OET Writing Guide

OET Writing Vocabulary That Lifts Your Letter

Vocabulary helps your OET letter only when it's precise and professional — not when it's long or rare. This guide gives you the formal phrases, clinical verbs and register upgrades that examiners actually reward, and the casual words that quietly cost you marks.

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In short

  • Language is 1 of the 6 OET criteria — but the right word beats the rare word every time.
  • Upgrade register: replace casual words ("doing well", "a bit of") with precise formal equivalents.
  • Memorised "advanced" words often hurt Genre & Style — natural professional phrasing scores higher.

Upgrade your register, word by word

The single fastest vocabulary fix is replacing everyday language with its formal, clinical equivalent. The meaning stays the same; the register rises to where a professional letter should sit.

Everyday / weak OET-appropriate Why it's better
"doing well / getting better""recovering well / improving"Clinical, not conversational
"a bit of pain""mild discomfort"Precise, no vague quantifier
"got worse""deteriorated"Single precise verb
"I want you to...""I would be grateful if you could..."Appropriate professional courtesy
"check on""review / monitor / assess"Specific clinical action
"give him some medicine""commence / prescribe / administer"Correct register for the action

Phrases worth knowing cold

To request action: "I would appreciate your assessment of…", "Kindly review…", "Please arrange…".
To hedge appropriately: "appears to", "is consistent with", "pending further investigation".
To link clinically: "In view of…", "Given her history of…", "Following…", "With regard to…".

You don't need many — a small, reliable set used accurately does more for your Language and Genre scores than a thesaurus of words you can't place. And remember: vocabulary cannot rescue a letter that selects the wrong content or misses its purpose. Get those right first (see the six criteria), then let precise language lift it.

Related: OET writing tips · Tone & register · Free vocabulary tool

Frequently Asked Questions

Does better vocabulary raise my OET writing score?
Up to a point. Language is one of the six OET criteria, and a precise, professional register helps — but you cannot rescue a weak letter with vocabulary alone. Examiners reward the right word in the right place, not long or rare words. Accurate, appropriate vocabulary used naturally scores higher than impressive words used incorrectly.
Should I memorise advanced words for the OET writing test?
No. Memorised 'high-level' words often sound out of place in a clinical letter and can lower your Genre and Style score. Focus instead on a reliable set of professional linking phrases, accurate clinical verbs, and formal alternatives to everyday words — used correctly, these read as authentic professional correspondence.
What vocabulary should I avoid in an OET letter?
Avoid casual or conversational language ('the patient is doing well', 'a bit of pain'), vague intensifiers ('very', 'really'), and contractions ('isn't', 'we'll'). Replace them with precise, formal equivalents appropriate to professional healthcare correspondence.

Related OET Writing guides

Continue your preparation with these related resources.

OET Scoring Criteria →

How the 6 criteria are assessed and where most candidates lose marks.

Grade B Sample Letters →

20 worked sample letters by profession × scenario with line-by-line annotations.

Mistake Clinics by Profession →

10 profession-specific mistake clinics — wrong vs right examples per criterion.

Grade A vs B vs C Compared →

Three letters from the same case notes at three bands — what moves you up one.

OET Writing Correction

Is your register costing you marks?

Send a letter and Dr Mariam's OET writing team will mark it against all 6 criteria — including Language and Genre & Style — showing exactly which words are pulling your band down.

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