Dates, times and durations in an OET Nursing letter: how to write them clearly
In an OET Nursing letter, write dates in full and in one consistent style ('on 14 March', not '14/3'), use exact dates for key events the reader may need (admission, surgery, discharge, a dose change) and relative phrases ('two days later', 'since admission') to keep the story moving. Use the right preposition: 'on' for dates and days, 'at' for clock times, 'in' for months and years, 'for' with a length of time and 'since' with a starting point.
Why dates and times cause problems
Case notes are full of time information written as shorthand: "D3 post-op", "12/5", "x2/52", "since adm", "0600". In a letter these must become clear English, and errors here can cost marks under more than one criterion:
- Content, if a date or duration is copied wrongly. See the Content criterion guide.
- Language, if prepositions or tenses are wrong ("on March", "since three days").
- Conciseness & Clarity, if the letter lists every date and the reader loses track of what matters.
Turning case-note time shorthand into English
| Case notes | In the letter |
|---|---|
| Adm 12/5 | She was admitted on 12 May. |
| D3 post-op | three days after surgery / on the third day after surgery |
| SOB x 2/52 | He has been short of breath for two weeks. |
| Cough since 1/6 | She has had a cough since 1 June. |
| Wound review 1/52 | The wound should be reviewed in one week. |
| Insulin commenced 18/5 | He was started on insulin on 18 May. |
| Obs 4/24 | observations every four hours |
| Seen 0630 | seen at 6.30 am |
Always write case-note abbreviations in full; see abbreviations in OET Writing.
Choose one date style and keep it
Any clear style is acceptable; consistency is what matters. Two common choices:
- 14 March (day month), common in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
- March 14 (month day), common in the US.
Avoid purely numeric dates in the letter body. "03/04" is 3 April to some readers and 4 March to others. The date at the top of the letter follows the same style; see OET letter format.
Prepositions of time
| Use | With | Example |
|---|---|---|
| on | dates and days | on 12 May; on Monday; on the day of discharge |
| at | clock times, specific points | at 9 am; at night; at the time of admission |
| in | months, years, longer periods | in May; in 2019; in the morning |
| for | a length of time | for three days; for the past week |
| since | a starting point | since 12 May; since her surgery |
| until | an end point | until 1 July; until review |
| within | before the end of a period | within 48 hours of discharge |
| ago | measured back from now | two weeks ago (use sparingly) |
Common errors: "on May" (→ in May), "since three days" (→ for three days), "at 12 May" (→ on 12 May), "till" in a formal letter (→ until).
Exact dates versus relative phrases
A letter that gives a date for every event reads like a list; a letter with no dates leaves the reader unable to plan. A good balance:
- Exact date for events the reader may act on or record: admission, procedure, discharge, start or stop of a key medication, a booked appointment, a planned review.
- Relative phrase to link the events in between: "two days later", "after surgery", "since then", "on the day of discharge".
- Leave out times of day unless they matter (for example, the time of a last dose, a fall at night, or when a fasting period starts).
Example: too many dates
On 3 May he was admitted. On 4 May he had an X-ray. On 4 May he started antibiotics. On 5 May his temperature was 38.2. On 6 May his temperature was 37.4. On 7 May he was discharged.
Revised
He was admitted on 3 May with pneumonia and started on antibiotics the following day. His fever settled within 48 hours, and he was discharged on 7 May.
The revision keeps the two dates the reader needs and links the rest, which also helps Conciseness & Clarity.
Tense with time expressions
Time expressions often decide the tense:
- Finished time (on 3 May, last week, two days ago) → past simple: "She was admitted on 3 May."
- Unfinished period (for, since, so far, to date) → present perfect: "She has had no further falls since admission."
- Future plan (on 20 May, next week, in two weeks) → will / is due to / is scheduled to: "Her sutures are due to be removed on 20 May."
For more on tense choices, see case notes to full sentences and the Language criterion guide.
Worked example
These case notes are invented for this guide.
Patient: Mr Tomasz Nowak, 62. Hx: T2DM dx 2014. HTN. Adm 9/8: infected R foot ulcer. IV abx 9/8–12/8, oral abx from 13/8 x 7/7. Wound: dressing daily. Podiatry r/v 20/8 1400. D/C: 14/8. Writing task: As the ward nurse, write to the community nurse, Mr David Kerr, asking him to continue wound care.
Draft with time problems:
Mr Nowak has diabetes since 2014. He was admitted in 9/8 with an infected ulcer and had IV antibiotics from 9/8 until 12/8 and then oral antibiotics for 7/7. He will be discharged at 14 August.
Revised:
Mr Nowak has had type 2 diabetes since 2014. He was admitted on 9 August with an infected ulcer on his right foot and received intravenous antibiotics for three days. He was then changed to oral antibiotics, which he is to continue until 19 August, and he will be discharged on 14 August. He has a podiatry review on 20 August at 2 pm.
The tense after "since" is corrected, every date is in one style, "7/7" is converted into an end date the community nurse can use (13 August plus seven days, so the last day is 19 August), and only the dates the reader needs are kept. When you convert a duration into an end date like this, count carefully: an end date you have miscalculated is a Content error. If you are unsure, keep the duration ("for a further seven days") instead.
Quick checklist
- No numeric dates in the body; one date style throughout.
- on/at/in/for/since/until used correctly.
- Exact dates kept for events the reader acts on; other events linked with relative phrases.
- Present perfect with "for" and "since".
- Every date and duration matches the notes.
Practise and check your letter
Take a case from the medEmu practice case notes and underline every time expression before you write. Then check your letter: medEmu marks each problem on your own sentence with the corrected version and the reason, and gives each of the six OET criteria its own mark. Your first letter is graded free without an account, and you get 5 more when you sign up. Grades are estimates for practice, not official OET results, and medEmu is not affiliated with OET.
Sources
This guide is medEmu's writing and grammar advice, not official OET guidance; all patients and case notes are invented. For OET's official description of the Writing sub-test and its assessment criteria, see oet.com.