OET Writing for Physiotherapists: Letter Types, Language and Marking Guide

Physiotherapy OET tasks test the same six criteria as any other profession, but the clinical content, the terminology choices, and the information selection are specific to physiotherapy practice. Understanding what examiners expect from a physio letter, as distinct from a nursing or medical letter, improves your selection decisions before you write a word.

Letter types in physiotherapy OET

Referral to specialist services

Physio candidates most commonly refer patients to orthopaedic surgery, pain management, or neurology. The letter needs to explain why conservative management has been exhausted or why specialist input is required at this stage, alongside the current clinical picture.

Information the specialist needs:

• Diagnosis and onset
• Assessment findings with functional impact
• Treatment provided and response
• Why referral is needed now
• Specific question or request (e.g. surgical opinion, nerve conduction study)

Information to leave out:

• Detailed session-by-session treatment records
• Social history unrelated to the clinical question
• Previous unrelated conditions

Discharge to GP

When discharging a patient to GP care, your letter transfers clinical responsibility. The GP needs to know what was treated, what was achieved, and what follow-up, if any, is recommended.

Information the GP needs:

• Diagnosis and treatment reason
• Course of treatment (modalities used, number of sessions)
• Outcome and functional status on discharge
• Home programme provided
• Any red flags to monitor
• Recommendations for ongoing care or when to re-refer

Handover to community physiotherapy

This is a common task where the reader is a clinical colleague. You can use physio terminology without full explanation, but the letter still requires a clear statement of ongoing goals and what has already been done to avoid repetition of treatment.

Writing for different recipients

The Genre and Style criterion directly tests your ability to adapt language to the reader.

Writing to an orthopaedic surgeon: “Active shoulder flexion is currently limited to 75 degrees with pain at end range. Rotator cuff strengthening and joint mobilisation have failed to achieve functional improvement after eight weeks.”

Writing to a GP with the same information: “Despite eight weeks of targeted physiotherapy, the patient remains unable to reach above shoulder height, which prevents her from returning to work as a supermarket shelf stacker. She continues to experience significant pain at end range.”

Both versions convey the same clinical facts, but the GP version translates measurement into functional consequence. The surgeon does not need that translation; the GP does. This distinction affects Genre marks.

Functional status: the most important Content element

Physiotherapy letters that focus only on diagnoses and measurements often lose Content marks. The reader needs to understand what the patient can and cannot do.

Include at least one statement of functional status in any physio letter:

• Mobility (independent, with aid, non-weight-bearing)
• Upper limb function for relevant tasks (overhead reach, lifting, grip)
• Exercise tolerance and daily activity level
• Any assistive equipment in use

For a discharge letter, functional status on discharge compared to functional status on admission demonstrates treatment outcome, which is the main purpose of the letter.

Common marking errors in physio OET letters

Over-technical for the recipient. Writing to a GP using full physiotherapy assessment notation (“passive IR 45 degrees, AROM 120/180 flexion”) without functional context affects both Genre and Content. The GP cannot act on numbers they do not use clinically.

Omitting treatment response. Listing what treatment was given without noting how the patient responded is an incomplete Content answer. “A course of manual therapy and progressive exercise was provided” without outcome information does not tell the GP what was achieved.

Copying case note shorthand. Case notes use abbreviated, fragmented notation. Carrying “c/o R shoulder pain x 6/52, pt non-compliant with HEP” directly into the letter body affects Genre and Style. Convert to full clinical sentences.

Missing the ongoing management recommendation. Physio discharge letters should close with a clear recommendation: continue home exercise programme, reassess at three months, refer back if symptoms recur, or no further follow-up required. Leaving the GP without a management direction is a Content gap.

Preparing for physio-specific tasks

The same preparation framework applies to all OET candidates. Read the case notes for the recipient, not for completeness. The full method is in the OET case notes guide. Understand the six OET writing criteria and how each applies to your letters. Practice with tasks that use different recipient types so the adaptation between clinical and non-clinical language becomes automatic.

For the complete OET writing process from registration to scoring, see the OET writing format guide.