New
OET Speaking course: the nine criteria in 10 lessons
Each lesson takes one criterion, shows a weak and a strong version of the same role-play, and gives you a five-minute task to record on your phone.
- 10 lessons by email, about 20 minutes each with the speaking task.
- The four linguistic criteria and the five clinical communication criteria.
- Examples from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and physiotherapy.
$29
One payment. Lesson 1 opens as soon as you pay.
In short
- 10 OET Speaking lessons, one a day by email, each opening on your own lesson page.
- Every lesson covers one of the nine criteria with a weak and a strong role-play extract.
- You practise aloud and check yourself. Nobody marks your recordings in this course.
The 10 lessons
| Lesson | Topic | What you practise |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | How OET Speaking is assessed | The format, the role-play card and the nine criteria. |
| 2 | Intelligibility | Word stress, pace and the sounds that most often cause trouble. |
| 3 | Fluency | Pausing in the right places, and correcting yourself calmly. |
| 4 | Appropriateness of Language | Plain words for patients, register, tone and softening. |
| 5 | Resources of Grammar and Expression | Questions, conditionals for advice, and modals. |
| 6 | Relationship building | Openings, empathy and non-judgemental responses. |
| 7 | The patient's perspective | Ideas, concerns and expectations, and picking up cues. |
| 8 | Providing structure | Signposting, sequencing and summarising. |
| 9 | Information gathering | Open then closed questions, clarifying, not interrupting. |
| 10 | Information giving | Chunk and check, then a checklist across all nine criteria. |
Each lesson ends with a quick check. Your progress and scores are kept on your page.
Need scenarios to practise with? Get OET Speaking role-play cards for your profession, with a free set of 10. For Writing, see our OET correction packages.
Questions about the course
Frequently asked questions
How is the OET Speaking course delivered?+
By email. Lesson 1 arrives as soon as you pay and a new lesson follows each day for 10 days. Each email links to your own lesson page, which works on a phone or a computer. No account or password is needed.
Does someone listen to my speaking?+
No. This is a self-study course. Each lesson gives you a five-minute task to record on your phone and three questions to ask yourself when you listen back. It does not include live practice or marking by a person.
What are the nine OET Speaking criteria?+
Four linguistic criteria: Intelligibility, Fluency, Appropriateness of Language, and Resources of Grammar and Expression. Five clinical communication criteria: Relationship building, Understanding and incorporating the patient's perspective, Providing structure, Information gathering, and Information giving.
Is the course for my profession?+
Yes. The criteria are the same for every profession. The role-play extracts in the lessons come from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and physiotherapy, and the role-play card packs are sold separately for each of those five.
Can I go faster than one lesson a day?+
Yes. When you finish a lesson you can open the next one from the lesson page without waiting for the email.
OET Writing Correction is an independent preparation service. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by OET or Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment. This course is self-study: it does not include live speaking practice or marking by a person.