Tag
OET Writing
37 posts tagged OET Writing from Dr Mariam's OET writing team.
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Clauses of Contrast: Although, Despite, and However in OET Writing
Although, despite, and however in OET writing each need different punctuation and clause structure. Here's the exact rule for each and the Language-criterion errors they cause when swapped.
OET WritingLanguageGrammarUpdated 6 September 2026
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Parallel Structure: Writing Balanced Sentences in OET Letters
Parallel structure in OET writing: how to match grammatical form across listed symptoms, instructions, and history items so sentences read clean and score well under Language.
OET WritingLanguageGrammarUpdated 1 September 2026
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Relative Clauses in OET Writing: Who, Which, and That
Relative clauses in OET writing: the defining vs non-defining distinction, correct comma placement, and the who/which/that rule clinical letters require.
OET WritingLanguageGrammarUpdated 1 September 2026
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Past Simple vs Present Perfect in OET Letters: Getting Patient History Tenses Right
Past simple present perfect oet writing: the exact rule for choosing between them in patient history, and why the wrong tense misreports the clinical timeline.
OET WritingLanguageGrammarUpdated 31 August 2026
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Passive Voice in OET Writing: When It Helps and When It Hides the Subject
Passive voice oet writing: when the passive is the correct clinical register choice, and when it hides who did what and costs you Content and Clarity marks.
OET WritingLanguageGrammarUpdated 29 August 2026
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Articles in OET Letters: A, An, The (The #1 Language Error)
OET writing articles a, an, the: the sound-based rule for a/an, when 'the' is required, and the errors in clinical letters that cost Language marks.
OET WritingLanguageGrammarUpdated 27 August 2026
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Comma Splices and Run-On Sentences in OET Writing
"The results were abnormal, the patient was admitted" is a comma splice. Learn to spot it, fix it, and catch the run-on sentences that hide inside long clinical descriptions.
OET WritingLanguageSentence StructureUpdated 9 August 2026
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Subject-Verb Agreement with Medical Nouns: The Dose ... Were Adjusted?
"The dose of the two medications were adjusted" — a Language error that catches candidates in every language group. Learn to find the real subject in long clinical noun phrases.
OET WritingLanguageGrammarUpdated 7 August 2026
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Prepositions After Clinical Verbs: referred to, commenced on, compliant with
The grammar errors that survive proofreading because the sentence still makes sense. Learn the four collocation groups that cover almost every clinical letter.
OET WritingLanguagePrepositionsUpdated 30 July 2026
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Modals and Hedging in OET Letters: Could You Review vs You Must Review
A grammatically perfect sentence can still cost you marks. Learn the politeness ladder that changes with your reader, and how to hedge clinical certainty correctly.
OET WritingGenre & StyleModalsUpdated 28 July 2026
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Confidentiality and Patient Identity in OET Letters: What to Include
How to handle patient identifiers, third parties and sensitive details in OET letters — professionally, and without losing Content or Genre & Style marks.
OET WritingProfessional StandardsClinical LettersUpdated 22 July 2026
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Who Is Actually Reading Your OET Letter? Audience and Register Explained
Your OET letter is scored partly on how well it fits its reader. Learn who the named recipient really is, and how audience changes register, content and tone.
OET WritingGenre & StyleAudienceUpdated 20 July 2026
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OET Writing Checklists: A 10-Point Pre-Submission Review
The ultimate 10-point checklist to review spelling, grammar, purpose, and formatting before submitting your OET referral letter.
OET WritingChecklistPreparationUpdated 14 July 2026
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OET Writing Content Selection: Sorting Relevant vs Irrelevant Case Notes
Learn how to select relevant clinical facts and omit irrelevant historical details in OET Writing to satisfy the Conciseness & Clarity criterion.
OET WritingCase NotesConcisenessUpdated 6 July 2026
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OET Writing Self-Assessment: How to Mark Your Own Letter
A step-by-step self-assessment checklist and guide to help healthcare candidates evaluate, grade, and improve their OET letters against the official criteria.
OET WritingSelf-AssessmentPreparationUpdated 4 July 2026
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Summarising Information in OET Letters: What to Include, What to Cut
OET letters require selecting the right clinical information from case notes, not transcribing everything. Here is how to decide what stays, what goes, and why the wrong selection fails Content and Conciseness.
OET WritingContentConcisenessWriting TipsUpdated 3 July 2026
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OET Writing Band Descriptors: Score Levels Explained
A comprehensive breakdown of the OET Writing band descriptors (0 to 7) for all six assessment criteria, explaining exactly what examiners look for to award a Grade B.
OET WritingCriteriaScoringUpdated 2 July 2026
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Professional Tone in OET Letters: Genre & Style Explained
How to write in the right professional register for OET letters — the specific language patterns, recipient calibration rules, and common errors that determine your Genre & Style band.
OET WritingGenre & StyleProfessional RegisterWriting TipsUpdated 1 July 2026
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Connectors and Cohesion in OET Writing: Linking Ideas Without Overloading
How to use connectors and cohesion devices in OET letters to improve Organisation and Language marks — without the over-linking that pushes letters into informal register.
OET WritingOrganisationLanguageCohesionUpdated 30 June 2026
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Abbreviations in OET Writing: What to Use, What to Avoid, and How to Write Them
Which abbreviations are acceptable in OET letters, how to introduce unfamiliar ones, and the clinical punctuation conventions that differ from everyday English — covering the Language and Conciseness criteria.
