Getting the Professional Tone Right

Welcome back to our OET writing course. In this lesson we'll explore Genre & Style — one of the key assessment criteria in your OET letter. You'll learn how to use the right tone, language and level of formality for your audience.

Genre and style simply mean how you write your letter: your register, tone and word choice. In OET you're writing a formal handover document such as a referral, transfer or update letter, so your tone should always be formal, professional and neutral. Here are key features to remember: no bullet points, no contractions like "don't" or "can't", and language that's appropriate for the reader — another healthcare professional.

Let's look at some common mistakes and better alternatives. Example one, "suffers from": avoid emotional or dramatic phrases like "suffers from" unless the patient is seriously unwell; instead use factual verbs like "has" or "has been experiencing". Example two, "moreover", "furthermore", "besides": these are academic linkers, not suitable for clinical writing — replace them with "additionally" or "in addition". Example three, "the patient": avoid calling them "the patient" or "this patient"; it sounds impersonal. Use their name with a title — for example, "Mr Anthony" — and use "he" or "she" later in the paragraph.

Example four, "unfortunately" and "fortunately": don't show sympathy or emotion in your letter; keep your tone clinical and objective. Example five, describing habits: avoid labels like "smoker", "alcoholic" or "diabetic". You're not judging, you're reporting, so write factually — "Mr Smith smokes over the normal limit"; "Mrs Jackson drinks occasionally". And be careful with linkers: avoid "but" if it sounds judgmental, and use "and" instead. Example six, physical appearance: never write "obese" or "skinny" — these sound subjective. Instead report the BMI: "Mr Smith's BMI is 28.9."

Example seven, a non-judgmental tone: always use factual language, not judgmental or emotional phrases. For instance, "Despite attending educational sessions, Mr James has still not been able to reduce weight" is wrong. "Mr James has attended educational sessions but has been unable to reduce weight" is correct and uses a non-judgmental tone.

So to sum up, when writing your OET letter: use a formal tone and register, choose neutral and respectful language, avoid emotional or judgmental words, refer to the patient by name and title, and be clinical and factual. Now it's your turn — take a sample case note and write one short paragraph using today's rules: avoid emotional language, use the correct tone, and check that your style is appropriate. I'll see you in the next lesson: Organisation and Layout.