OET letter to a GP vs a specialist: how the reader changes what you write
A letter to a GP usually needs a short, rounded picture of the patient (main problem, relevant history, medications, social situation and what to follow up), because the GP manages the whole person over time. A letter to a specialist, such as a cardiologist or wound care nurse, should go straight to the problem in their field, give the findings and history that bear on it in more detail, and ask a precise question; general background the specialist will not act on can be cut.
The reader decides the letter
The same case notes can produce two quite different letters. OET Writing tasks name a reader, and much of what the Content and Conciseness & Clarity criteria reward comes down to one question: does this reader need this note to do what you are asking? A GP and a specialist answer that question differently.
What each reader usually needs
| GP (general practitioner) | Specialist (doctor or specialist nurse) | |
|---|---|---|
| Their role | Ongoing care of the whole person, coordination, prescribing, monitoring | Assessment or treatment of one problem in their field |
| Purpose of your letter | Often to inform of discharge and request follow-up or monitoring | Usually to request assessment, advice or a procedure |
| Background | Brief, but across the patient's main conditions | Detailed for the problem, minimal otherwise |
| Medications | Full current list of changes, what to continue or review | Those relevant to the problem (e.g. anticoagulants for a surgeon) |
| Social situation | Often relevant: carers, home, support, ability to manage | Only if it affects the specialist's decision or access |
| Findings | Summary | The specific findings in their field, with values and dates |
| Request | Ongoing tasks: review, repeat test, monitor | A precise question or action |
These are tendencies, not rules. Always test each note against the task and the reader; see case-notes selection.
One invented case, two readers
Case summary (invented): Mr Samuel Okafor, 67, admitted with a non-healing ulcer on his left lower leg, eight weeks. Type 2 diabetes, 15 years; HbA1c raised. Smoker, 20 per day. Lives with wife, who drives him to appointments. Retired bus driver; enjoys gardening. Wound swab: no infection. Doppler: reduced blood flow in left leg. Metformin increased during admission. Discharge home tomorrow.
Version A: to the GP
Task: inform the GP of the discharge and request ongoing diabetes review.
Dear Dr Hill,
Re: Mr Samuel Okafor, aged 67
I am writing to inform you that Mr Okafor will be discharged home tomorrow following admission for a non-healing ulcer on his left lower leg, and to request your ongoing review of his diabetes.
Mr Okafor has had type 2 diabetes for 15 years, and his HbA1c was raised on admission. His metformin dose was therefore increased. He smokes 20 cigarettes a day, and smoking cessation was discussed.
A wound swab showed no infection; however, a Doppler study showed reduced blood flow in his left leg, and a vascular referral has been made. His wife will continue to drive him to appointments.
I would be grateful if you could review his blood glucose control and medication over the coming weeks.
The GP letter covers diabetes, smoking, the wound, the vascular referral and the home support, because the GP coordinates all of it.
Version B: to the vascular specialist
Task: refer Mr Okafor for vascular assessment.
Dear Dr Varga,
Re: Mr Samuel Okafor, aged 67
I am writing to refer Mr Okafor for vascular assessment of reduced blood flow in his left leg, which may be preventing an ulcer on his left lower leg from healing.
The ulcer has been present for eight weeks. A wound swab showed no infection, but a Doppler study during this admission showed reduced arterial flow in the left leg.
Mr Okafor has had type 2 diabetes for 15 years, with a raised HbA1c, and he smokes 20 cigarettes a day. His metformin dose was increased during the admission.
I would appreciate it if you could assess him and advise on further management of the ulcer.
The specialist letter leads with the Doppler finding and the question. Gardening and his former job are cut from both; the wife's driving is kept for the GP (it affects follow-up) and could be cut for the specialist unless the task mentions difficulty attending.
Language: same register, different focus
Both readers are clinical, so both letters can use medical terms such as "Doppler", "HbA1c" or "arterial flow", written in full sentences without note-form. The formal tone guide applies to both. What changes is focus, not politeness. If the reader is not clinical (a school nurse, a social worker or a family member), the language must change as well; see writing to a non-clinical reader.
Quick checklist before you write
- Who is the reader, and what is their role in this patient's care?
- What exactly am I asking them to do? Does my opening say so?
- Which notes would they act on? Which would they skip?
- Have I given a specialist the specific findings, with values and dates?
- Have I given a GP the medication changes and the follow-up they must arrange?
- Does my closing repeat the request precisely? See closing paragraph examples.
Practise and check
Pick a case on the practice page and write it twice for two readers, or paste your letter and the case notes into the letter checker. medEmu shows which case notes you included, missed or included unnecessarily, and marks each of the six criteria. Grades are estimates for practice, not official OET results; medEmu is not affiliated with OET.
Sources
This guide is medEmu's writing advice, not official OET guidance; the patient and case notes are invented. The network used for this run could not reach oet.com, so no OET test facts are stated beyond the criterion names. For the official Writing test format and assessment criteria, see oet.com.