12 common OET Writing mistakes nurses make, and how to fix each one
The mistakes that cost nurses most in OET Writing are usually about choices rather than grammar: a purpose that is unclear or arrives late, copying too many case notes, leaving out what the reader needs, note-form or informal language, and paragraphs that retell the admission day by day. Language errors matter too, especially tense, articles and misused clinical phrases such as 'rule out'. Each one maps to one or more of the six OET criteria, so fixing it targets a specific mark.
How to use this list
OET marks Writing on six criteria: Purpose (0–3), and Content, Conciseness & Clarity, Genre & Style, Organisation & Layout and Language (0–7 each). Every mistake below is linked to the criteria it most affects, so you can work on the one that is lowest in your own feedback. For what each criterion means, see the OET Writing criteria explained.
The examples use a fictional patient: Mr Rajesh Iyer, 58, admitted with chest pain; acute coronary syndrome was ruled out; discharged with advice and an outpatient stress test; the letter goes to his GP.
The mistakes at a glance
| # | Mistake | Main criteria affected |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Purpose unclear or late | Purpose, Organisation & Layout |
| 2 | Copying too many case notes | Content, Conciseness & Clarity |
| 3 | Missing what the reader needs | Content, Purpose |
| 4 | Retelling the admission day by day | Organisation & Layout |
| 5 | Note form and case-note abbreviations | Genre & Style, Language |
| 6 | Informal or emotional wording | Genre & Style |
| 7 | Vague request | Purpose, Content |
| 8 | Misusing clinical phrases ("rule out") | Language, Content |
| 9 | Tense errors | Language |
| 10 | Article errors (a/the) | Language |
| 11 | Inventing information | Content |
| 12 | Mismatched salutation and sign-off | Genre & Style, Organisation & Layout |
Choice mistakes (1–4)
1. Purpose unclear or late. The reader should know why you are writing and what you want from the first paragraph.
- ✗ Mr Iyer is a 58-year-old accountant who was admitted on 12 March with chest pain.
- ✓ I am writing to update you on Mr Rajesh Iyer, who was discharged today following investigation for chest pain, and to request that you follow up his outpatient stress test.
See OET letter opening sentences.
2. Copying too many case notes. Including every observation, every normal result and the full social history makes the important points harder to find. Ask of each note: does this reader need it to continue care? See selecting relevant case notes.
3. Missing what the reader needs. The opposite problem: leaving out a new medication, a follow-up date or a safety risk. Before writing, mark the notes the reader must have and tick them off as you write.
4. Retelling the admission day by day. "On day 1 … on day 2 …" is easy to write and hard to read. Group by topic instead; see OET Organisation & Layout.
Style mistakes (5–7)
5. Note form and case-note abbreviations.
- ✗ Pt c/o CP, ECG NAD, trop neg x2.
- ✓ He presented with chest pain. His ECG was normal, and two troponin tests were negative.
See abbreviations in OET Writing and case notes to full sentences.
6. Informal or emotional wording.
- ✗ He was really scared and kept asking if he'd had a heart attack.
- ✓ He was anxious about his symptoms, and the results were explained to him.
See formal tone and Genre & Style.
7. A vague request.
- ✗ Please follow him up.
- ✓ I would be grateful if you could review the result of his stress test, which is scheduled for 26 March.
Language mistakes (8–10)
8. Misusing clinical phrases. "Rule out" means to exclude.
- ✗ Tests ruled out acute coronary syndrome, so he was started on treatment for it. (contradictory)
- ✓ Acute coronary syndrome was ruled out.
Similar traps: "positive" and "negative" results (a negative test is usually good news), "unremarkable" (meaning normal), and "stable" (not necessarily "improved").
9. Tense errors. Use the past simple for finished events, the present perfect for events with current relevance, and the present for current state.
- ✗ He is admitted on 12 March and has a stress test next week already booked.
- ✓ He was admitted on 12 March. A stress test has been booked for 26 March. He is currently pain-free.
10. Article errors.
- ✗ He was given advice about the diet and exercise. Stress test is booked.
- ✓ He was given advice about diet and exercise. A stress test has been booked.
Accuracy and format mistakes (11–12)
11. Inventing information. Adding a diagnosis, cause or plan that is not in the notes ("this is probably due to stress") is a content error and, in real practice, a safety risk. Report what the notes say.
12. Mismatched salutation and sign-off. Pair "Dear Dr Brown" with "Yours sincerely", and "Dear Sir/Madam" with "Yours faithfully". See how to end an OET Nursing letter.
A five-minute self-check
- Can I underline the purpose in the first two sentences?
- Does every paragraph have one topic?
- Is there any shorthand, contraction or emotional word left?
- Have I checked tense on every date?
- Is the request specific: what, and by when?
Practise and check
Write a letter from the practice case notes under timed conditions, then check your letter. medEmu estimates your grade, gives each of the six criteria its own mark, shows which case notes you included, missed or included unnecessarily, and marks problems on your own sentences with the fix and the reason. Your first letter is graded free without an account. Grades are estimates for practice, not official OET results, and medEmu is not affiliated with OET. To see how criterion marks relate to grades on medEmu's estimate, try the OET Writing score calculator.
Sources
This guide is medEmu's writing advice, not official OET guidance; the patient and case notes are invented. The six criteria and their mark ranges are as OET describes them. For OET's official information about the Writing sub-test, see oet.com.