OET Writing guide (pharmacy)
OET Writing for pharmacists
Pharmacy is one of the 12 OET professions, and pharmacy candidates write Writing tasks set in pharmacy settings. A pharmacist's letter is usually about medicines: a problem you have noticed, a change you recommend, or advice the patient needs. This guide covers the letter types and readers pharmacists usually practise, what to select from medication-heavy notes, and an original practice task with a model letter.
The Writing sub-test for pharmacy
The format is the same for every profession: one letter based on case notes, with 5 minutes of reading time and 40 minutes of writing time, and a letter body of approximately 180–200 words. The task material is profession-specific, so as a pharmacy candidate you write a pharmacy task. Your letter is assessed on the same six criteria as every profession: Purpose, Content, Conciseness & Clarity, Genre & Style, Organisation & Layout and Language. See the criteria guide for what each one means.
Grade requirements differ between pharmacy regulators and can change. Check the official OET website and your regulator for the current requirement.
Letter types and readers
OET describes Writing tasks such as letters of referral, advice, transfer or discharge. The table below reflects general OET teaching practice for pharmacy, not an official list.
| Letter type | Typical reader | Core question the letter answers |
|---|---|---|
| Referral back to the prescriber | GP or other prescriber | What medication problem have I found, and what review or change am I asking for? |
| Medication-related update | GP or specialist | What has changed (adherence, side effects, a supply issue) and what should they consider? |
| Referral to a specialist | Specialist clinician or service | Why does this patient need specialist input on their medicines? |
| Advice or information | Patient or carer | How should they take the medicine, what should they watch for and when should they seek help? |
Notice that the pharmacist usually recommends and the prescriber decides. That shapes the tone of a pharmacy letter more than anything else.
Tone: recommending, not instructing
When you write to a prescriber, the request should be clear and specific but leave the decision with them:
- "I would be grateful if you could review her asthma treatment" rather than "Please change her inhaler".
- "You may wish to consider…" or "I would recommend…" for a specific suggestion that the notes support.
- State facts, not judgements: "He has collected three reliever inhalers in the past month" rather than "He is overusing his inhaler".
When you write to a patient or carer, the tone changes completely: plain language, no abbreviations, and clear actions. The guide to writing an OET letter to a patient or carer covers this register in detail.
Selecting from medication-heavy notes
Pharmacy notes often contain a full medication list and a dispensing history. Copying it will use up your word budget quickly. Prioritise:
- The medicine at the centre of the problem, with exact name, strength and how it is being used.
- The evidence for the problem: dispensing pattern, symptoms reported, technique observed, interaction identified.
- What you have already done: counselling given, technique corrected, information provided.
- Other medicines only if relevant to the problem (an interacting drug, a duplicate therapy). Summarise the rest or omit them.
- The specific request and any timing.
Original practice task
These short notes are fictional and written for practice.
PHARMACY — WRITING TASK (practice) Time allowed: Reading time 5 minutes, Writing time 40 minutes Notes: Today's date: 19/10/2026 You are a community pharmacist at Greenway Pharmacy, 12 Market Street, Hollinsford. Patient: Mr Daniel Okoro, DOB 15/05/1994 (32 yrs) Background: - Asthma since childhood. Courier, works outdoors - Lives with partner. Non-smoker. Plays 5-a-side football - Hay fever: loratadine 10 mg (bought OTC), Apr–Jul Medicines (prescribed by GP): - Beclometasone 100 mcg inhaler, 2 puffs BD (preventer) - Salbutamol 100 mcg inhaler, 2 puffs PRN (reliever) Dispensing record (last 3 months): - Salbutamol: 5 inhalers (3 in past month) - Beclometasone: none collected since 06/2026 Consultation 19/10/2026: - Requested 4th salbutamol inhaler this month - Using reliever "several times a day", waking at night 3–4 x/week, breathless climbing stairs at work - Stopped preventer in summer: "felt fine" - Technique: no breath-hold, poor coordination. Corrected, spacer supplied and demonstrated - Counselled on regular preventer use - Supplied 1 salbutamol inhaler - Advised to seek urgent help if reliever not helping - Pt agrees to see GP; prefers appointments after 4 pm Writing Task: Using the information in the case notes, write a letter to Dr Sarah Lindqvist, General Practitioner, Hollinsford Health Centre, 40 Church Road, Hollinsford, requesting a review of Mr Okoro's asthma. In your answer: - Expand the relevant notes into complete sentences - Do not use note form - Use letter format The body of the letter should be approximately 180–200 words.
