OET Speaking: two role-plays, nine criteria
You play yourself, the clinician, in two short role-plays with an interlocutor playing the patient or carer. Here is how it is marked, what to practise free, and where our course and cards fit.
In short
- About 20 minutes: a short warm-up that is not marked, then two role-plays of about 5 minutes, each after 3 minutes to prepare.
- Nine criteria: four for language (0 to 6) and five for clinical communication (0 to 3).
- Practise with role-play cards for your profession and record yourself; the clinical criteria reward structure and listening.
The OET Speaking sub-test in 30 seconds
| Format | A warm-up (not marked), then two role-plays |
|---|---|
| Time | About 20 minutes in all |
| Each role-play | 3 minutes to prepare, about 5 minutes to speak |
| Language criteria | Intelligibility, Fluency, Appropriateness of Language, Resources of Grammar and Expression (0 to 6 each) |
| Clinical communication | Relationship-building, the patient’s perspective, structure, information-gathering, information-giving (0 to 3 each) |
| Grade B | 350 out of 500 |
Where we see marks lost
From the work students send us, not from OET.
- Jumping to advice before finding out what the patient already knows or fears.
- Medical words the patient would not understand, with no plain explanation.
- No summary or check of understanding before the role-play ends.
Practise free now
- OET Speaking role-play cards: free set of 10Free
Ten cards for your profession, with what a strong candidate does on each.
Free OET Speaking starter: three lessons by email
How the role-play is marked on the nine criteria, how to bring in the patient’s perspective, and a set of practice cards with a sheet to score yourself.
The course
OET Speaking: The Criteria
Twelve lessons by email. Each takes one criterion and shows a weak and a strong version of the same role-play.
- The nine criteria, one lesson each
- The 3-minute preparation and the card types
- Difficult conversations and a 70-phrase phrasebook
$29
Lesson pages behind your own sign-in, a daily email, and a PDF to keep.
See the course Or all four skills for $59Practise more
- OET Speaking role-play cards (40 cards)$9
40 role-plays for your profession, with model phrases.
- The OET Detective Challenge$20
15 days across all four skills, speaking included.
Practise with an AI patient
We are testing a speaking practice where an AI plays the patient and answers you out loud, then marks the role-play on the nine criteria. It will come with the Speaking course. Until then, record yourself on each card and check against the card’s list of what a strong candidate does.
By profession
The role-plays are written for your profession: a pharmacist explains a new medicine, a physiotherapist an exercise plan. The cards come in five editions.
OET Speaking: questions
How long is the OET Speaking sub-test?+
About 20 minutes. A short warm-up conversation is not marked. Then you do two role-plays, each with 3 minutes to prepare and about 5 minutes to speak.
How is OET Speaking marked?+
On nine criteria. Four are about language: Intelligibility, Fluency, Appropriateness of Language and Resources of Grammar and Expression, each 0 to 6. Five are about clinical communication, each 0 to 3.
Who plays the patient in OET Speaking?+
An interlocutor plays the patient, carer or relative. They follow their own card, which you do not see, so you have to ask to find out their concerns.
How can I practise OET Speaking alone?+
Take a role-play card, prepare for 3 minutes, speak for 5 and record yourself. Then check the recording against what a strong candidate does on that card.
Is OET Speaking different for each profession?+
Yes. The role-plays are set in your profession’s workplace. Our role-play cards come in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and physiotherapy editions.
The other sub-tests