What’s in a Letter?

The Occupational English Test (OET) assesses the English communication skills of healthcare professionals. Luckily, the only OET Writing Task is a referral letter, which mirrors real-life medical communication between one medical professional (nurse, doctor, etc.) to another.

നിങ്ങൾ ഒരു നേഴ്സ് ആണ്. നിങ്ങൾ ജോലി ചെയ്യുന്ന ഹോസ്പിറ്റലിൽ മൂന്നു ദിവസം മുമ്പ് ആൽബർട്ട് എന്നുപേരുള്ള എഴുപത് വയസുകാരനായ ഒരു രോഗി അഡ്മിറ്റ് ആയി എന്ന് വിചാരിക്കുക. ചെറിയൊരു സർജറിക്കു ശേഷം ഇന്ന് ആ രോഗിയെ നിങ്ങൾ ഡിസ്ചാർജ് ചെയ്യുകയാണ്. വീട്ടിൽ പക്ഷെ അദ്ദേഹത്തിനെ സഹായിക്കാൻ ഓർമ്മക്കുറവുള്ള ഭാര്യ മാത്രം. ഇക്കാരണത്താൽ നിങ്ങൾ അദ്ദേഹത്തെയും ഭാര്യയേയും ഒരു ഓൾഡ് ഏജ് ഹോമിലേക്ക് ട്രാൻസ്ഫർ ചെയ്യാൻ തീരുമാനിക്കുകയാണ്. നിങ്ങൾ എന്ത് ചെയ്യും? 

What is an OET Referral Letter?

• A referral letter is a formal document written by a healthcare professional (doctor, nurse, physiotherapist, dentist, etc.) to another medical professional.
• Its purpose is to refer a patient for further care, investigation, or management.
• It is based on case notes provided in the exam, which must be transformed into a clear, accurate, and professional letter.

Key Features of OET Referral Letters

Types of letters in OET

• Discharge: Your patient is going home. You need someone to visit the patient. (Example: Nurse).
• Transfer: Your patient is not improving. Transfer the patient to another facility (Example: Specialist).
• Informative: You are a school nurse. You are asked by the school management to write a letter to the parents of all the students about the spread of a virus. Very rare. 

Assessment Criteria

• Purpose: State the purpose of writing the letter. 
• Content Conciseness and Clarity: Include only relevant information. Remove any information that the recipient of the letter does not need. 
• Genre and Style: Formal, Factual Style. 
• Organization and Layout: Organize paragraphs professionally.
• Language: Grammar, Vocabulary, Punctuation, Spelling.

Goal

The goal of asking you to write a letter is to check your ability to communicate medical information effectively in English, just as in real clinical practice.

Sample Letter –  Nursing

27 March 2026

The District Nurse
Central Community Health Centre
12 High Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000

Dear Nurse,

Re: Mr. Julian Vane; 33 years

Mr. Julian Vane is being discharged into your care today following an emergency appendectomy for a perforated appendix. Ongoing home nursing support is required for wound management and psychosocial monitoring.

During Mr Vane’s hospitalization, a laparotomy was performed, and the surgical site was left to heal via secondary intention due to localized peritonitis. Currently, the wound is being managed with daily saline irrigation and vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy. While the site is clean, Mr. Vane’s mobility remains limited by post-operative pain, which is being managed with scheduled analgesia.

Mr. Vane lives alone in a second-floor apartment with no immediate family nearby. He has expressed significant anxiety regarding his recovery and his ability to manage activities of daily living. A history of mild depression was noted during admission, and he appeared withdrawn during the preoperative period; therefore, regular psychological well-being checks are recommended.

It is requested that wound dressings be changed daily and the VAC system be monitored for patency. Additionally, assistance with coordinating a meal delivery service has been initiated.

Yours sincerely,

Charge Nurse

Sample Letter –  Medicine

27 March 2026

Dr. Sarah Jenkins
Pediatric Registrar
City Children’s Hospital
45 Vulture Street
Brisbane, QLD 4101

Dear Dr. Jenkins,

Re: Master Leo Thompson; 8-months old

Leo is being urgently referred for further assessment and management of suspected non-accidental injuries.

The infant was presented today by his mother with a refusal to bear weight on his left leg and persistent irritability. This was reported to have occurred following a fall from a sofa yesterday. Upon examination, Leo was observed to be distressed and pale. Swelling and tenderness of the left mid-thigh were noted, and restricted movement was identified. Furthermore, multiple faded bruises were observed on the upper back and buttocks, which are considered inconsistent with the reported mechanism of injury.

A mid-shaft spiral fracture of the left femur has been confirmed by an initial X-ray. Due to the nature of the fracture and the presence of unexplained bruising in a non-ambulatory infant, significant concerns are held regarding his safety.

Paracetamol has been administered for pain relief, and the limb has been immobilized. Social services have been notified of these concerns. Your expert pediatric evaluation and further investigation into these findings are requested.

For any further information, kindly contact me.

Yours sincerely,

Doctor.