Model letter
Dr Sarah Lindqvist General Practitioner Hollinsford Health Centre 40 Church Road Hollinsford 19 October 2026 Dear Dr Lindqvist, Re: Mr Daniel Okoro, DOB 15/05/1994 I am writing to request a review of Mr Okoro's asthma, which appears to be poorly controlled because of frequent reliever use and the discontinuation of his preventer inhaler. Today, Mr Okoro asked for his fourth salbutamol inhaler this month. Our records show five salbutamol inhalers dispensed in the past three months, but no beclometasone collected since June. He told me that he stopped his preventer during the summer because he felt well. He now uses his reliever several times a day, wakes at night with symptoms three to four times a week and becomes breathless climbing stairs at work. I observed that his inhaler technique was poor, so I demonstrated the correct technique, supplied a spacer and explained the importance of using his preventer regularly, twice a day. I supplied one salbutamol inhaler and advised him to seek urgent help if his reliever stops working. I would be grateful if you could review his treatment and asthma control as soon as possible. Mr Okoro has agreed to make an appointment and would prefer one after 4 pm because of his work. Yours sincerely, Amira Haddad Community Pharmacist Greenway Pharmacy
Why this works
- The opening states the request (a review) and the reason (poor control, preventer stopped) in one sentence.
- The dispensing record is summarised as a pattern, not copied line by line.
- The pharmacist's own actions are reported so the GP does not repeat them.
- The request leaves the treatment decision with the prescriber.
- Hay fever, football and the partner are left out because they do not change what the GP needs to do.
This model and its content choices are a guide, not an official answer key.
Common mistakes for pharmacy candidates
Copying the whole medication list
A full list of unchanged medicines rarely helps the reader. Mention the medicines involved in the problem and summarise or omit the rest. See the word count guide.
Dispensing shorthand
"BD", "PRN", "OTC", "MDI" and "mcg" written without care can affect Genre & Style. Write "twice daily", "when required" and "over the counter" in full; doses with standard units are fine.
Telling the prescriber what to do
An instruction such as "Start him on a combination inhaler" sounds inappropriate in tone and may go beyond the notes. Request a review and, where the notes support it, recommend.
Judgemental wording about adherence
"Non-compliant" or "careless" are labels. Report what happened and why, if the notes say so: "He stopped his preventer in June because he felt well."
A purpose without a request
"I am writing about Mr Okoro, who has asthma" does not tell the reader what you want. More examples are in common OET Writing mistakes.
How to practise
Our own practice task bank currently covers nursing and medicine only, so pharmacy candidates should use official OET pharmacy preparation materials or their course's case notes. You can paste those notes and your letter into the free checker for estimated scores on each criterion, then rewrite your weakest paragraph. The estimates are a practice aid, not an official result.
Frequently asked questions
Do pharmacists write a pharmacy-specific OET letter?
Yes. Writing is profession-specific, so pharmacy candidates receive a pharmacy task. The format, timing and six assessment criteria are the same for all professions.
Who is the reader in an OET pharmacy letter?
In general teaching practice it is often a GP or other prescriber, sometimes a specialist, and sometimes a patient or carer for advice letters. Always use the reader named in the task.
Should I list all the patient's medicines?
No. Include the medicines that relate to the problem and the request. Summarise or omit unchanged medicines that do not affect what the reader will do.
Is this an official OET pharmacy task?
No. The patient, pharmacy and notes are fictional and written by LetterScore AI for practice. Use the official OET website for authentic pharmacy sample materials.