OET for Doctors — Pass Writing First Time

The GMC requires at least Grade B (350) in each of the four OET sub-tests — Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking, achieved in the same test and in your most recent sitting; the GMC does not accept combined sittings. An OET certificate is valid for two years. Australia is different: AHPRA and the Medical Board of Australia accepted Grade C+ in Writing only for tests taken up to 22 April 2026; for tests taken from 23 April 2026, AHPRA requires 350 in Listening and Writing and 360 in Reading and Speaking.

ECFMG requires 350 in Listening, Reading and Speaking and 300 in Writing, all in one OET test administration. Results from different sittings cannot be combined: if you miss any minimum you retake all four sub-tests, and there is no limit on retakes. For internationally trained doctors targeting US residency, this makes balanced writing preparation important, as it is the sub-test where the failure rate is highest.

Doctors most often write discharge letters or transfer letters, frequently in emergency or specialist contexts. The addressee is usually another doctor (GP, specialist, on-call team). Less commonly, a counselling letter to the patient or family member is tested.

Daily clinical free-writing rewards comprehensiveness and detail. The OET Writing sub-test rewards the opposite — selection, brevity, and structured handover. Across our thousands of doctor letters, the most common criterion lost is Conciseness & Clarity, followed by Genre & Style (register mismatch when writing to a non-clinical addressee).

For first-time candidates, 4-6 weeks with 4-8 corrections is sufficient if you start with the criteria in mind. For re-takers, 6-8 weeks with 8-12 corrections is more typical. Doctors targeting ECFMG single-sitting must prepare all four sub-tests in parallel; do not under-invest Writing because it is the historic failure point.