OET WritingLanguageVocabularyClinical WritingUpdated 29 June 2026
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Using Technology for OET Writing Preparation: What Helps and What Doesn't
AI tools, grammar checkers, and online resources can support OET writing preparation — but only if used correctly. This guide covers what technology can and cannot do for your OET writing band.
OET WritingPrepAI ToolsStudy StrategyUpdated 28 June 2026
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Punctuation in OET Writing: What Examiners Mark and What They Miss
Punctuation in OET writing affects Language marks and clinical clarity. This guide covers commas, semicolons, colons, and apostrophes in professional OET letters — with before/after examples from common errors.
OET WritingLanguageGrammarPunctuationUpdated 27 June 2026
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Precision in OET Writing: Why Vague Letters Fail and Exact Ones Pass
Precision in OET writing means one clear message per sentence, exact clinical details, and no hedging. This guide shows how examiners spot vague letters and how to write exactly what the recipient needs.
OET WritingConciseness & ClarityLanguageContentUpdated 26 June 2026
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OET Writing Grammar: The 8 Errors That Most Often Cost Language Marks
The 8 grammar errors that most frequently drop OET writing Language bands — with before/after examples from real letter patterns and a checklist for your proofreading pass.
OET WritingLanguageGrammarWriting TipsUpdated 25 June 2026
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How to Proofread OET Letters: A 4-Minute Checking Routine
A systematic 4-minute proofreading routine for OET writing letters — what to check, in what order, and which errors cost the most marks under the 2026 scoring criteria.
OET WritingLanguageExam TechniqueProofreadingUpdated 24 June 2026
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OET Transfer Letter: Structure, Content and Common Mistakes
A practical guide to writing an OET transfer letter. Covers how the transfer task differs from a referral and discharge, what information the receiving facility needs, and the marking decisions that affect Content and Organisation scores.
OET WritingTransfer LetterLetter StructureExam TechniqueUpdated 9 June 2026
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OET Genre and Style: 6 Register Errors That Cost You Marks
The Genre and Style criterion scores your ability to write in the correct clinical register for the specific recipient. These six mistakes appear consistently in exam scripts and each one pulls the score below Band 5.
OET WritingGenre StyleRegisterExam TechniqueMarking CriteriaUpdated 8 June 2026
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OET Writing Paragraphing: Why Three Paragraphs Is Not a Rule
How to paragraph an OET letter so it scores well on Organisation and Layout. Covers what examiners actually check, why the three-paragraph formula fails on complex tasks, and how to group clinical information correctly.
OET WritingOrganisation LayoutLetter StructureExam TechniqueUpdated 6 June 2026
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OET Writing for Physiotherapists: Letter Types, Language and Marking Guide
Profession-specific OET writing advice for physiotherapists. Covers the letter types physios are most likely to face, how to use clinical terminology correctly for different recipients, and the marking decisions that affect Content and Genre scores.
OET WritingPhysiotherapistsProfession-SpecificExam TechniqueUpdated 4 June 2026
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OET Referral Letter: Structure, Language and What Examiners Check
A practical guide to writing an OET referral letter. Covers what information to include, how to select from case notes for a specialist reader, and the specific mistakes that cost Content and Genre marks.
OET WritingReferral LetterLetter StructureExam TechniqueUpdated 2 June 2026
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How to Write the First Sentence of Your OET Letter
The opening sentence of your OET letter determines your Purpose score. Learn the three-part structure that makes purpose immediately apparent, with examples by letter type and the mistakes that cost candidates marks.
OET WritingExam TechniquePurpose CriterionLetter StructureUpdated 31 May 2026
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How to Read OET Case Notes: A Fast, Accurate Method
How to read OET writing case notes under exam pressure — what to extract, what to ignore, and how to select information for the recipient so you protect your Content and Conciseness marks in 2026.
Case NotesExam TechniqueOET WritingPrepUpdated 29 May 2026
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OET Writing Time Management: How to Use the 45 Minutes
A minute-by-minute plan for the 45-minute OET writing sub-test — how to spend the 5-minute reading time, how long to plan, and what to cut when you are running behind in 2026.
Time ManagementExam TechniqueOET WritingPrepUpdated 27 May 2026
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Sample OET Discharge Letter: Band 350 Walkthrough
A full OET discharge letter scored at band 350, with criterion-by-criterion annotation showing exactly where each mark is won or lost under the 2026 stricter Purpose rubric.
Sample LetterDischarge LetterBand 350OET WritingUpdated 25 May 2026
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OET Grade A vs Grade B: What Actually Separates Them
A criterion-by-criterion comparison of OET Writing Grade A and Grade B under the 2026 rubric. What examiners look for, where the gap actually sits.
OET WritingGrade AGrade BUpdated 25 May 2026
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OET Letter Types Compared: Referral, Discharge, Transfer and Advice
A side-by-side comparison of the four main OET Writing letter types: referral, discharge, transfer, and advice. Purpose, audience, conventions.
OET WritingLetter TypesUpdated 25 May 2026
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OET Writing Mistakes That Cost You a Grade B
The ten most common OET Writing mistakes that drop scores from Grade B to Grade C under the 2026 stricter scoring. Each mistake is explained with an example.
OET WritingMistakesGrade BUpdated 25 May 2026