OET Writing – What Examiners Are Looking For

Sitting for the OET means giving your best so that you can get a visa to fly abroad and fulfill your medical dreams. When you are writing your OET test, you are always putting in efforts to put in your best. But, in the process, you are only thinking of the letters asked from your point of view. What about the examiner’s point of view? After all, it is about how the examiner will see your letter that matters more than what you are thinking about it. Although the test is about you, it is about performing on how the examiner will analyze your writing. So, this becomes very tricky. When you are a candidate writing the exam, how can you be on the examiner’s side to see how he will pursue your letter? Yes, it’s tough, but not impossible to get onto that side. And, when we are here to help you, you have nothing to worry about. We bring to you all the guidelines about understanding how your written letter will be analyzed and assessed.

Keeping the letter perfect yet simple

Obviously, one of the most important things is writing the letter with perfect English language, perfect spellings, perfect grammar, and perfect punctuations. But, another important aspect is to keep it simple. Don’t write fancy words and formats in the thought of impressing the examiner, because that won't work. You need to be very simple with the language so that it is easy for the examiner to understand. Any fancy words may cause confusion or misunderstanding, which will have you losing out on your marks. So, it is better to avoid that. You should just look at two aspects – writing a letter that is clearly up to the point, and writing it in the perfect order. After all, medical letters are not about fancy language; they are only about information.

Keeping your letter clearly up to the point

Easy-to-understand language, a clear concept, correct spellings, perfect grammar, right punctuations – all of this when combined together are able to produce a letter that is clear and easily understandable. Blending all of these well will help create a pleasant letter for the examiner to read. Keep your sentences short and precise, and avoid jargon. Even though using regular words and short sentences will not look too fancy, it will definitely look professional and practical. So, keep your letter straightforward and avoid unnecessary complexity in the language.

Writing your letter in the correct order

Along with simple language and clear information, it is also essential to keep your letter well-ordered. There is a format for every letter in English, and the same goes with this letter too. Without order, a letter can be long and confusing. Your order should be logical and as clear as possible. A reasonable and consistent structure is one that first addresses the problem in the first paragraph, and then speaks about the main content and purpose of the letter in the second paragraph. Followed by this, depending upon what is actually required by the task given to you, you can write a third paragraph stating either the management of the problem, or the discharge plan, or anything else that is required to be informed. Such a chronological sequence will bring a better response to the letter by the examiner.

All in all, you don’t have to appear fancy or superlative in terms of your English vocabulary. Just keep it simple, easy to read, and easy to understand, while staying up to the point and covering all the required points. Doing this simply and professionally will help you achieve much more than what fancy language, complicated long sentences, and jargon will.

Last but not least, you need lots of practice before sitting for the actual test. Attend every possible type of letter, because you don’t know what kind of letter you will be asked to write. For this, you can take up professional OET online coaching in Chennai from Avigna Learning Academy, where there are experienced mentors who can help you with all the guidelines for good writing, and bring forward all possible sample letters that could help you in the final test.

ALSO READ: OET Writing Sub-Test – How To Score An “A”?