well in the writing section can help your overall OET score. So, let’s take a look at how to score OET writing success with some handy OET Writing tips and advice.

1.   Thoroughly Understand the Task

OET letter writing usually belongs to three different areas- referral, discharge, and transfer. When a patient has to undergo a different treatment usually at another facility, it comes under referral. The other two scenarios cover the patient being transferred to another department or facility for further treatment or the hospital has to discharge them.

Before you start writing, you should have a clear idea of the letter type and who you are addressing through your letter. Other factors in understanding the OET writing task include the situation you have got to cover and who you are writing about. You can limit your chance of making mistakes if you have thoroughly understood the writing task.

2.   Study Case Notes

Before you start writing, the first five minutes are for carefully studying the case notes. The biggest challenge lies with the language they are written in. It is not simple or perfect English which makes then hard to grasp in one go.

Your job is to make sense of the case notes and transform them into legible English. They usually indicate the future requirements of a patient after the procedure they have to undergo. Despite there not being an exact set of rules about turning case notes into a meaningful sentence, you have to extract as much information as possible and present it clearly.

3.   Make a Structure for Your Write-up

Once you have determined which case notes to include and how to present them, it is time to create a structure of your write-up. The basic structure to use is as follows. The beginning of the letter comprises the name of the person you are writing to and their address.

The next part of the letter contains the patient’s information and a description of the medical condition. The last paragraph is about the actions the letter recipient might have to undertake for the welfare of the patient. Once you are clear about the structure, you can finally start writing.

4.   Check the Punctuation

No matter how perfect your write-up is, punctuation errors can easily lower the OET high score you are wanting. Since a single letter contains all of the vital information about the patient, their current health information, their condition, and expected actions to be taken, commas and other punctuation in proper places are a must.

Correct punctuation also helps in prioritizing the content. For instance, if a single sentence represents multiple information, punctuation marks help in determining what the main focus of the sentence is. If it is possible to convey an idea in a single sentence, there is no point stretching it. On the other hand, make sure your sentence is not tediously long.

5.   Do Not Memorize

While it is important to know the medical terminology for a letter meant to be read by a healthcare professional, memorizing the lines is not a good practice. You never know what kind of question you might be asked. Cramming medical English phrases into your response just to show you know the terms, can limit your sense of instant judgment on the best terms to use and put a restriction on your thought process for creating an accurate writeup.

As long as you are clear on the structure, there is no need to add memorized lines. Moreover, since you want to be perfectly understood in the OET writing section, clarity on the concepts of English grammar is a top priority. Having clear organization and an understanding of English grammar and medical English vocabulary means you will not feel the need to cram your writing with memorized phrases to perform well in OET writing.

6.   Think of Yourself as the Receiver

The patient’s welfare is the ultimate aim for anyone who works in the healthcare industry. So, when you are writing the letter, it must include the actions the letter receiver must undertake to provide further care to the patient.

While writing, think of yourself as the letter receiver. Would you like to see overly long sentences that sound like an essay? If you are the reader, you want your questions about the patient’s situation answered quickly and want the information you need to answer the patient’s questions. You would like the sender to be as clear as possible about the patient’s information, medical history, and proscribed treatment. The end goal is to provide the recipient with a comprehensive picture of the patient’s situation using clear, accurate, and concise language.

7.   Join an OET Coaching Program

If you are preparing for OET, it is highly recommended that you join an OET coaching course. No matter how hard you practice the writing section on your own, without expert assistance and assessment, you cannot be assured of your best result. Online OET coaching can be a time saver.  If you are taking the OET test, then you have distinct career goals. You are not interested in taking re-takes of a test when you could get the score you need the first time.  Professional help from an OET expert ensures you get the score you want the first time. Following an OET coaching program provides a sure path toward cracking the OET exam.

You will not waste time running from your workplace to the coaching center.  Instead, you will set your schedule from the comfort of your home or study on the go. Moreover, an OET preparation course also has mock tests which replicate the exam. An expert teacher’s assessment can help you work on your pain points and avoid mistakes on the actual examination.

Conclusion

Even after working and/or studying over strenuous hours and perhaps pulling all-nighters in OET exam preparation, test date can still bring on pre-exam jitters. In fact, most students find the writing section to be one of the most intimidating parts of the test. The worry is “What if I go blank?” or “What if I miss a crucial piece of information?”

However, by entering the test clear about what to expect and having prepared a basic structure to use, you will dramatically increase your chance of scoring well on the OET writing test. No matter how unexpected the question is, you will not go completely blank if you follow the above tips and advice. Last, but not the least, allow your preparation to make you feel confident and maintain your cool while writing.

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